Cut Off Your Nose To Spite Your Face

With this post I am putting a personal spin on yesterday’s post about tribal instincts.

I haven’t been able to find the source for this quote but its meaning is quite clear to most of us. It is about doing something that would ultimately cause serious damage to yourself more than others. That seems to be the perfect description of some MAGA folks. I want to give you a personal story about that.

I have a friend who I met about ten years ago when he was doing mandated community service at the soup kitchen where I volunteered. He is one of the few people who didn’t let my deafness get in the way of our communications. Since I left the soup kitchen about six years ago now, we continued our friendship as he only lives a couple of miles away.

He has overcome many obstacles in his life. He, not unlike many in my very rural county, became addicted to meth. He ended up being shot in the head by his drug dealer! He has several people in his clan who are doing jail time for pretty much the same activities. But, thank the Lord he was able to turn his life around, partly by becoming a Christian and maybe a tiny bit by our friendship. Due to his gunshot injury that resulted in frequent seizures along with a felony conviction he has had little chance of getting any kind of job. He pretty much lives on Social Security disability.

I try to help him out with odd jobs around the homestead to supplement his income. Since I can afford it I pay him almost three times Indiana’s minimum wage. During a recent job here I noticed a bumper sticker to the effect that “You should vote for Trump just to make the liberals cry!” I wonder if he knows how much of an insult that is to me. But, I realize that his whole clan is likely very much in the MAGA camp.

The sad thing about this is that he is insulting a group that is primarily responsible for providing his social security income and clinging to one who would love to take it away. I don’t know why he can’t figure it out on his own and like his previous addiction conquer it. He is just cutting off his nose to spite his face.

I just don’t talk politics with him as I know it would result in some bad feeling both ways. I can’t afford to lose a friendship over the idiocy of the current Oval Office occupant. I also realize that it would take a lot of courage on his part to renounce his clan’s MAGA beliefs. I simply don’t think he has the strength to do that quite yet. But it hurts me that I pay him at least a $1,000/year, and he insults me with his bumper sticker!