Letters to the Editor
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testimony, sister!
I rarely comment on these advice letters. But I wanted to step in and defend the LW in this instance.
Yes, I said defend her. All you haters check this- she wasn't somehow "gifted" or "lucky", she was yet another average jane in another average town that just didn't make any stupid fucking decisions.
Let me say that again: no stupid fucking decisions.
The LW doesn't say that she has no sympathy for the victims of bad luck-- the poor bastard who in 1998 put half his money into ostrich farms and the other half in tech stocks, say. Or that she doesn't feel sympathy for people bearing their abusive father-broken-home-never-been-called-on-my-bullshit-before crosses.
The LW says that she has no sympathy for people who make stupid fucking mistakes.
My mom and dad are both from big families, like six or seven brothers and sisters each. You know what seperates the happy aunts and uncles from the unhappy ones? The happy ones didn't make any (wait for it) stupid fucking mistakes.
The ones that joined cults? Unhappy now. The ones who thought that getting married would fix their problems? Unhappy. The ones who thought having kids would fix their marriages? Unhappy. The ones who thought they could get out of debt if they just had a better credit card? Unhappy.
I'm not saying that the happy ones didn't make bad decisions, they did. Who doesn't? But the big thing is they didn't compound bad decisions with stupidity.
In fact, I would say that it is the LW's inability to act that is her main problem. Further, I would postulate that it isn't so much her lack of sympathy that's coming across, as much as a "Thank god I'm not you, dumbass" gut-reaction.
And, following that, I would also suggest that the LW probably suffers, like most sensible people do, from having a desire not to waste her time with fools. We've all been there- dealing with someobody who just won't own up to their stupid mistakes- they have the credit card 'cause they couldn't afford the groceries! And they HAD to have a new car! You can sell steak-knives sooooo much easier if you have a new car! And I'm really smart and driven, and I can MAKE IT selling steak knives! I've already maxed out one credit card on the "Diamond Pyramid Steak Knife Selling Secrets DVD" and the trip to Florida for the workshop! And what else was I going to do, that stupid bitch at CostCo fired me! Yeah I was coming in late every day, but it was because I had a POS car!
Ugh! The stupid- it burns!
So, in closing, I'd advise the LW to stay the course, call 'em on their bullshit. That way, when they finally hit rock bottom they'll know who to turn to for real advice and help.
Give 'em hell, LW!