Continued from "Of Sheepdogs and Crackpots, 2"
(Parenthetical note: "It's all good fun, until someone loses an eye." Stay safe, have a happy Independence Day & stick by your guns.)
The black knight's comment on my original post not only agrees with my own conclusion, but for the very same reasons. He is basing his opinions on the dynamic of this kind of "relationship." If you don't follow his argument or you don't understand how he gets there, I cannot urge you strongly enough to get a copy of The Gift of Fear by Gavin DeBecker and read it.
It's pretty easy to lay aside DeBecker's humanistic & evolutionary framework and redeem the principles he teaches by putting them in a Biblical context. This book will help you read the players , and you will be a much more effective sheepdog if you can do that.
Enough of that, for now. Let me continue my analysis of the subject. (Subject seems a more objective term than crackpot). Again, this is my OPINION.
So far, I have concluded that the subject is a social misfit, who is probably stuck in a low-level job. From his grammar and syntax, he appears to be brighter than the average public school graduate. But his lack of valid research and his poor argumentation suggest that he is intellectually undisciplined.
There are two attitudes that come through his writing as well. The more obvious one is his anger. It seems he ultimately directs his anger at God -- "I hate my life, and it's all God's fault." But God's people are easier to reach, so he seems to have settled on Gary DeMar and Christian home educators as scapegoats.
This anger has grown with his frustration, just as the black knight has indicated. Public humiliation will only escalate his desire to get even. The suggestion that Gary DeMar himself faked some 200 responses to his post is not only ludicrous, but also demonstrates a break with reality that is rooted in bitter anger.
The other attitude the subject manifests is fear. It's not really as obvious, but an element of fear always underlies scapegoating. As some of you have also commented, he sees home educated people as a threat.
I want to discuss the interaction of his fear and anger in another post.
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3 comments:
Good post, my friend. You always have an opinion that's well worthwhile to listen to.
Spencer
You're absolutely right, he spends absolutely no time researching his responses; instead, letting anger take over and writing spiteful, demeaning responses, with no basis to them. I have to admit, anybody with a decent helping of sense would have given in and called it a day. All he's succeeding in doing is ruining his own reputation, and bolstering his own cause with the shaky supports of passionate spite.
Mada,
I appreciate your sticking with me, even though you don't agree with my conclusions. There's room here for honest differences.
BTW, I am not predicting what WILL happen. I am pointing to danger flags
that indicate what MAY happen if the situation is allowed to escalate.
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