Common Sense Isn't That Common, and Idiots Can't Follow Logic.
Actually, this is written on the same night as the last entry. (Last Entry was Strange Contacts). The reason for this, is at the end of the last entry, I realised that the logic involved might elude some people. It's a problem I've had all my life (ie people not following logic). My old flatmate Paul used to say to me, "You can't argue with idiots, because they can't follow logic!" It's true. The old Maxim "Common sense isn't that common" also comes to mind. [I've had thirty different flatmates ... so don't try to follow who all of them are!] 
Most people I know, have heard of Dr Phil. Even if they haven't seen his show, or read one of his books. There is something he says that always sticks in my mind. When someone is on his show, and trying to justify the logic they have used for their behaviour, he always asks them, "And how is that working for you?" The answer is normally, "It isn't."
That's when common sense comes in. If it doesn't work, why keep repeating the same behaviour? Haven't you learnt? Or are you incapable of learning? Stop and think, and try a different tactic. (Maybe try listening to the other side).
Well, after writing the last entry, and getting the idea that the logic might elude people, I was reminded of an arguement I had with a flatmate once.
We used to pay a guy thirty dollars to mow our rather large lawn. It was a bargain. Between three of us, it was ten dollars a month each.
One of my flatmates (who also used to have trouble paying her rent, but always had money to party), decided she didn't want to pay ten dollars one month. So she basically 'borrowed' without permission her works mower. (She waited till everyone left work, and took it, then went to work early the next day to return it).
Well, I arrived home from my day job, and was getting ready to go to my casual night job. My flatmate asked me to not go to work so that I could help mow the lawn. I told her I couldn't because it was fifty dollars in the hand to me. I wasn't going to lose fifty dollars so that she could save ten. My other flatmate suggested I call in sick. As I explained to him, it's a casual job, if you don't work, you don't get paid. I then offered to pay the entire thirty dollars for the lawnmower guy. My first flatmate told me it wasn't fair.
I told her, "You're right! It isn't fair. I shouldn't be put in a situation where I will lose fifty dollars or thirty dollars just so you can save ten."
Needless to say, this went over her head. So I just went to work, and earned my fifty dollars. In this case, the logic eluded her because she was only thinking about her own bank balance. Still, she should have taken up the offer for me to pay the lawn mowing guy. Instead, what occured was she then went behind my back and bad mouthed me to a lot of people.
If you've ever heard my story about a flatmate who was going to smash my skull in with a baseball bat because she didn't like a joke I told, well, you know who I am talking about. [Yes, she physically got a baseball bat and was going to smash my skull in. I never told that joke again!] I am surprised I survived some of my flatmates. Don't worry, only about five of them were really bad. Flatmates that is ... not jokes. More than five of my jokes have been bad.
This flatmate was missing a lot in the common sense department. I had spoken to her previous flatmates (all of which she used to bad mouth as well), and they had had similar experiences. Due to her bad mouthing of them though, most people I knew all thought that somehow these flatmates had antagonised her and brought it on themselves. [I will point out at this stage, that my old flatmate was NOT the object of the joke, so she wasn't offended personally. So in no way did the joke antagonise her ... except somehow she took offence to it.]
It was obvious that she didn't learn from her first experiences, that using brute force to try to make people do what she wanted wasn't working. I sometimes wonder how many flatmates she has since threatened. I know the next one we had suddenly moved out without saying why, and I wonder what she said to him.
Will common sense catch up to her? Will she learn to follow logic? I am uncertain, but I am pretty sure she won't. To a certain extent, I think she was using these things as a way to bring attention to herself. Somehow she was always the victim. When she was the victim, people used to give her sympathy. I know I was one of the people that used to give her sympathy, then I found she was telling people I was the supposed antagoniser. I think this was because her other victimisers got tired fo her, and shut her out of their lives. I know I did the same thing once I moved out.
I regret having moved in with her, but alas, twenty twenty hindsight only comes after the facts. Fortunately, I do have common sense (well some) and can follow logic. Once I realised what was happening, I was out of there (like the proverbial rat from an aquaduct!) It meant someone else became her supposed victimiser. Hopefully, those who keep hearing her stories will eventually realise that it's all attention seeking. It does of course mean they will need a bit of common sense, and enough logic to see the pattern.
Most people I know, have heard of Dr Phil. Even if they haven't seen his show, or read one of his books. There is something he says that always sticks in my mind. When someone is on his show, and trying to justify the logic they have used for their behaviour, he always asks them, "And how is that working for you?" The answer is normally, "It isn't."
That's when common sense comes in. If it doesn't work, why keep repeating the same behaviour? Haven't you learnt? Or are you incapable of learning? Stop and think, and try a different tactic. (Maybe try listening to the other side).
Well, after writing the last entry, and getting the idea that the logic might elude people, I was reminded of an arguement I had with a flatmate once.
We used to pay a guy thirty dollars to mow our rather large lawn. It was a bargain. Between three of us, it was ten dollars a month each.
One of my flatmates (who also used to have trouble paying her rent, but always had money to party), decided she didn't want to pay ten dollars one month. So she basically 'borrowed' without permission her works mower. (She waited till everyone left work, and took it, then went to work early the next day to return it).
Well, I arrived home from my day job, and was getting ready to go to my casual night job. My flatmate asked me to not go to work so that I could help mow the lawn. I told her I couldn't because it was fifty dollars in the hand to me. I wasn't going to lose fifty dollars so that she could save ten. My other flatmate suggested I call in sick. As I explained to him, it's a casual job, if you don't work, you don't get paid. I then offered to pay the entire thirty dollars for the lawnmower guy. My first flatmate told me it wasn't fair.
I told her, "You're right! It isn't fair. I shouldn't be put in a situation where I will lose fifty dollars or thirty dollars just so you can save ten."
Needless to say, this went over her head. So I just went to work, and earned my fifty dollars. In this case, the logic eluded her because she was only thinking about her own bank balance. Still, she should have taken up the offer for me to pay the lawn mowing guy. Instead, what occured was she then went behind my back and bad mouthed me to a lot of people.
If you've ever heard my story about a flatmate who was going to smash my skull in with a baseball bat because she didn't like a joke I told, well, you know who I am talking about. [Yes, she physically got a baseball bat and was going to smash my skull in. I never told that joke again!] I am surprised I survived some of my flatmates. Don't worry, only about five of them were really bad. Flatmates that is ... not jokes. More than five of my jokes have been bad.
This flatmate was missing a lot in the common sense department. I had spoken to her previous flatmates (all of which she used to bad mouth as well), and they had had similar experiences. Due to her bad mouthing of them though, most people I knew all thought that somehow these flatmates had antagonised her and brought it on themselves. [I will point out at this stage, that my old flatmate was NOT the object of the joke, so she wasn't offended personally. So in no way did the joke antagonise her ... except somehow she took offence to it.]
It was obvious that she didn't learn from her first experiences, that using brute force to try to make people do what she wanted wasn't working. I sometimes wonder how many flatmates she has since threatened. I know the next one we had suddenly moved out without saying why, and I wonder what she said to him.
Will common sense catch up to her? Will she learn to follow logic? I am uncertain, but I am pretty sure she won't. To a certain extent, I think she was using these things as a way to bring attention to herself. Somehow she was always the victim. When she was the victim, people used to give her sympathy. I know I was one of the people that used to give her sympathy, then I found she was telling people I was the supposed antagoniser. I think this was because her other victimisers got tired fo her, and shut her out of their lives. I know I did the same thing once I moved out.
I regret having moved in with her, but alas, twenty twenty hindsight only comes after the facts. Fortunately, I do have common sense (well some) and can follow logic. Once I realised what was happening, I was out of there (like the proverbial rat from an aquaduct!) It meant someone else became her supposed victimiser. Hopefully, those who keep hearing her stories will eventually realise that it's all attention seeking. It does of course mean they will need a bit of common sense, and enough logic to see the pattern.
posted by Dabido @ 1/18/2005 05:28:00 pm
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