Two rants: Recession and Massachusetts

[Sunstroke]

I think I speak for Sunstroke when I say this is awesome.

Sorry Jeff, have been dying to speak for you since I read an earlier comment to Tommy.

If it's you speaking for me, no problem...I might actually say something that makes sense for a change.  Honestly though, would you want Tommy as your mouthpiece?

Yeesh...

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Damn, Jtex is gonna need a crowbar to remove his foot from his mouth.   

[SportsChick]

Katie, you are my hero. Thank you

[GUATARICCAN]

I still love you JTex. Even though I had a dream we were playing rock band at Dee Grizzle's house and you refused to put it on easy for me, ya douchebag!

[Guru-In-Vegas]

I guess thats what its like to witness someone getting kicked in the balls over the internet....nice.

[Dave Gray]

I side with JTex.  You guys need to chillax and not take his ranting so seriously.

[Frimp]

Right now he says that.     I'm betting it would be less than a week before Mr. CONservative here starts crying recession WHEN Obama wins the election.

IF Obama wins the election, AND has 2 quarters of negative growth, then yes I will call it a recession. If this quarter and the next quarter under Bush finish with negative growth, I will also call it a recession.  If there is no recession, then I will not call it a recession no matter who is president.

[Thundergod]

^
This actually happened to me.  I love animals and grew up with cats and a dog.  I was 21, living in my own place and found an abandoned Maine Coon kitten.  She was adorable.  Anyway, a friend needed a place to live and I had a two bedroom apartment so I took him in.  He was one of those people that 'hated' cats and was very mean to her. One day I came home in time to watch him literally kick her out of the way as he walked to the fridge.

The next actions on my part are a bit of a blur, but I do remember my heel flying out and connecting with his nose and breaking it.  As he packed his belongings (and bled) I calmly explained to him that my cat couldn't kick him back.  So I did it for her.

You are my new hero, dude! 

...and BoSoxGrl,   SCORE IT!   

[Jeno]

I side with JTex.  You guys need to chillax and not take his ranting so seriously.

Oh come on Dave, while i'm not all that bothered by his opinion on people from particular parts of America, you can't expect something like that to be posted and NOT receive a bit of a backlash?

Or for someone from/connected to the state mentioned to just laugh it off "because its Jtex and its okay", or because "its only a message board"?

Come on man...

[Phishfan]

I agree with Jeno. Reading the response it got from someone very close to Joe this goes deeper than just a message board rant. This actually seems to be his natural disposition (unless this is a huge Internet scam).

My dad was at a convention or some kind of business metting once and a group of guys started in with the West Virginia jokes. My dad calmly looked at them and got all their attention and asked "What is black, blue and red rolling on the floor?" Natural reaction was "what?" so he finished with "the next son of a bitch who tells another West Virginia joke." He was taken seriously and rightfully so as I have no doubt he would have taken it to the street if needed. People take great pride in where they are from and to make sweeping genralizations is dangerous, especially when you are close to someone.

[Brian Fein]

I can see how Joe can take his hatred to the extreme to include sweeping generalizations, however, what he doesn't add is that he doesn't consider BoSoxGrl and SportsChick to be "massachusians" or whatever the heck they call you.  He, in all likelihood, left you guys out of his rant.

Not that I'm supporting him, but I'm 100% certain that he didn't target you two (or anyone else in particular) in his rant.  He probably ran across some arrogant a-hole at school, the grocery store, wherever, who was saying how great the Celtics are, and how awesome the Patriots are, blah blah blah, and decided it was time to rant about how that one jack-off represents EVERY SINGLE PERSON from Massachusetts.

[Dave Gray]

JTex watched the Celtics win game 4, got pissed at the perception that Boston is the best thing ever, and let off some steam.

I don't think it's much more than that.

[BoSoxGrl]

Oh, I understand completely why he decided to let off some steam.  But just imagine the thing you are most proud of...your marriage, your kids, the place you are from...and then just imagine someone who is like a brother to you going onto a public forum and completely slamming it because he has to act like a child throwing a tantrum when their dad doesn't buy them a toy in order to express himself.

Being from New England isn't something I am trying to be.  It is simply who I am.

[Dave Gray]

Being from New England isn't something I am trying to be.  It is simply who I am.

Not really.  You are not "being from New England."  It's just where you lived.  It isn't your identity, unless you make it that way.

This doesn't bother me, per se, but I understand why it irritates people.  Think of people from other countries who make their nationality their identity.  -- The Puerto Rican guy who wears Puerto Rican flag shirts and stuff all the time, when he lives in the US.  ...or the blindly-patriotic American.  It's nationalism.

It's kinda the same thing on a smaller scale.

[BoSoxGrl]

You make a good point, but it isn't going to change how I feel.
It's like I was trying to explain to Joe and Fau just the other day when both the sox and the celtics were playing games in Boston.  The celtics were obviously in the playoffs and the sox were playing just a regular season game.  Growing up down in South Florida for the majority of their lives, neither of them could wrap their head around both events being completely sold out.  "Us People" are extremely proud of being New England...and there is nothing like being from the "cell phone sized" area of the country where the rest of it began.   If you want to call it nationalism or whatever, cool.  But to me, being from New England is as much a part of who I am as is my sense of humor or my hair color.  It is the thing I am the most proud of.