Today I Think I’ll Be A Couch Potato: Now How Does A Couch Potato Dress?

tutuI sort of chuckled when I read about a new law in Massachusetts that deals with gender identification. I pictured myself as an employer waiting for a person to come in and interview for a job. I’m a conscientious law-abiding guy who wants to stay on the good side of the law. I’m reading the resume of George Goodfellow. He actually has the education and experience that I am looking for. My secretary buzzes me and says, “your scheduled appointment Mr.  Goodfellow is here.”

My door opens and in comes a bald, fat guy wearing a pink tutu and pair of ballet slippers. I try not to do a double take. I stand up and indicate with my hand a chair opposite my desk and say,  “Have a seat, please.” I’m a little confused. I was going to say have a seat Mr. Goodfellow but I did not know if he wanted to be called mister.

He sits down. I say, “well Goodfellow, thanks for coming in.”  He says, “call me George.” 

I really want to ask him why he is dressed up like that. I’d like to know if he dresses up like that all the time. I have to sit there an pretend that everything is normal and figure how to go through an interview with this guy which is the last thing in the world I want to do. He has written all over him the words “liability” and “legal suit.”  That is why I cannot comment on his dress. I also know if I bring him down the corridor to meet other members of the group that I planned to help with the interview someone is going to say something that may point to his incongruous manner of dress.

The law states according to the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD) that it “is unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer, or an employee or agent thereof, to discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment based upon that individual’s gender identity with regard to recruitment, hiring, firing, discipline, promotion, wages, job assignments, training, benefits, and other terms and conditions of employment. Discrimination may take the form of unwelcome verbal or physical conduct, including but not limited to, derogatory comments, jokes, drawings or photographs, touching or gestures.” (my emphasis)

The MCAD points out: “The law also protects persons whose gender identity is consistent with their assigned sex at birth, but who do not adopt or express traditional gender roles, stereotypes or cultural norms. Courts and the MCAD recognized that discrimination on the basis of gender stereotypes is unlawful bias prior to the legislative changes in Massachusetts. For example, discrimination against a persondesignated as female at birth and who identifies as a woman but who does not act, dress, or groom herself  in a manner consistent with feminine stereotypes, is unlawful discrimination based on sex and gender identity. (my emphasis)

Here before me is George born as a man who identifies himself as a man but is not acting or dressing in a manner consistent with masculine stereotypes. How can it be that I am in that position. Why can’t I say to him “look George, if that is your name, coming in here dressed like a woman is unacceptable. I just have no time or position for you. Have a good day and don’t trip in those heels walking out the door.”

I suppose George has found a good way to make a living in Massachusetts without having to work. Suppose he showed up at the interview dressed in a traditional man’s three-piece suit and the interview went well and I offered him the job. I tell him to come in and start on Monday and I’ll take him around the office and introduce him to the others. He then shows up as he did above dressed as a woman. I would obviously have to let him go or some of the wise guys working for me would have a few choice comments to make. Either way George could go out and sue me.

It gets worse. A guy can go into the women’s bathroom or locker room as he sees fit in Massachusetts. Women have lost all their privacy. MCAD notes: “The statutory definition of gender identity does not require the individual to have gender affirming surgery or intend to undergo surgery, nor does it require evidence of past medical care or treatment. Gender identity is distinguished from sexual orientation. Gender identity refers to a person’s internal sense of their own gender and its expression.”  (my emphasis)

So if some days my internal sense is that of a woman and another day that of a man everyone has to put up with it. No questions asked. What is next. What if I don’t feel like either a male or female? If I feel like neither which in my Latin classes was called the neuter gender which is protected from discrimination.

As I understand it a couch potato is part of the neuters gender. Now I’m going to dress as a couch potato. I expect my rights to do so will be respected at work today.

It is stuff like this that has made many people run from the Democratic party and many others vote for Donald Trump.

 

15 Comments

  1. John King McDonald

    Great minds think alike! 🙂

  2. John King McDonald

    CATCH -22 🙂

  3. John King McDonald

    Elmerrrrrrr …. Let them know that we tried to get out. We really did … We really, really, really did! 🙂

  4. John King McDonald

    Very Well Stated, Elmer!

  5. Matt, you raise a very, very important issue – what are the legitimate functions of government?

    And I feel sorry for everyone in your state – you live in Mentalchussetts.

    It used to be that one knew what the law was, and one only had to be mindful not to exceed the speed limit when driving, for example.

    Now – in Mentalchussetts, one has to figure out what a stereotype is.

    Let’s say that Tom Brady feels his inner Kaepernick and shows up for an NFL game wearing a tutu, because he feels like someone else that day, or let’s say that Poppy showed up for a Red Sox game wearing a dress – apparently, their employers would be in violation of Mentalchussetts law if they even asked questions about it.

    Far fetched? Well, the NFL players have been required to weak pink insignia of some sort or another, but I forget whether it was for breast cancer or something else. And for a while it became fashionable for media idiots to report which NFL players were or are gay.

    People in the Northeast live like rats in a cage, all crowded together. I don’t think there is enough oxygen getting to their brain cells.

    And all of this is presided over by self-righteous, really, really “smart” people – after all, they never tire of telling us just how superior they are intellectually, and therefore you should do whatever they dictate.

    I wonder how the people in the North End or Southie react to the laws that you describe?

    You have my sympathies.

  6. Matt
    If you have the time just wanted to send 2 articles regarding Rumeal Robinson. After reading them please let me know if your opinion as to what he did has changed. I truly appreciate your insight as you have so much experience. Like I mentioned I know Rumeal personally and am trying to conclude whether he planned on outright deceiving people for money. The first document is courtesy the FBI and I am wondering if you could determine if its the FBI bs spin they do to individuals. Thank you Matt

    https://archives.fbi.gov/archives/omaha/press-releases/2011/om010711.htm

    http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/11/12/111077P.pdf

    • Roger:

      I read both documents. The FBI report was straight forward without any embellishment. It stayed pretty close to the fact situation.

      The decision by the Court of Appeals is striking in that it shows the evidence against Rumeal must have been overwhelming yet Rumeal at the time of his sentencing sounds more like Whitey Bulger complaining about not getting a fair trial and criticizing his mother who testified against him by suggesting he gave her some goods when he was doing well and she had betrayed him. I take back what I suggested to you earlier that you reach out to the guy. His statement after his conviction suggests it appears he had no intent to do anything involving any business in Jamaica. He claimed to the judge he was just an unsophisticated borrower which seems to suggest he was also not able to be involved in any development scheme. He fails to take responsibility for his actions so it is best to perhaps stay away from him.

      • Matt
        I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to read the documents and assessing the reality of who Rumeal Robinson became after his career. I am no expert but i am starting to wonder if Rumeal’s background (homeless as a child, grew up in foster home, pampered athlete, etc) led him to become a sociopath. You mentioned that Whitey Bulger too claimed that he didnt get a fair trial. Is it part of a sociopath’s psche that they are never ever wrong even after tried and convicted. They have no sense of morals or ethics. They are only sorry they were caught not that they hurt others for their own means?

        I ask this because Rumeal was always very friendly and cordial with me and we have even played basketball together on the same court. he never asked me for money but you do give solid advice in that its best to no longer associate with him. Ironically a childhood friend was recently released form his second prison stint and is now asking me to donate towards his new company. A non-profit organization in which his primary backer recently got busted for major drug distribution. Pathetic that he would ask me and all around a troubled guy.

        Thanks again Matt

  7. John King McDonald

    Klinger would have punched you out if you told him not to trip on his heels. That Lebanese firebrand gave Dress Marine a new meaning for all of us. Or was it Army? … Yep, MASH … Army!

    Fer’ Chrissakes Matt, adjust your gators … if not your garters…. and pull this blog back together. Love Ya’ …. …… Man … but you’re gettin’ to be a drag ! … I MAKE A JOKE OF COURSE. 🙂

    • Dare I point out, Mr. McDonald, that Klinger wore dresses and high heels to “prove” that he was “crazy” so that he could be kicked out of the military?

      Under Mentalchussetts law, everyone would be forced to accept that Klinger was not crazy.

      But I do like your joke.

      • John King McDonald

        So stipulated, Elmer. Fair play to you. Of course there is a Reductio Ad Absurdem with the Klinger Trousseau here. If that hirsute Corporal went to that extreme to game the system as ” crazy ” then arguably he was indeed genuinely. ” crazy. ” Whatever that is, Sky’s assertions of normalcy aside.

        Anyway, ElmTree 🙂 We had some fun with that. But let’s get Matt back on the OC Track … on The Trek.

  8. Transcending Tribal Mentality
    By Caroline Myss

    All of us are born into a “tribal mentality” of various forms. These include our family unit, religious background, country of origin, ethnicity, etc. The tribal mentality effectively indoctrinates an individual into the tribe’s beliefs, ensuring that all believe the same. The structure of reality – what is and is not possible for the members of the group – is thus agreed upon and maintained by the tribe.

    While the tribal mentality has definite benefits in terms of establishing common ground and ensuring group survival, it is not a conscious agreement. We are born into it. Yet at a certain stage, both personally and collectively, the tribal mentality must be challenged. People can then begin to recognize the need for a personal honor code independent of the tribe. If humanity is to progress, we need to learn how to treat everyone – regardless of tribal affiliation – with honor and respect.

    Every one of us is plugged into the tribal mind. We support tribal belief patterns by directing a percentage of our life force into maintaining our affiliation with the tribe. This involves an implicit agreement to think like the tribe thinks, to evaluate situations and people the way the tribe does, and to believe in right and wrong according to tribal values and ambitions. As long as the tribal mentality within us remains unexamined, we unwittingly subject others to our tribal laws.

    When we are plugged into tribal thought forms, we can easily believe in nonsensical prejudices held by the tribe. Tribal mentality allows us to hold harsh, judgmental positions or attitudes about an entire group of people: “All fat people are lazy,” or “all Irish are drunks,” or “all Muslims are terrorists” for example.

    A rigid tribal thought form may have little truth to it, but individuals hold to such beliefs because that perspective is what the tribe has agreed to believe. Innocent children, born into the hatred and prejudice of their parents and ancestors, grow up inside a tribal mentality that sponsors an endless march toward war against the tribe’s perceived enemies. People grow up hating other people – people they have never seen – based on group affiliation. This is the shadow side of the tribe.

    Inevitably, some among us come to a point where we want to break out of the inflexible tribal mentality. At some point, these individuals want to explore, develop, and manage their own consciousness without the judgments and limitations of the tribal mind.

    It is easy to spot these mavericks when they start to question and unplug from tribal mentality – they hang out on the periphery looking bored and restless, or whimsical and dreamy. Others may act out the agitated hot-head as they challenge tribal ways.  

    The unspoken assumption of the tribal mind is that everybody loves being part of the tribe. And in many ways, we do. Knowing where and to whom we “belong” is crucial to our self-concept and sense of safety in the world. Yet when we begin the real deep journey of questioning, “What do I believe?” and start to individuate from the tribe, we often enter a dark night of the soul. It is, by necessity, a passage we take alone.

    It’s one thing to reject what we don’t want to believe anymore. It’s quite another to begin to explore what we do believe. All we know as we enter the dark night is that we can’t go back – even when the tribe is the only world we’ve ever known.

    At this critical point in our development, the tribe doesn’t feel right anymore. It no longer offers us comfort. Previous feelings of security and familiarity begin to feel like a trap constraining our individuality and hampering our efforts to discover deeper levels of who we really are.

    This dark night passage pushes us to look at our false gods – the tribal belief patterns in which we’ve become invested and to which we’ve given our allegiance.

    coming soon
    Part Two
    Let me count the ways FBI agents whack people and elect Presidents

    Kennedy whacked Johnson elected President
    Martin Luther King ready to run for President whacked
    and Johnson re-elected
    Robert Kennedy commissions book Farewell America written by
    French Intelligence exposing FBI wacking his brother JFK
    Robert Kennedy decides to run for President, is whacked by FBI
    and Nixon wins.
    FBI agent known as Deep Throat exposes Watergate because Nixon
    did not promote him to head FBI Gerald Ford replaces Nixon.
    FBI teams up with CIA to create October Surprise for Jimmy Carter
    Ronald Reagan elected President.

    • Nope … Not a Myss- fire. Not even a liberal Ms.- fire. Some good stuff in this one. ASKESIS …The Dark Night Of The Soul . Kierkegaard WHAT?

      Not to be confused with Ass Kissers btw Matt …. I sense your laundry is in a bit of a quandary today …. SHOUT OUT TO EW AND ALL FPI’S MS 🙂 …So, I resort to humor to … Coax you back!