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JOHNNY AND BILL
I love fairytales….Don’t you?
Once upon a time in a land far away, there were two brothers; let’s call them: Johnny and Bill. (Names changed, and Americanized; to protect the guilty) Even though these guys didn’t grow up together, they were fraternal twins. Johnny grew up in the Middle East and Bill had his formative years in the Far East. To this day they have a lot in common.
I find it very curious that even though they grew up half a world apart, they acted very much alike.(maybe they were influenced by some of the same friends) Even though they both lived in rough neighborhoods, they tended to be ignored by many of their neighbors and other family members. You might say they were the black sheep of the family.
It seems these boys are incorrigible troublemakers. They just seem bent on trouble. Well meaning people in some of the larger communities have tried to intervene and reach out to them for many years, only to have their good intentions ignored and rejected. At some point, many of the neighbors decided it was best to just kind of ignore these guys and make believe that they might turn out just fine; if given enough time.
Even though these guys will often do things to aggravate the whole neighborhood, (and beyond) they also know how to kiss up when needed. Don’t get me wrong, these two guys are plenty smart, they know when they can get away with murder and when to fall in line and lay low. As much as I hate to admit it, they are both expert negotiators. They know how to push buttons and when to back off. They will bring an issue right to the point of a major confrontation and then back off a hair.(The old two steps forward and one step back routine)Lying, cheating, and reneging on agreements and treatise, are no more than useful tools in their tool bag.
Just like a sailboat that has to travel at angles to the wind, they may appear to be going in the wrong direction but they know where they want to end up, and the course they want to follow. They know when to appease the neighbors and just how far they can push. Like most spoiled kids, they know they can run to one parent when the other one says no and somehow get their way.
The funny thing is, that these little guys think they are 10 foot tall. They have a reputation of trying to threaten, bully, and push around their neighbors. They also have ambitions of being the ring leaders, the boss of the others bullies in their part of the hood. They know deep down that many other good citizens deplore violence and the use of force, and therefore are forced to tolerate their misbehavior.
Well, every few years all the other neighbors get together in New York and have a big meeting. They have a high sounding name to their “Club”, but in reality, they are like a lion with no teeth. They pass resolutions and enact sanctions meant to bring the brothers (and other troublemakers) into compliance, but to no avail.
Together they all decide collectively that the brothers need to be punished, but just can’t seem to agree on what the punishment should be. There is always a contingent that argues to “give them another chance”. Some members of the group want to punish them economically, beat them up a little, or at least give them a black eye. Others want to declare all out war on the offending parties, but they are in the minority. Still others attend the group meetings, pretending to be helpful. They want to keep their good standings with the rest of the neighbors in the group, but keep their real agenda hidden.
These senior members of “The Club”, try their best to appear neutral, however these members have in the past, benefited financially by selling things to the brothers, and want to continue that profitable relationship. So, although they attend the punishment meetings, they rarely agree to any substantial actions or sanctions against the twins. In fact they tend to delay the proceedings and complicate the issue by introducing other topics.
Others in the group would secretly like to see some of the better off neighbors get beat up a little, and they are more than happy to let their surrogates (the evil twins) do the work for them. (and take all the blame)
Like most large groups, it’s often difficult to get a consensus on any one subject. To make matters worse, some of the most influential neighbors in the group are often dissuaded from taking necessary action because they don’t want to appear too harsh to the rest of the group. In any case, the meetings seem to serve little purpose and the brothers always seem to buy themselves more time to pursue their own malevolent agendas.
For the most part the boys have mistreated and threatened their own family members and friends, but even a disinterested and distant neighbor can see that they are working on a plan to destabilize the entire areas in which they live in. One of the brothers is constantly threatening the Jewish neighbors and the other is always picking on his Japanese neighbor, as well as his own distant family that moved away to the southern part of the country, after their last big disagreement.
It seems that some people never learn. These guys have very few friends to turn to, and are despised by many. Over the years both brothers have been involved in some minor fights and skirmishes (even in their own houses) and both have had a few black eyes, but neither seems to get the message.
Everyone knows that despite the rhetoric they use, they will not willingly change from their evil ways, but no one wants to get involved. It is also widely known that the fella’s are working on, and trying to purchase the technology for a large baseball bat that will give them serious clout in their entire regions. They are insisting that they aren’t making a bat, and if they are, it’s strictly for peaceful purposes. Besides even if they were, they insist it’s just a piece of oddly shaped wood anyway, not a bat. Not only that, other kids have a big bat, and no one ever questions them.
Despite their denials, they are making very credible and grandiose threats to their closest neighbors. And everyone knows that if they obtain this “Louisville Slugger”, that they will, without hesitation or cause, use this new weapon against their perceived enemies. The funny thing is that everyone knows we have pictures of the brother’s, well concealed bat factory. We have even sent in independent inspectors to visit the bat factory. Everyone knows that they are almost done building their potent weapon.(I mean bat)
Most of the neighbors are distracted with all the things going on in their own houses, as well as their numerous meetings and discussions as to how to handle the evil twins. They constantly debate and argue as to the exact date that the evil twins will finally get their big bat, as well as the hypothetical date they will begin swinging it. There is also little doubt that the bro’s will sell their bat making patent and materials to other trouble makers. (Especially their distant cousin who’s name starts with an “S”, that lost his bat factory in an unexpected accident..I forget his exact name) It seems that the good neighbors or their loved ones need to be struck with the “big bat”, before they are willing to address the issue.
Well I guess in the end everyone has their own agendas. Maybe it’s best if we all just mind our own business, bury our heads in the sand, and believe in fairytales. Maybe given enough time, everything will just turn out for the best.
“Or Maybe Not”….Good thing this is just a fairytale about a few brothers and a bat.
P.I.B.
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