So who is weirder...

[Aardvark86]

The guy that has time to make and post 1500 "Empathy" signs on telephone poles, or the guy that spends some of his time tearing them down?

Mysterious removal of ’empathy’ signs leads artist to stop coming to Arlington | ARLnow.com

The man responsible for posting over 1,500 "empathy" signs around the area is steering clear of Arlington and some other Northern Virginia locales these days. That's because an unknown person or entity has been taking down the handmade markers meant to encourage greater human connection and...

www.arlnow.com

 

[Hawki97]

Guy #1: The guy posting them has good intentions and although he's pissing in the wind because people are assholes, is just trying to lighten the mood.

Guy #2: The guy pulling them down is a probably a massive prick - likely the only time those two words could be used to describe him - and just mean spirited.

Both a little weird. But I'll take hanging with Guy #1 if I was forced to have a beer with one of them.

 

[Aardvark86]

Guy #1: The guy posting them has good intentions and although he's pissing in the wind because people are assholes, is just trying to lighten the mood.

Guy #2: The guy pulling them down is a probably a massive prick - likely the only time those two words could be used to describe him - and just mean spirited.

Both a little weird. But I'll take hanging with Guy #1 if I was forced to have a beer with one of them.

I mean, I guess, but I suspect Guy #1 won't have time to drink with you because he'll be busy hanging signs.

 

[Hawki97]

I mean, I guess, but I suspect Guy #1 won't have time to drink with you because he'll be busy hanging signs.

Whew. Looks like I won't be forced to have that beer with him. Thank god. Even supposed nice people suck.

 

[NDallasRuss]

Man, they could both save a LOT of time if guy #1 could just hand off the signs directly to guy #2.

 

[Hoosierhawkeye]

Guy 1 is a little weird. But he is trying to spread a good message that one wouldn't think would be controversial. It's not likely to change much but at the same time who's opposed to empathy?

Guy 2 is way weirder. He's so upset by the idea of empathy that he takes time out of his day to go chase down all the signs this guy hung up to take them down.

 

[Aardvark86]

Man, they could both save a LOT of time if guy #1 could just hand off the signs directly to guy #2.

Hey Russ,


A question regarding your prior life in non-urban Virginia. In the last couple of weeks settling into Big Lex, we've had at least five people introduce themselves by offering/presenting their card. Now these aren't business meetings, more random things like neighbors walking down the street and saying hello when are dogs run up to the fence to them. Are 'calling cards' still a thing?

 

[NDallasRuss]

Hey Russ,


A question regarding your prior life in non-urban Virginia. In the last couple of weeks settling into Big Lex, we've had at least five people introduce themselves by offering/presenting their card. Now these aren't business meetings, more random things like neighbors walking down the street and saying hello when are dogs run up to the fence to them. Are 'calling cards' still a thing?

"Their card" - like their business card? In almost 20 years of living in NoVa I never had that happen. I had people come an introduce themselves, but that never included giving me their card as part of the introduction.

That seems really weird - like, beyond who I am, THIS is what I do!

"Thanks! If I ever need a (looks at card) "waterslide tester", I'll give you a call!"

 

[seminole97]

A question regarding your prior life in non-urban Virginia. In the last couple of weeks settling into Big Lex, we've had at least five people introduce themselves by offering/presenting their card. Now these aren't business meetings, more random things like neighbors walking down the street and saying hello when are dogs run up to the fence to them. Are 'calling cards' still a thing?

Were all of these people white?

 

[millah_22]

Man, they could both save a LOT of time if guy #1 could just hand off the signs directly to guy #2.

man this reminds of when i was an intern at the Englert and one of my jobs was to walk around hanging up signs at businesses and kiosks around town. This guy from f*cking Gabe's, a place we partnered with walked my route behind me and put his posters up over mine. By the time i finished my 45 minute route, he had covered them ALL.

I confronted him and he was like "oh I didn't notice." Fking bullshit. Wasted 45 minutes and a bunch of paper.

 

[Aardvark86]

"Their card" - like their business card? In almost 20 years of living in NoVa I never had that happen. I had people come an introduce themselves, but that never included giving me their card as part of the introduction.

That seems really weird - like, beyond who I am, THIS is what I do!

"Thanks! If I ever need a (looks at card) "waterslide tester", I'll give you a call!"

yeah, like their card, but without any business information on it. like just their name and contact info. (This is what I do, of course, is a DC introduction)

I threatened Mrs. A that the next time this happens, I'm going to go through all of the rituals associated with when you exchange cards with a japanese person. She got all pissed at me. (note, I'm in DC today, and the first thing I did this morning was grab a stack of my business cards that have been accumulating dust in my desk since before covid.)

 

[Aardvark86]

man this reminds of when i was an intern at the Englert and one of my jobs was to walk around hanging up signs at businesses and kiosks around town. This guy from f*cking Gabe's, a place we partnered with walked my route behind me and put his posters up over mine. By the time i finished my 45 minute route, he had covered them ALL.

I confronted him and he was like "oh I didn't notice." Fking bullshit. Wasted 45 minutes and a bunch of paper.

That sounds an awful lot like this guy at my first job. Outside our office, every day around 3pm there would be a hitchcock like flock of pigeons that would show up and shit all over the place because there was a guy who would dump a box of bird seed there every day at 259. So one day, our office manager, a former marine, goes up to the guy and says, wtf are you doing dumping this here? He tells her: the office manager down the street across from the other park got tired of the birds shitting in his park, so he pays me to come down here every day and dump the seed.

 

[millah_22]

That sounds an awful lot like this guy at my first job. Outside our office, every day around 3pm there would be a hitchcock like flock of pigeons that would show up and shit all over the place because there was a guy who would dump a box of bird seed there every day at 259. So one day, our office manager, a former marine, goes up to the guy and says, wtf are you doing dumping this here? He tells her: the office manager down the street across from the other park got tired of the birds shitting in his park, so he pays me to come down here every day and dump the seed.

at least they were honest about what they were up to

 

[Bonerfarts]

The guy that has time to make and post 1500 "Empathy" signs on telephone poles, or the guy that spends some of his time tearing them down?

Mysterious removal of ’empathy’ signs leads artist to stop coming to Arlington | ARLnow.com

The man responsible for posting over 1,500 "empathy" signs around the area is steering clear of Arlington and some other Northern Virginia locales these days. That's because an unknown person or entity has been taking down the handmade markers meant to encourage greater human connection and...

www.arlnow.com

MAGA is weirder

 

[jonesy5960]

I worked really hard printing and posting all of those signs.

 

[Finance85]

I worked really hard printing and posting all of those signs.

Does your empathy extend to the guy stealing them?

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Hey Russ,


A question regarding your prior life in non-urban Virginia. In the last couple of weeks settling into Big Lex, we've had at least five people introduce themselves by offering/presenting their card. Now these aren't business meetings, more random things like neighbors walking down the street and saying hello when are dogs run up to the fence to them. Are 'calling cards' still a thing?

No idea about Virginia, but this is fairly common in the retirement communities in Florida.

 

[Aardvark86]

I worked really hard printing and posting all of those signs.

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/079cee4e-e7c8-4054-a848-09cdc832a5a9

 

[NDallasRuss]

yeah, like their card, but without any business information on it. like just their name and contact info. (This is what I do, of course, is a DC introduction)

I threatened Mrs. A that the next time this happens, I'm going to go through all of the rituals associated with when you exchange cards with a japanese person. She got all pissed at me. (note, I'm in DC today, and the first thing I did this morning was grab a stack of my business cards that have been accumulating dust in my desk since before covid.)

I like it - definitely the way to go!!

But no, I've never had anyone hand me their contact information as part of an introduction/welcome to the neighborhood.

Thinking about it though, it would be helpful. When I move into the new place, several neighbors stopped by to introduce themselves, bring us welcome gifts, etc, but it's hard to remember their names. The cards could've been helpful with that.

 

[NDallasRuss]

No idea about Virginia, but this is fairly common in the retirement communities in Florida.

I hear those retirees are sharing a LOT more than contact cards!!

👴 🍆 👵🍑 💉

 

[lucas80]

Hey Russ,


A question regarding your prior life in non-urban Virginia. In the last couple of weeks settling into Big Lex, we've had at least five people introduce themselves by offering/presenting their card. Now these aren't business meetings, more random things like neighbors walking down the street and saying hello when are dogs run up to the fence to them. Are 'calling cards' still a thing?

Seems like genteel meth dealers just introducing themselves.

 

[lucas80]

man this reminds of when i was an intern at the Englert and one of my jobs was to walk around hanging up signs at businesses and kiosks around town. This guy from f*cking Gabe's, a place we partnered with walked my route behind me and put his posters up over mine. By the time i finished my 45 minute route, he had covered them ALL.

I confronted him and he was like "oh I didn't notice." Fking bullshit. Wasted 45 minutes and a bunch of paper.

Yeah, like you can find a square inch of a utility pole in downtown IC that doesn’t have a flyer from Gabe’s on it…

 

[Aardvark86]

Seems like genteel meth dealers just introducing themselves.

actually, the one that worries me is this guy i met who is the first genuinely southern gothic person i've ever encountered. I have precisely zero confidence in my ability to assess, in real time, whether anything he says is true (though I've been able to validate some things after the fact)

 

[jonesy5960]

Does your empathy extend to the guy stealing them?

Probably. It depends on the motivations behind the actions. Maybe he was abused by his empath mother thereby scarring him forever. Or maybe he was abused by his father who forced him out into the cold without proper shoes, stapling flyers promoting his pizza restaurant to poles around the city and now he has a pathological hatred for any kind of flyer.

I just wish I knew who it was so I could engage with him and find out why he took down my flyers undoing all of my hard work. Maybe it really was one of these kinds of things that he has no control over. Either that or he's a hopeless shitbag that can rot in hell.

 

[NDallasRuss]

Probably. It depends on the motivations behind the actions. Maybe he was abused by his empath mother thereby scarring him forever. Or maybe he was abused by his father who forced him out into the cold without proper shoes, stapling flyers promoting his pizza restaurant to poles around the city and now he has a pathological hatred for any kind of flyer.

I just wish I knew who it was so I could engage with him and find out why he took down my flyers undoing all of my hard work. Maybe it really was one of these kinds of things that he has no control over. Either that or he's a hopeless shitbag that can rot in hell.

Crazy that the whole thing can depend on whether or not he has adequate footwear!

 

[Jerome Silberman]

For what it's worth, I enjoy being around weird people. That said, I'd much rather be around a weirdo that creates than a weirdo that destroys.

 

[jonesy5960]

Crazy that the whole thing can depend on whether or not he has adequate footwear!

Good footwear is important.

 

[fsu1jreed]

Guy #1: The guy posting them has good intentions and although he's pissing in the wind because people are assholes, is just trying to lighten the mood.

Guy #2: The guy pulling them down is a probably a massive prick - likely the only time those two words could be used to describe him - and just mean spirited.

Both a little weird. But I'll take hanging with Guy #1 if I was forced to have a beer with one of them.

Fvcking facts on all accounts

 

[fsu1jreed]

MAGA is weirder

That's borderline mental issues

 

[lucas80]

actually, the one that worries me is this guy i met who is the first genuinely southern gothic person i've ever encountered. I have precisely zero confidence in my ability to assess, in real time, whether anything he says is true (though I've been able to validate some things after the fact)

Second thought, and it’s been awhile since I lived in the South, but you take that card and make an introduction, your first invitation will be to attend a church service / meet and greet.

 

[Aardvark86]

Second thought, and it’s been awhile since I lived in the South, but you take that card and make an introduction, your first invitation will be to attend a church service / meet and greet.

funny you should say that. So my wife met a neighbor who, coincidentally, my dad taught in high school in pa in 1962 (!!!). As they're talking about life around town, including church, Mrs. A. noted our Catholicism, and how I'd converted, which produced a rather negative subtext (though not quite into the "papist" realm) and a somewhat pejorative comment from the neighbor along the lines of "oh, he must have done it for you".

It was like a negative mirror image of when my wife was first dating me and her mom asked if i was catholic. Mrs. A replied "no, he's methodist" and Grandma A presumptuously responded 'that's ok honey, grandma was a methodist before she converted."

 

[artradley]

Crazy that the whole thing can depend on whether or not he has adequate footwear!

Boots theory - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

For the record, ten years prior I already had composed a similar theory based on my upbringing; in regards to furniture. My parents always bought cheap, crap furniture that wore out in a few years. I concluded, in my 20’s that if you buy quality furniture and keep it for years you will always have nice furniture, while spending less money than buying crap.

 

[drew_hawk]

That's borderline mental issues

Which is exactly why they need to protect that border!