Bastards: Why I love them and why the world needs more of them
Topic: general blog
Some may think that being called a "bastard" is an insult.
Depending on the context in which it's used, any word could be an insult; slightly alter context, and a word, like bastard, can become something of a compliment.
First, let's look at bastards on TV shows.
Remember Ted Danson's series Becker? He portrayed highly opinionated Dr. John Becker. There's a bastard for you. He couldn't stand idiots, or anyone who wouldn't use their brains. And he wasn't afraid to tell someone why they were being an idiot.
Then there's Dr. Gregory House of, you guessed it, House. A manipulative bastard, as Foreman once called him. Granted, I have not been watching the sixth season, so I have no idea if he's changed or how much. Quite frankly, I don't want to know. The first three, four, maybe five seasons, that's the House I love. Such a brilliant bastard with an amazing intellect.
There are plenty of other bastards on TV: Gibbs and Fornell on NCIS, John Munch on Law & Order: SVU, maybe even Jonathan Archer of Star Trek: Enterprise, but in the real world, I have not had the good fortune to meet many.
Oh, don't get me wrong, I've known quite a few asses in my time, just not enough bastards.
What's the difference, you ask?
An ass is . . . just an ass. You know, a jerk, usually loud-mouthed, not necessarily that intelligent but tries to come across as more knowledgeable than he really is, not much in the way of redeemable qualities. An ass won't stick around when things get rough.
A bastard, on the other hand, has well thought out and informed opinions, a fair to high degree of intelligence, might be called a jerk when, ahem, sharing an opinion. But when you get backed into a corner, you want a bastard on your side.
My ex was an ass. Bad temper, wanted everything his way (and I do mean *everything*), tried to control me, got pissed off when I wouldn't conform to what he thought I should be. He was not worth the aggravation and stress he caused me.
According to him, though, I didn't know what stress was; only he knew what stress was.
Ri-i-i-ight, like I would take the word of someone who has no idea *how* to love. He'd just take, use, and abuse without giving in return.
That's the opposite of the man I've been with for the past two and a half years (what a man, what a mighty good man, as the Salt-n-Peppa song goes).
We're equals in this relationship, a good give and take.
He's the one who introduced me to the term bastard, the way I use it now, as well as the show House.
He describes himself as a bastard, irreverent, not completely politically correct (yes, I'm smiling writing this).
Gods help me, I love bastards.
This world needs more bastards, more people not willing to accept things on blind faith, people willing to shake things up, more people to be, as one twitter user (shockozulu) calls himself, a shit disturber.
There's a quote, by George Bernard Shaw, that I like:
"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
So, which are you?
Do you sit back, accepting the world the way it is, perhaps even blind yourself to the imperfections and injustices?
Or are you a bastard, unreasonable, trying to make the world a better place?
Posted by Mayv
at 4:30 PM CST
Updated: Fri, 12 Mar 2010 5:53 PM CST
happy