Saturday, March 24, 2007

This n that for Saturday morning

I once saw an interview with Sean Connery. I had always liked him, and he just seemed to get more handsome with age. Then the interviewer asked him what he disliked most in people, and his response floored me, "Ignorance. I can't stand ignorant people." And I have never liked him since. I'm not fond of willfully ignorant people either, with the key word being willfully. But what I abhor more is arrogance and condescension. These are behaviours learned in adolescence and always strike me as immature. I know I was sure guilty of the know-it-all disease at that age.

Yesterday, I was waiting for the bus on a four foot snow bank. When the bus arrived, I had to make a short leap to the bus entrance from the snow bank. Since my feet were snowy, I slipped and fell flat on my face next to the bus driver. The bus driver asked if I was okay, and I quickly said yes and stood up and brushed myself off. From the back of the bus, I heard cackling and when I looked up, three very old people were carrying on and they shouted out, "It's not god, just the bus driver!" "Easter is still two weeks away!" Apparently it looked like I had bowed down before a priest. They got such a kick out of it, I couldn't help but laugh along with them.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

To me one of the signs of a healthy personality is the ability to laugh at yourself.

It seems that you had good results at your annual check-up yesterday.

bardelf said...

Thou shalt prostrate thyself before the chariot driver.

Snooze said...

Normally I would say that's horrible that people were laughing, but those old people sound like a complete crack-up. I love that their sense of humour was about mass.

r said...

I hope you're okay now...

Falling down is usually my area of expertise; I jump up and act as if everything's okay, and then the next day realize I've pulled a muscle I didn't even know I had.

And I agree with Snooze... if they were junior high students, I would've been annoyed, but it sounds like the folks were laughing with you, not at you...

GayProf said...

I hope Spring arrives soon for you. I am not sure that the golden bus-driver gods are the right ones to pray to for that.

A Lewis said...

Ahh, just like a good alter boy...bowing before the priest.....I hope you're OK, though...those things can get worse the next day. As much as I agree totally with you on someone being arrogant or condescending, I always have a problem with ignorance.....it is ignorance that keeps gays, people of color, poor people, women, elderly, and the rest of those things we know little about, under control in our world. Ignorance is never pretty.

Anonymous said...

That's such a charming story.

And (of course) I agree with you are Sean Connery and the adolescent scathingness of doom. Plus he is a pig about women.

Willym said...

From what I recall there were enough bus drivers in Montreal who thought they were god....

Anonymous said...

How fortunate that you were able to see the humor in the bus/falling situation. Everybody got to laugh.

That's a win-win in my book (as long as you weren't hurt).

Chunks said...

I've never understood the world's facination with Sean Connery. Oh well.

The only people who can get away with anything anymore are the very young and the very old. Haha!

A Bear in the Woods said...

I think he's probably much more likeable on the screen than off. Projecting that kind of charisma is usually more appealing from a distance.
But your guys on the bus sound cool! If they're old like you say, they've had to learn to laugh a falling. They've probably got friends with broken hips.

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah! That supreme mix of surprise, pain and embarassment.

Having the old people commenting probably took the edge off.

Enemy of the Republic said...

Sean Connery may be a great actor and the best James Bond up until Daniel Craig, but he is not a nice guy. I saw an interview with him in which he endorsed beating wives because sometimes they just need to get slapped around. No, I don't like him, either.

I came clean on Daniel's page about my son's circumcision. I couldn't do it to him! My girlfriend had her son at the same time and THEY BOTCHED THE OPERATION! Lord. I am glad for my heathen ways.

Jason said...

The same thing happened to me with Christian Bale. Thought he was a great actor etc... then I read about what a loser he was at TIFF.

dpaste said...

You are a better man than I am. I would have been mortified.

Patricia said...

what em said about sean connery.

S said...

I guess you won't like me, either.

Stupidity can be altered by learning, ignorance (typically) can't be undone.