20031022

Ostracism

He dresses incorrectly, no one taught him how ...
(Where to go? But he just don't get out enough!)
He dresses incorrectly, no one taught him how ...
(Talk to girls? But he's just too spotty!)
He dresses incorrectly, no one taught him how ...
(Seventeen! He not keen on being like anyone else)
So he just plays on his computer game ...

Blur, 'Jubilee'


Fresh from sidewise criticism of others over indiscriminate searching for web-log material, I arrive to shamelessly peddle my own mish-mash of situational moral philosophy, in relation to an incident today involving Mat Cole and some of the UCC ex-post-freshers. The event: Mat is playing SSB: Melee with assorted ex-post-Fs. Ex-post-Fs decide they want to go all-on-all four-way Jigglypuff combat (imagine the excitement!). Mat demurs. The ex-post-Fs relieve Mat of his controller and give it to Thomas Castiglione after first canvassing the possibility of simply ganging up on him in-game to hasten his elimination. Mat, hurt by this display of disregard, storms out, slamming the door into the UCC-UniSFA corridor and breaking one of its panes of glass.

Thoughts:

  • Mat is still a giant tool.

  • As a loser, you shouldn't expect other people to accept you into their social group simply because they themselves are losers, or something only slightly better. Losers themselves are quick to seize every available opportunity to kick downwards.

  • I know this at least as well as anyone, since I have a serious tendency to kick downwards myself.

  • Seeing people woefully mistreat someone makes you lose a lot of respect for them - even if you agree with the essentials of their perspective.

  • The ex-post-Fs are a pretty ignoble bunch.

  • Chas' efforts to chastise (no pun intended) the ex-post-freshers after the event lacked conviction. Colm's were somewhat hypocritical in light of his own past behaviour towards Mat. Both are in a position where they don't have to interact with Mat in his most annoying form - well, maybe not Chas. As am I, since a couple of years ago I was consistently mean enough to Mat that he realised he had no hope of making friends with me.

  • If Mat, as he has stated, never returns to UCC, what sort of life will he lead? After all, he has spent the last twelve months in here all day, every day, playing computer games. He has no job, and isn't studying. And now, he probably has no remaining social group (although I think he may be roleplaying with the Gamers' Guild, but then, that may not necessarily constitute a social group).

  • I wonder what kind of person Mat will be in ten years' time. The thought seriously disturbs me.

  • Some people have no luck whatsoever, and no real means of making it for themselves. This is why society needs safety nets.



Shrug. Can't say I really care all that much; I don't think people should be obliged to associate with, or tolerate, people they don't get along with at all, and who are basically annoying twits. Courtesy is a reasonable social requirement. Anything more than a minimal level of feigned amiability is asking too much. Besides, Mat may end up faring better when his transformation into a viable social being is no longer anyone's pet project.

EDIT: Mat's back. Apparently he's apologising for his over-reaction as well. I'm almost impressed.