Who’s Responsible Debate

Many of you know that I’ve become involved in an online organization of writers from everywhere. Mostly, it’s people like you and me who just enjoy writing. At this site, whatever story, article, essay or debate you write is rated by all the other people who have joined this community of writers. Everyone gets to rate everyone else’s writings. I’m new at this, and only joined because I was cruising around to see what was offered for publishing one’s own work.

So, I’ve found Helium.com (no longer what it used to be) to be an excellent place to write about whatever I know something about. Mostly I’m having a ball. I just snoop around, pick a subject and start writing. Once I’ve checked it for errors, I submit it, at which time I am snapped into a place where I get to rate other people’s work while mine is being rated by others. This is fun!

I started noticing that I was getting pretty good at this when I received my very first ratings. I was just honored! I hadn’t gotten a gold star since the third grade. What elation! I was just on cloud nine. I started writing more and more and would click into the site to check my rating. Egad! I was rating in the top one quarter of most everything I wrote! Conceit was looming.

Last week, while checking my ratings, I noticed that my most current article was rated #1 of 26. Well, there went my ego, right through the roof. Oh! But there’s more! I had a blue star for writing. Well, this spurred me on to write again. I was so excited I could hardly contain myself, and soon I was snooping around for a subject too write about.

And there it was. A debate. Well, I’ve never been very competitive, with the exception of trying to secure more floor in family yack-a-thons. So, I wondered if I could pull this one off. The debate was Should Smokers Bear the Responsibility for Health Risks of Cigarette Smoking? Of course, there was a YES or a NO vote. Clicked on the NO vote, and a blank page popped up for me to begin writing. It didn’t take me long, and when I finished and checked it for errors, I submitted.

Of course, I was checking in and out of Helium to see what my rating was. There weren’t very many submissions yet, but I was #2 of 4 for the NO side of the debate. Not too bad. I decided to check my e-mail before going about my usual chores around the house. I’d check ratings again later.

What a nice surprise! I had an e-mail from one of the other writers. She had placed just one point under me in the ratings. Her note was very pleasant and flattering. Oh! I liked her immediately. I wrote her back and told her thanks very much for the kind and flattering words. And that I liked her article too.

BUT WAIT!!!!!! There was another e-mail from yet another member of Helium. Gosh! I’ll be getting flowers and speaking engagements next. I clicked into that e-mail and read:

“The government made me do it. The ad campaign made me do. Help! Help! I can't control myself, I'm under the control of a mind bending, death ray and nothing is my fault. You are where you are because you put yourself there. To shirk responsibility is juvenile.” Napoleon

Many of you will be pleased to know that I did NOT address this man as Dear Mr. Hot-Snot! No sireee. I maintained a certain amount of brevity and dignity in my response with:

I'm guessing you don't and never have smoked or had any other vices....ever.
I did choose to smoke, albeit at age 14. I also chose to continue to smoke. Unfortunately, it took something stronger than my urge to smoke to quit.
I'm so glad you're free of any bad habits, or anything socially unacceptable.

I read your article too, and it was fair.
M. Brown

He responded with:

"What's fair? The weather is fair. What did you think?
I've got more than my share of bad habits, but I don't point at other things or people and say that's why I'm bad. Everything I am or will every be begins with me. It's called taking responsitility for my actions. If I make a mistake, I try to correct it. If I cause pain to others, I generally apologize. Of course, I smoked just like most kids raised in the 50's and 60's, but just like I said, I knew then that cigarettes were bad for me, I ignored that and continued to smoke. When it came time to quit, I quit. It's that simple."
Napoleon

I don’t mind saying that I was tiring of this little twerp, so I went back and found his article, which was listed as #4 of 5. As I gazed at it, trying to get through, I noticed that he had a particularly long dissertation with NO paragraphs. And, He’d voted on the wrong side. His story indicated that he most certainly did believe that smokers should bear all of the responsibility for the health risks of cigarette smoking. I also clicked in to “Read more about this author.” The only thing there was his dissertation about Smoking. Bingo! I shot back:

"I think you need to learn how to use paragraphs. It makes it easier to read.

You voted on the wrong side. The question was Should Smokers Bear the Responsibility for the Health Risks of Cigarette Smoking? You voted NO. The way your debate Article read, you really meant to say YES Smokers Should Bear the Responsibility of the Health Risks of Cigarette Smoking.

In my debate Article, I’m not shirking responsibility. I own the mistakes I’ve made, and I know what they are without having to have someone else enumerate them for me.

My statement was (and still is) that No, smokers should not have to bear all of the responsibility. We all know the difference between right and wrong by the time we are 5 years old. However, a person still needs guidance for making decisions until they are more of an adult. People who are responsible for targeting minors for their own gain should shoulder the blame as well.

This is a debate, not a rock throwing contest, nor a contest to get on the Don Rickles Heckling Hour.” M. Brown

I have not heard a peep out of “L.T.” since I shot that last note to him. I do hope he learns to use paragraphs, and I wish him success.

I feel much better for having responded to “L.T.”, but I guess it doesn’t really matter. I wonder if he wrote that little note to other debaters. But again, I guess it doesn’t matter anyway.

I just clicked into Helium. I’m #1 of 8 on the NO side. My day is made!

MONKEY BUSINESS

It all started on a whim. Since Anne had worked so hard to get her book on chocolate published, and had her fingers in at least 5 other enterprises, I decided that her logo, Choco Monkie, needed a girlfriend. So, I made a sock monkey for her.

As I made this little monkey, I made up a story to go along with it. She was a French monkey that came over on a boat to live with Anne. I named her Chocolette, and dressed her in a pair of white Capri's with a red and white stripped shirt. And a wide-brimmed straw hat. I put little earrings on her, and gave her a duffel bag that carried a change of clothes for her, a skirt. Anne was delighted, and she carries her with her on speaking engagements.

After that, I decided that I’d make one each for my daughters and grandchildren. I was really having fun with this. I ordered more socks on line, and started in on Savannah’s. After I’d made three of them, a friend of mine asked me to make a pediatrician monkey for her daughter, who was a pediatrician. She loved it, but asked me if I could put hair on her, so I bought some yarn and started fashioning hair for the little monkey. I also found a ”baby” sock monkey that I’d been hanging on our Christmas tree. Soon the baby was affixed in the arms of the pediatrician monkey.

Okay, the ball is rolling. This was fun. It wasn’t just an assembly line of socks and fluff. As each little monkey progressed, it started taking on a personality of its own, and since there was no one but Hank around to hear, I actually started talking to them. Hank listened intently, cocking his head one way and then another. I’m sure he thought I was talking to him. When I’d get quiet, Hank would quietly walk over and very gently grasp the monkey’s tail in his teeth, and very carefully try to ease it off my lap. He must have thought it was his. He’s done that several times. Actually, Hank has his very own sock monkey that I bought at a garage sale for a dime. Unfortunately, it’s in shreds in his toy basket. He still loves it, though.

I made all the rest of the monkeys with hair. I also dressed them to suit personalities and preferences. I made a Grease Monkey for Chris to over see him in the garage, while he restores an old Le Mans. I also had a couple of other requests lined up from friends. I made monkeys for all of my sisters and sisters in law.

Well, I thought that would be the end of it, but as soon as I put away my monkey stuff and stowed my sewing machine, I got three more requests. Why sure! I just whipped those two little charmers out. At last count, I've made about 25 of these little charmers. I wish I could put them all on here, but, alas. There's no room.

At last! I’ll just put my sewing machine up and …………….. “What’s that George? You want a sock monkey too? A what kind of monkey? This will be the crowned jewel of sock monkeys. I’m only in the planning stages so far, but once I get it all together, it’ll go pretty fast. George will have his doll. I will post it for all to see. In the mean time, all of you try to think of what kind of monkey GIII would ask for. It’ll just let it be a big surprise.