I’m instantly leery of any person who states that they’re looking for a reason. I’m suspicious because my brain translates looking for a reason into what I believe they’re really trying to say, which is, I‘m looking for an excuse.
Sometimes, after the person that’s looking provides some detail I dial down my suspicion meter. Not all the way down though, because I can’t shake the feeling that if you’re having to look for reasons, then there’s something inherently flawed with your logic.
I’ll elaborate.
There’s a Tracy Chapman song where Tracy sings, give me one reason to stay here, and I’ll turn right back around. On the face of it. the words appear to be noble. The lyrics suggest that Tracy has affection for another person and wants a relationship to continue. But I can’t help but think that Tracy is letting her emotions trap her into a continued domestic shit show. One reason to stay suggests to me that at the moment you have precisely zero reasons to stay, or conversely many reasons to leave. It’s sort of like saying to yourself, well he’s still hitting me but at least he’s sober. Give me ten reasons to stay here sounds more sensible in my estimation. But, whenever I run into people that Tracy’s song describes I do dial down my suspicion meter, because these people are not predisposed to cause me any harm. They’re much more likely to allow harm to themselves, and their reason for looking for a reason could arguably be called constructive. Like trying to salvage a relationship, which although often delusional is at least understandable.
What I’m trying to say is that I think that the people in Tracy’s song don’t shoot anywhere as much as they get shot, and my suspicion and concern is with the shooters. Both specifically and metaphorically.
I think that when your intent is to be destructive, then the reasons for that intent should be obvious. Searching for a rationale to explain your intended behavior should be a clear sign that your intent is at best irrational, and at worst criminal.
There are two types of people that need to search for reasons to validate their destructive behavior. Stupid fucks and shady fucks.
Stupid fucks are the Karens and Chads of the world. They exist in a state of perpetual anxiety because they can’t make sense of the ever changing world. Eventually their confusion turns into fear, and then that fear turns into aggression. Their less lethal ranks include but aren’t limited to, road ragers, internet trolls, dog kickers and anyone that loses their mind in public because of a minor inconvenience or perceived slight.
Nonsensical meltdown and looking for a fight stupid fucks.
Almost everyone on the planet has had one of these stupid fuck moments. However, in order to be a true stupid fuck you need to behave this way habitually. Losing your shit once every couple of years, and then randomly regretting that moment for the rest of your life automatically disqualifies you as a stupid fuck.
Stupid fuck isn’t a moment in time. It’s a lifestyle and like all lifestyles there’s always those people that take it to the next level. These are the lethal stupid fucks and they’re actually easy to identify. These people don’t just look for reasons. They search with diligence. Their entire life is a quest for venom and hostility excuses. They watch and they listen to select social media not for entertainment or information, but for reasons to justify their stupid fuckery. Then after they’ve accumulated enough reasons they purchase ammunition for the last time or drive their cars through protesters or a parade.
Because they’ve found those reasons they were looking for.
Shady fucks can also be stupid fucks. But the best of them, the shadiest of the shady are most assuredly not stupid. Malevolence and corruption on a grand scale requires some thoughtfulness and planning. You can’t just decide one day that you’re going to be a scheming villain. It takes time and effort. That effort isn’t one dimensional either. For starters, you need to come to terms with the fact you’re a lying, hypocritical piece of shit. Some shady fucks can manage this without even breaking a sweat, but the rest of them need to look for reasons to justify their behavior. It’s hard work because they need two sets of excuses. Set one needs to be plausible enough to resonate with the stupid fucks. Set two are their real reasons that set one conceals.
Because that’s how shady fucks operate.
This second set of reasons are best kept hidden, because if revealed then even the stupid fucks might have a wait a second moment. So, it’s necessary to hide away daddy issues, pin dicks, any kind of rejection, getting kicked out of Austrian art school, xenophobia or greed as your true motivation.
Instead you provide reasons for the stupid fucks to go berserk, and then you sit back and collect money and influence as your berserker mob grows in power. Back in the day you needed to be a King or a Pope or a Wazir to reach your audience of idiots. But now all you need is a podcast, pulpit, cable opinion program, or a reality T.V. show, and presto, you’ve got access to all the mouth breathers you need.
Often times the provided reasons don’t even have to be well thought out or even true because the provider of reasons is preaching to the choir. The audience has already made up their minds about how they wish to behave,
They just need an excuse disguised as a reason.