I was asked today why I was such a hater. I think I had some issue with a couple of groups of people. I guess the problem with both groups is that they seem very insular and don’t feel all that friendly. I talk to just about everyone I meet, and a lot of my opinions are based on just the small cross section of those people. But really, I feel like thinking about why I don’t seem to like firemen, when everyone else seems to love them.

I don’t like firemen because the ones I’ve met are rather humorless and macho. Macho I can deal with, but humorless I have a big problem with, especially with people who take themselves too seriously. And a lot of the firemen I’ve met (a small percentage of all the firemen on the planet, mind you) don’t really give a crap about anyone who isn’t either on fire or is a fireman themselves. A couple of my friends worked for the fire department as maintenance staff. One was an electrician and the other was a radio technician, and they were often treated like servants. Not by all the firemen, but by enough that I got the feeling that I shouldn’t bother being friendly because there was a certain club I’d never be able to join and I might as well remember that I wasn’t welcome.

Growing up non-white in Portland, where most everyone is white, there are lots of places where I didn’t feel welcome, and some times where people would want to hurt me when I was minding my own business. I guess that’s why I feel so strongly about “clubs” I can’t join.

Also, it doesn’t really matter, because I doubt any firemen give a crap about one guy who doesn’t like them. It’s not like I go out of my way to impede them or be rude to them. I just don’t feel any reason to join their cheerleading squad.