I have a little story. For you, my One, and only follower.
A while back, I was bored. Pretty bored. I thought to myself, "I know what I'll do. I'll make a fake Facebook profile as a RLSH". (Real Life Super Hero, for anyone else who reads this) And that's what I did. A fake profile. "Now, I'll need a fake name. A name that sounds cool, but it has to be kind of obtuse. Not like 'The Masked This or That', but memorable. Something that stands out". And that's what I did. So would be the birth of 'ZERO'.
"Oh what's this? Facebook won't let me USE Zero as a name. A first AND last name... Zero Ekks. Nope. Ekks Zero. Nope. Ok, I see how it is. Gonna hafta get ridiculous, huh? Ok. TheMan NamedZero. SUCCESS!! Now I need a pic. Hmmm... Can't use one of ME. Google.com/images... Maybe a skull...? There's a cool one. Even says Zero on it. Sweet. (later I found out it was a skateboard company logo... oops. Oh well...) Ok. New profile, new name, new pic. Nice. Now to start making "friends" and messin with people. MLOL"
I friend requested a few "heroes" and began shooting the bull. Soon I had friend requests out the wazoo. Almost too many to keep up with. Apparently these guys SWARM on any new prospective recruit to their cause.
Then I got an 'inbox'.
"You need to change your name. There is already a Zero". Said KnightOwl.
I searched for 'Zero'. Nothing I DID see a profile for one 'Jack Cero'. I replied to KnightOwl. "It looks like it's pronounced Ser'-oh".
To which he responded "He's been around for a while."
I chose to not respond.
Several days later I got another 'inbox'. The aforementioned Jack Cero.
Bingo. Someone to mess with.
"You need to change your name. I'm Zero." he typed.
I replied "It looks like it's pronounced Ser'-oh".
"I'm Zero. I have been for a while. My name's been in the media. It's COPYRIGHTED".
I thought to myself, "What a bunch of crap. You can't copyright the word zero. It's a damn NUMBER." So I argued with him, made a retaliatory post on my fake page, "Here I thought I was joining a community with values and morals, and all I get is 'I'm Zero. Name in the media. COPYRIGHTED'." "That'll rile him up!", I thought.
And it did.
He and I traded punches, so to speak, about the name on a post or two. I told him "You're making an awful big deal out of this aren't you? After all, there's more than one STEVE in the world." He told me it was not so much the name, but the respect. Then his friends started in on me. "Zero's my friend. Change your name or I'll kick your ass!!" WOW. Cero never made any threats at me. But his friends sure were. I got several of these. From different people. All threatening me over a NAME. I even read a post about stabbing my scrotum with an icepick. "THESE PEOPLE ARE THE HEROES??"
Then I saw a comment from Jack. "Ya know what? Forget it. Keep the name. Enjoy it."
More threats from his friends.
"Guys, back off. Leave it alone. I'm not worried about this."
Zero called it quits.
He didn't stop being a RLSH, or X-Alt as I believe he preferres. But he had the sense to not fight over something stupid like this. He recognised (and, more importantly, EXERCISED) his ability to choose his battles. Well done, Zero.
I have subsequently given up the page. Changed the name. (Still spying... heheheh).
The lesson here is simple.
We ALL have the power to make choices. Some of us will choose "hero", some will choose "villain". Sometimes the lines get blurred. But when stop making our OWN choices and start letting others make them FOR us; that's when we give up one of our most SACRED freedoms. When we follow blindly ANY leader into the abyss, we begin losing freedoms one by one till they're gone.
MB
ps. I used Zero's name with his foreknowledge and permission. And as far as I can tell, there are no hard feelings on either side of the fence.
Mad Blackguard,
ReplyDeleteYou will have more followers, just give it time, and keep working.
Jack Cero? Bah! He tried his pseudo intellectual pantomime with Oneself, and when disciplined quickly defriended and ran back to the skirts of the RLSH to hide behind.
It is no surprise that the heroes would threaten harm over so little a thing as a common numeral. They are unthinking animals, little more.
Still - a Victory for Villainy as they were exposed as unreasonable and dangerous, and Villains were the voice of common sense.
Congratulations, and no low hanging fruit so easily dispatched as Master Legend.
-Lord Malignance
One should clarify: Still trying to get into the Fourth Estate, just not as agile as other Villains who One admires.
What, pray tell, IS this "forth estate", if One doesn't mind me asking?
ReplyDeleteYour One 'follower' indeed. There are many 'circles' out there, all with their own ideologies and goals. LM is right. Do your 'thang', give it time; there will be more.
ReplyDeleteInevitably there will be more happenings like this, perhaps even less underhandedly so (yay deception!), and it is given that there will be blood. I've never had Agent Beryllium rain on my parade for using 'Agent' or the MANY RLSH who claim 'Wraith' as their title clamoring to relinquish my name.
The common thread among the heroes are that they are human (re: unthinking animals) and have flaws such as pride, envy, and most importantly stupidity. One had the sense to 'wise up' and understand; the rest, fodder. If you really want to 'kick the hornet's nest', expose them for the unwarranted (ignorant) aggressors they are (no permission, no warnings) and post screen captures. Screen captures: the bane of RLSH everywhere.
Keep up the good (evil) work and one day (if you haven't already) realize that ALL rlsh are 'low hanging fruit'..
The Fourth Estate will beckon you soon.
Embrace it and be a better villain for it.
-AW
Mad Blackguard,
ReplyDeleteThe Fourth Estate is an idea. That not every Villain wants to beat on heroes, and that to tie Villainy to superheroes limits our own potential for growth. Constantly humiliating superheroes at some point becomes like beating on third graders - you want and need more. And so, the Fourth Estate is Villainy for Villains. What can you do if free of the need to define yourself as a reflection of superheroes? We see success here with Computer King, Overlord, Chip Overclock, and White Skull. The Challenge becomes not some weakling superhero, but yourself. The Peers competing and producing work at this higher level.
That's what One is aspiring to, to follow these examples, but One keeps failing. It's a process, but one One hopes to achieve one day.
-Lord Malignance
Post comment: One realizes, even Agent Beryllium is working at this level, and on some level even Malvado. It seems Villainy is moving ahead, and One worries that One may be left behind, or worse yet, hold One's peers back from achieving their goals. No Villain should do this, or allow this, and One will not. So it's evolve time. The BE Age - a time of healing and improvement.
ReplyDelete-Lord Malignance
As far as I know "the Fourth Estate" is the media in the sense of it performing a watchdog/whistle blowing function over the branches of government...
ReplyDeleteMega-Rad,
ReplyDeleteOne liked the phrase for it's outsider connotation and it's duty to protect and safeguard the community, but also as an alternative pursuit to the traditional foundation(s) of a society. One firmed up the understanding here;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Estate
Villainy for Villainy.
-Lord Malignance
Lord Malignance,
ReplyDeleteYour words make sense. But these "heroes" going around telling people how they should be living; all the while dressed like a poor man's Mad Max... They are SO easy to HATE. They make SUCH an easy target... Ah. That's the point, though isn't it. Blog to follow.