Wearing the Black Hat

 

Lee Marvin was brilliant as the ruthless Liberty Valance in
1962's The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.
James Stewart (R) was pretty good also.

Let's talk about friends, shall we?

I mean, really.

The friends I want close to me are honest. Loyal. Trustworthy. Thoughtful.

They don't stab me in the back or (conveniently) forget about me.

They don't pacify me but, at the same time, they know how to handle me and I do the same for them.

And, for what it's worth, I don't forget much. Good or bad.

But, man, it gets exhausting playing the bad guy.

I play it because I'm loyal and honest. Often to a fault.

And some can't handle that.

And then I get in trouble.

And I become the unwelcomed outcast.

Unwelcome because I don't enable people.

In fact, I have a huge problem with that kind of behavior.

Huge.

Just pat them on the head and tell them that the honest people are evil. I know of too many examples in my life.

And the arguments are often stupid. The things they get called out about are ridiculous.

And that, I suppose, is where it's my fault. Because I don't suffer fools and I say so. I actually stay quiet more often than not. But when I see something wrong, I often go all in.

As I often do, I'm avoiding specifics to avoid this getting nuclear.

I also won't be taking questions about this. Literally, none.

This stuff does bother me. It gnaws at me.

I mean, honestly, what's so hard about agreeing to disagree? I know, I know. Silly me. If that were the case we wouldn't have a large percentage of our problems in the world today.

I guess, in the end, my truest friends tend to know me best. 

And since I'm babbling this seems to be the best place to stop.

I have to go do whatever it is villains do in those old Westerns.