Today marks the death of my chum Rob Haskell. With hindsight, so much of what Rob told me in his last two years (in person and telephonically) reveals just how profoundly hurt he was: a hurt perpetrated not just by departmental bullies but also by a cowardly lack of gumption in coming to his defence — or as Captain Haddock would say: “Lily-livered landlubbers!” Rob’s crime you may ask? Simply that he was an “unfashionable old white blue-collar male who was just taking up space!” This very unpretentious, kind and gentle soul was thrown to ravenous hyenas that were encircling. The upside to all this (insofar as there is one) is that they will come to tear bits off each other as they are wont to do when on the back foot — and these days they are. This will make for a karma cake with schadenfreude icing.
manwithoutqualities 