Was thinking about Joe today and irony. This is from Bruce Gerencser’s blog. So far Bruce has a 3 part series on his interaction with Joe. *I emphasized Joe’s comments. And I will add my contemplations at the end. This is from part 2.
What follows is a transcript of the emails he sent me and my responses:
Joe: Seriously— what makes you believe you can say something like that to someone and it’s totally OK? Is this how you normally address people you disagree with? I’m actually flabbergasted [sic]. Unbelievable.
I guess you’ll use this now with your laughing emojis. That’s cool. Be my guest. See ya.”
Bruce: No, I’ll just tell you again, Joe, fuck off . Second request, don’t contact me again.
Joe: “Go f&$&#k yourself Joe? Really? For quoting 1John 2:19? And then you put up your own article where you allow someone to quote it once again? OK— carry on. I feel no need to curse you back. God bless you.”
Bruce: Once again, Joe, fuck off. Third request, please do not contact me.
Joe: “Can I have your permission to quote you? I’m writing a chapter for a book on abnormal psychology and your statement would fit in well. They ask to get approval first though. I probably wouldn’t include the four purple thingies, but your statement would work great as a segue into the next chapter. Let me know. And thanks!”
Bruce: “No, I’ll just tell you again, Joe, fuck off . Fourth request, don’t contact me again.
You are officially being a passive-aggressive bully.
Thank you for proving exactly the kind of man you really are; someone who has no regard for boundaries; someone who thinks he can control how people respond to him.”
Today, I woke up to two more emails from Joe. I did not respond to them.
Joe: Bruce— you are too much. You tell me to f@#@#k off and then say it’s ME who is showing who they really are? You are the control freak not me. Whose “boundaries”? You are the one with the Blog. I won’t contact you again. But seriously Bruce, get some psychological help. If you think it is your “right” to tell people to f$#&$k off you have some SERIOUS mental problems.
Joe: I forgot to add one thing: you are shooting yourself in the foot Bruce. Anyone can clearly see YOU are being the bully not me. I will send no further emails. It’s hard NOT to respond when someone tells you to f#$&$k off. It’s called being human.
I am reminded of my interactions both on this blog and during life in general.
Joe is “flabbergasted” as he put it, that Bruce would swear at him.
I was thinking, that this is how those of us who have left our former belief system feel or use to feel when someone told us we were going to hell. Joe is “flabbergasted” at a swear word but can’t wrap his head around understanding that’s how we feel or use to feel (some of us are over it now) when evangelicals come in basically swearing at us. I can handle the “F” word. Hearing that a fellow human being thinks I deserve hell, is in fact filthy to my senses. But, my senses don’t matter because discussions of hell are okay. Swear words? Nah. Oh but Zoe. It’s not me who is swearing at you, it’s God. I’m just following the great commission. How nice that they get to abdicate to God every single time.
Joe says he feels “no need to curse you back.”
While actually cursing him back. :) A wholesome “God Bless” covers a multitude of sins.
Joe then pours on the sarcasm (so he claims in the part 3 post). He assumes everyone would naturally see he was kidding. Ha. Ha. Never mind that after reading Joe’s actual words, most of us are out there thinking, Oh no Joes God (ONJG) he’s writing a book on “abnormal psychology!?” Rich.
Joe thinks Bruce is “too much.” Ironic. He chastises Bruce while continuing to curse him, which he already said he wouldn’t do. He promises to not bother Bruce again . . . well, umm, then he bothers him again. Oh and by the way Bruce. You need help. Irony. It just pops up everywhere.
Secular Wings 
Violet: “If I were asked which country in the world hates the US the most, I would have to say it’s Canada.”
Zoe: I would say if I was asked, the U.S. does a fine job of hating itself and one another. Then maybe China and North Korea might hate you more than Canadians. Of course, I don’t know which Canadians or Canadian bloggers you are referring too.
Violet: “I don’t know why, but it seems it’s a Canadian religion to bash Americans every chance they get. You know what’s odd? I almost never hear of Americans having vitriol for our neighbors North of the boarder.”
Zoe: Almost never but sometimes?
Violet: “I notice that you never talk about your own country on this blog, but persistently harp on every flaw Americans have. I’ve read many Canadian blogs but have had to bow out of all of them for this same reason.”
Zoe: I gave up talking about my own country when my adult children assumed positions in the community and province that would expose them if people knew who their mom was and what she was writing online. That’s also when I chose the option for search engines to ignore my blog. I also moved here to this new url (14 years ago according to my WordPress Anniversary notice last week) when I made those decisions. Up and until then I was followed by bloggers all over the world in the Christian community. During that time I spoke up politically about Canada frequently as it pertained to religion, not just Christianity but often involving Islam. I wrote frequently about honour killings and wrote a long article encouraging a former Premier to outlaw Sharia law. The next day he did. Did he see my article? I don’t know. The point being I was a prolific writer and at that time unafraid in regards to my government. I have been a political person my entire life, having written to my Canadian government during my college years as well as being outspoken in the community, medical and educational system. I’ve also had politicians in my family. It’s in me. As well I have been an advocate for the abused outside the church, for those with special needs, for those who are dying and in the mental health field. At one point, I became very concerned about exposure and people figuring out who Zoe was/is. I also developed a fear because I was outspoken regarding Islam and the honour killings happening here. I was brave then. I’m not now. And though I wrote about this in a previous blog and during my busier blogging days, I was scared to death of a former friend’s “lover” who at one time was involved with (removed as this info. can still trigger me). Shortly after being verbally and abusively in written form, attacked by her, my husband had to pick me up off the floor from being shattered in a million pieces as she told me I was an abomination to the Lord and responsible for raising and immoral and corrupt generation of children. Narcissists love to hit you where your strengths are. Meanwhile she’s carrying on an affair with a converted preacher (removed this info. as it is still triggering) guy. But I’m the abomination. And just sharing that there is too much information to put in a blog.
In my 30’s I fought for my life with severe illness, spending almost 2 years in bed, only later to be hospitalized and fighting for my life sick with intestinal disease as well as battling a body and mind that were deteriorating. If I’m not mistaken, you suffer as well. In my 40’s I began to deconstruct my religion and belief system understanding that I was falling apart emotionally and mentally due to Christian abuse and felt the extreme weight of guilt and shame for having taken part in it, raising my children in it, losing friends over it and being active in youth ministry. As well, I began to develop deep understanding of the roots of original trauma from my youth. I’ve never been the same since. This blog is read by maybe 6 people though all kinds of people *follow* it and commenting here is at a minimum. You have been privy I believe to some of my password protected posts and know some of the shit I’ve been through. You also know I’m not a human being who ignores the humanity of other people.