In sociology today, what everyone teaches is that no matter what your ethnicity, if you lived in a certain cultural environment, then you would be just the same as anyone else. To me - this is an apotheosis of bigotry. It is real that even though there are a broad range of human phenotypes - displayed characteristics - that across the globe - human genotypes differ hardly at all.
Blood type, which is probably the most significant measurable human genotype differs hardly at all across the globe, whether in Norway, Kenya, or Beijing. Yet - I feel human lineage and geneaology have an incredible effect on human character. I do not rule out any ethnicity simply as a category, and have met remarkable men and women of any ethnicity you might name. To treat people with only the prejudice that I will measure them as I meet them is a difficult task, but it has given me many gifts in life, and I continue to measure people in this way.
I want to start with two Scots I knew, of two very different characters, but also similar in some way. First I just want to talk about visiting Scotland. Most of the Scots I met in Scotland were quite crude, and proper drunk also seemed to be an average. However, even crude and proper drunk, they were mannerly and seemed to be on average - good people.
Edinburgh, Scotland was one of the most beautiful and cleanest cities I have ever visited. Everything is well-attended and incredibly green. It is mostly so green because it rains about three-quarters of the year. I have a lot of Scotland stories, and it isn't one of my tribes, but this is great material I've collected. So let me start with our first remarkable man.
I was in group-therapy with a guy of true Scottish descent. He was five feet six inches tops, and couldn't have weighed more than a hundred pounds. He had that true Scottish coppery-hair mixed with a lot of other colors. He didn't dye it, and he wore it long even though he was balding, just to be an SOB. That was exactly why he did it.
He had worked in brick-laying for at least 15 years. When he was angry, it was as if that coppery-hair was rising off his head. His face and ears were red, and it was as if flames were rising out of his scalp. My thought would be, "You'd better clamp that trap shut, because a modern Cossack is about to commit fiery murder." I can fight, but I would not tangle with a modern Cossack who can survive laying bricks for 15 years.
It is no wonder to me that the Roman legions were so afraid of the Scots, after meeting that man. The legions usually eventually won over anyone they fought, but they built a miniature wall of China - Hadrian's wall - to prevent having to skirmish with the Scots. I visited Hadrian's wall, and you are in this gloomy, cold place of rocks, crags, and a little brush and moss. Then the legions would find their guards at the wall disappearing.
Then a few weeks or a month later, they would find their brother legionaire's corpse lying around somewhere. Between that environment and the consistent loss of troops, the legions imagined the Scots and their Cossacks as demons rather than human beings. It was an unpleasant emotional experience for the guards of Hadrian's wall. Being sent to Hadrian's wall was like being sent to the Russian front.
It was no wonder that this man in my group was in psychiatric treatment. You do not lay bricks for 15 years without permanently damaging your body. Also, we discussed paganism a great deal, and a Scot is a pagan, no matter how you slice the pie. I remember once that this friend of mine was in group when I later talked about being Christian. I discussed it with the man and he tells me, "I didn't think you were being a liar. I know what you mean." That is brotherhood.
The man also had a wonderful Irish Setter. The Irish Setter is a breed that is usually so inbred as to cause a lot of trouble, and it is a problem breed in the AKC. The only good thing you can say about an inbred Irish Setter is that they are usually dumb and sluggish instead of vicious. A well-bred Irish Setter is worth thousands of dollars, and this man picked up an Irish Setter that was a real dog for very little money.
That was a durned good dog, and it could pick out a malignant character that was threatening its master from 2 miles away. The man had to fight to keep the dog, because malignant characters wanted it taken out of his home. I have a great story from the Hopi tradition about dogs that I've re-worked, but we'll do that at another time. A funny and very true story about humans and dogs.
So my next friend who was a Scot was a friend in my role-playing group. My friend was a very different looking sort of Scot. He was fairly tall and built with a heavy-bone structure, and he had very coarse, darkish-brown hair. His hair caused him no end of trouble. He also struggled a great deal with his weight. His weight was his biggest difficulty in life, and all of his friends watched him as he struggled and we worried about him.
This Scot had done a great deal of work on his geneaology, and he was in fact descended directly from a line of Cossacks. The Cossacks were used as shock-troops by the Scots, and when I talk about how the Scots were mean with a claymore, that was not everything with the Scots and the Cossacks. The thing about this Scot is that there was nothing mean about him. He carried himself with a lot of sensitivity and kindness.
We had a particular member of this group - and anyone who knows my history will know who - who used to frequently remark that "This Scot is so good with women because he acts gay." I can only wish that I had matched this hair-raising individual's number quicker, as it now becomes apparent how bad the situation was. The fact is, my direct response to that statement today would be, "First, Mr. Short-bus, this Scot acts so sensitive and kind because he is a sensitive and kind man. Second, women do appreciate such kindness and sensitivity. In fact, even though we're this Scot's friend - I count him as a brother - we appreciate it that he is so sincere and kind. Third, Mr. Born-to-Lose, this Scot struggles with his weight but he is very good-looking. Fourth, you don't mess with a good man that way - particularly when he has the blood of a Cossack in his veins."
I bet you this hair-raising individual has had a real day of reckoning, or if he hasn't yet - it is in his future. It occurs to me now that this Scot's own hair was beginning to stand on end some days, and flames were rising from his scalp, but it was very subtle, and boy is Mr. Short-bus going to pay. Another point to make is that this Scot loved the women he matched with, and even if these were not traditional or easy relationships, they lasted a fairly long time, and he cared for these women. Mr. Short-bus will never understand what that might mean. You were born-to-lose, and you will never understand the meaning of that.
We'll close this article, but I do want to talk about some other remarkable people I've met at a later date. One thing to remember here is simply this - this Scot was all-heart, and he wants the individual I met - dead. He also wants him dead after he writhes in agony plenty long-enough - first. That is not normal for a man who is all-heart, even if he has Cossack blood. I have another friend from High School - one of the gentlest giants you could ever meet - a genius and gentle to the point beyond belief - and he wants this guy dead in the same way.
This born-loser and I have a connection with each other that is a shame on me, and there is nothing else I can say. Life moves on, but when two good men with that kind of heart want to twist you around in a torture chamber - and want to make sure you don't die too fast under duress - then you are a significant piece of human-waste. Every man becomes a Mongol when faced with that kind of enemy.
As a man, a situation like this becomes intense, and you begin to smell the naphtha, envision burning villages, and start looking for a stout spear. It is part of being a man. Still - there is no pride in violence, and we all move on. Life was never what anyone envisioned it would be, and a good man moves on.
We'll talk the "dog story," next. I do need a break from writing though, because this material is painful for me to discuss. However, I will return shortly.
