Opus 2015-267: Cards Anyone?

I was listening to Alastair Begg and he used the term “playing the poor card.”  He was referring to his childhood where kids would act like they were poor in order to get sympathy or special treatment.  It is the way some of us are wired.  I know that at school the kids are are always playing the race card.  What that means is that when they are sitting, doing no work and disrupting the class any you tell them to be quiet and get to work they respond with, “It’s because I am black.” 

What kind of ways do we try to manipulate others?

The “health card” is always a good way to manipulate.  Many people have no visible signs of pain and suffering but they are quick to tell you about them.  How many times have you seen people pull into a handicap slot, hang the placard on the mirror and walk briskly away?  I understand that some people have high pain tolerance or are good at covering up their infirmities.  Others demand concessions because they have a minor pain.  Since it is hard for the observers to know, it is an effective way to manipulate. 

I always like when people play the teacher card on me since I am a teacher.  Have you ever heard teachers complain about being underpaid?  In my district new teachers start at around $44,000 a year.  How many of you could start at that rate?  Oh, did I forget to mention that they also get all summer off, two to three weeks off at Christmas and up to a week off at Thanksgiving?  Did I mention that after a couple of years they have awesome job security and regular pay raises no matter what kind of job they do?  Did I mention that they get ten paid sick days a year and up to five days paid for jury duty?  My auto mechanic would love that set up and yet it is his taxes that pay my salary.

How about veterans?  My favorite was the time a guy came up to me when we were on vacation in Washington D.C.  He asked for a handout because he was a Vietnam veteran.  What was interesting was that I am also a Vietnam veteran and I was one of the last sent over and he was much younger than me.  I was mystified at how he could have been there.  Or the guy who wants to wash my windows at a certain grocery store.  I am supposed to pay him because he was in Vietnam.  So was I.  Get a job, bro.

The “elderly card” is also useful.  I can testify to that.  Sometimes others play it for me.  I try to be gracious and not let it weaken me.  I need to be as active and self reliant as I can be.  At the same time when my wife wants heavy furniture moved I am finding that I am really too old for that kind of thing.

What kind of cards do you play?  Which kind irritate you the most?

When a noisy child plays the race card I refuse to be manipulated.  I respond with, “No, its because you are noisy.  Why are you being racist?”  They usually get flustered and ask “How is that racist?”  I go into a rant on how they are assuming that being black means being noisy and that sound like they hate black people.  It gets some amusing results.

Refuse to be manipulated.

homo unius libri