Problem Attic. Insert witty tagline here.

“Really Difficult,” Part 2

A while back I wrote about difficult-to-reach people. The other day I received a rather interesting comment on that post.

From “toi ya basssss”

wahahah torylen toi numero [expletive] uno ya bas wit u sayin ya mad muppet toi#1 wit u sayin were [expletive] underprivledged ya [expletive]

If you have trouble understanding what he’s saying, here’s a rough translation, as far as I can make out:

[My Gang] is number one, you dork. What are you saying, about us, you mad muppet? Are you saying we’re underprivileged, you [dork]?

Firstly, I think “mad muppet” is about the coolest name I have ever been called. From now on, I will compare all insults to that one.

But the second point is a little more sobering. The question is, am I saying they’re underprivileged? Is that even the right word? What’s actually going on here?

I don’t think I am saying they’re underprivileged as such, but I think maybe there is some truth if we use a different word. “Underprivileged,” I would guess, is not a word that fits comfortably into the vocabulary of “toi ya basssss;” it’s not a word that fits with the rest of his language. So that would suggest that he’s heard it elsewhere; probably, he’s been called it before. (I never used the word in my post.)

So that gives us an indicator; he’s been called that before, and he puts me in the same category as those who used the word. What puts me in that group? The only place I feel I was patronising was where I suggested their website was funny; fair enough, I’d be a bit put out if someone got laughs out of something I thought totally serious.

On the other hand, I was making a value judgment; I was suggesting they need to hear the gospel, and I stand by that. Maybe no more than any other group of people on earth — although that’s debateable — but they need to hear it.

But that’s the problem; they need to hear it, but sometimes people don’t like to hear that there’s something wrong with the way they currently are. That’s the challenge of the message. Then again, telling people that we know better is somewhat patronising. Ack.

So then, the question becomes: when you do know better, and they do need to hear, how do you do it without being patronising? I guess this is where relationship and cultural understanding need to happen. You can’t help until you’re on the inside.