All About Derek

I worked for the company that I was laid off from for approximately 3 years doing front-end web development. I was hired on to a little team of tolerant, diverse people by a wacky feller with funny glasses who cared that a.) we were all tolerant and got along and b.) could do our jobs.

Done and done. All was well in the land of employment.

Then the wacky boss with funny glasses left.

His position was filled by someone else who happens to be much more conservative and also LDS. I learned about his more conservative perspectives after a co-worker introduced me to his blog, which consisted of many posts complaining about the country taking a nose dive into socialism now that Obama's President, about the LGBQT community persecuting the victim Mormons over Proposition 8, etc.).

Incrementally the team members I initially worked with dropped off and new team members popped up. One in particular instantly became my boss's favorite.

♥Derek♥. LDS. 6 kids. Brigham Young University baseball hat.

My boss and Derek were like two peas in a pod - and in less than 2 months he was made lead front-end web developer.

For an entire year whenever we would cross paths (which was frequent since, well, we were on the same team) he'd look straight forward and rush past. Noticing this, I decided to put more effort into being overtly friendly to him. But when I'd smile and say, "Hello!", he'd continue to look straight ahead and brush past me.

One morning we arrived to work at the same time. I got to door before him and, as I held it said "Good morning, Derek!" Again, he stared straight forward, rushed past, and instead of getting on to the elevator with me, darted over to the stairwell. I'd never witnessed Derek use the stairs before.

Low and behold, on the front page of KSL.com today:

Man arrested for fondling at least 2 women
SALT LAKE CITY -- A man accused of fondling two women on two different occasions was arrested Thursday.

Williams, who turned 34 on Tuesday, May 12, was arrested by the Salt Lake City police on charges of sexual battery.

Police say Williams fondled the breasts of two women. Once near 1330 South and 300 West on April 23, then again on May 8 in the area of 400 South and Main Street.

Is it sad that I'm not at all surprised? Why is it frequently the case that the most repressed and perverted are always the most intolerant?

I think that Todd Anthony is definitely on to something when he writes (in reference to Utah being #1 in the nation for porn consumption),

Eight out of the top ten states for porno consumption voted for John "Pallin' around with Palin" McCain. Looks like the moral high horse these folks have been trotting around on was really just a pony with a hard on.

One of the truest things I've ever read was this quote from Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, a book by Tom Robbins's: "Big front has big back." In other words, what you see being projected outward has a shadow side. Big moralizers tend to be deeply flawed. Much to the delight of us heathens.

I don't think it's healthy for human nature to deny your sexual side, the erotic and the sensual sides of life. Suppressing things so central to our nature just perverts them and they find another way out.