If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility. -Henry Wadsworth
Lots of public pissing matches going on lately among politicians of the male variety – guys who should be pretty much on the same team with each other: Clinton and Gore, Gov. Jesse Ventura and U of MN President Mark Yudof, Nader and Dukakis. I guess we citizens kind of enjoy this… highbrow WWF.
I always wonder though, instead of staging these little playground fist fights via the media or their aides, why don’t these guys call each other up privately and say, “Hey, I’m pissed at you for what you said/did. Let’s meet some place where we can talk alone and try to hash things out.” Is that not manly enough? They could even say that to the media, or joke about it (“We agreed to meet in a neutral back alley to settle this thing.”)
Tough to do, though. When I’ve been irritated with someone I work with, it’s always tempting to complain to someone else about them, rather than saying, “Hey, you and I need to talk.” I guess it’s no different for these big name guys.