Saturday Six - Episode #399

This week, I’m going back to early editions of the Saturday Six and asking follow-up questions to some of the original questions I asked so long ago. The questions are random as always, but there is that hint of nostalgia since I’m building on those previous editions. Since the Saturday Six never closes, you could always pick a random edition and play along if there’s ever a day in which you want to post something but can’t because of writer’s block. In the meantime, enjoy these!

Be sure to check back this week and click on the links of bloggers who play along in the comments below! It’s a great way to find blogs you may not have visited and keep the conversation going!

Here are this week’s “Saturday Six” questions. Either answer the questions in a comment here, or put the answers in an entry on your blog… But don’t forget to leave a link to your blog so that everyone else can visit! Permission is not granted to copy the questions to message boards for the purpose of having members answer and play along there. Enjoy!

1. Follow-up to a question from Episode 1: If you could spend one day as a member of the opposite sex and a different race, would you stay closer to the places you currently frequent, or would you try to spend your time in a place where more people like your current form would go? I would stay in my current location: as is stands, I am familiar with the language, current events, local vernacular, body language, social mores and customs, religious atmosphere, etc. If I change location, this assimilation will be a lot more difficult than it will be just changing gender and racial background. Can I change age, too...?

I'd be male, obviously, and I would change my racial background to Pan-Africa, a mixture of Caucasian-African (first generation). If I am going to experience what it truly means to be one of mixed races, this is it... I can't become anymore of the least accepted cultural and racial type than this: mulatto, I believe, is the term, and not an overly flattering one. Remember, this is by societal norms. I do not agree with society - ANY society that practices hatred of its fellow man for something as ridiculous as skin pigmentation, religious differences or anything else. I also would go with a Jewish mother (which is accurate) and a Roman Catholic father to really muddy the waters. (As it is, my biological father, Harry, was raised to be a Methodist but is very relaxed about it and Ray was raised (are you sitting down for this?) to be a Christian Scientist. That's right: the nutty people who never go to doctors or hospitals. Yup.)

2. Follow-up to a question from Episode 4: Of the following three types of presidential candidates, which type would you be most likely to vote for in 2012:
 

A) Someone who supported all of your concerns and got every bill you supported passed …but was unscrupulous and often lied to get where he is.
 

B) Someone whose political views were nearly the opposite of yours, who was only able to pass a handful of bills you didn’t want passed…but who was completely honest and ethical all the time.
 

C) Someone who was middle of the road, passed bills that tended to favor compromise more than any one side of the issue, and was usually (but not always) ethical and honest.

Someday I must go through your archives and answer these on my own... I am going with answer B) Someone whose political views were nearly the opposite of yours, who was only able to pass a handful of bills you didn’t want passed…but who was completely honest and ethical all the time. I hate the idea of being opposed to every single idea but the honesty would be so good, so refreshing, that I could really learn to live with all the changes as bad or good as they may be. However, he would very likely end up dead less than a year into his term. None of the senators and other crazies could live up to that and they'd assassinate him for it.

A would just be bad news and C too wussy.

3. Follow-up to a question from Episode 12: You learn that your best friend’s spouse is carrying on an affair, and that person realizes that you know the secret. He or she begs for time, promising that he (or she) will reveal all to your best friend. How long are you willing to give the cheater to confess before you will step in and let your friend know yourself? Uh... wow. What happened to these stumpers? Holy cow... Normally I would keep a non-practique (sp?) policy and not say anything... which is extremely out-of-character for me and would leave many, many holes in my bottom lip. But it would be a necessity. People have the right to make decisions concerning their own lives, good, bad or indifferent. I would not step in and I would not make any demands and I am sure as HELL not going to threaten or say a word of this to my friend's lover! What kind of friend would this make me? No. There are somethings one does not do. It would be okay to butt in more if said best friend was depressed or an alcoholic or using drugs, because there interference may not help, but it is better than standing by doing nothing. In this situation, no one will end up dead from a busted relationship (well statistically speaking...)

4. Follow-up to a question from Episode 15: If you had to give up one of your five senses, which one would you be most unwilling to live without? I'm sure I have answered this interesting poser before, although often the question only allows for choosing between vision and hearing. This is making it simpler. The one sense I am unwilling to give up is hearing; music means far, far too much to me to give that up. Since there are a full five senses here to play with, I would not give up vision or feel - touch - because the sensory experience is still very important. And not just to be able to feel the pleasurable things (I'd certainly hate that) but more vital, the unpleasant sensations. I need to know something is hot - or I'll end up burning too much of my hands! This leaves us with sense of smell and taste, which are tough ones, made more so by their strong connection. Without smell, taste is dulled considerably; maybe as much as 85 - 90%. But in the grand scheme of things, I'll just have to chance it!

5. Follow-up to a question from Episode 27: What would you say is your biggest character strength? Wow. My main character strength... that is not so easy. Usually this is one of those double-edged swords. My best character strength is my general honesty. I am not one to sugar-coat anything, and I won't pull my punches. I don't speak like a politician. I am not one to be hurtful and will preface any potentially hurtful commentary by saying that you asked my honest opinion. However, that same strength is also a problem sometimes in that people, no matter how much they think they want the unvarnished truth, often don't really want it... they want to hear it one way... 

And I don't mean little lies; society is to a certain degree built on polite non-hurtful comments to the questions such as "How do you like my dress?" or "Isn't this the best salad you have ever tasted?" There is no benefit to telling an acquaintance that her dress is hideous and would be better placed on a low-class hooker or mentioning that the salad is bland. The corollary to this, of course, is asking a close friend, in which case the appropriate answers might be, "I think your other dress (pick one) would look much more stunning on you for this event" or "The salad is good, but I would consider adding this or that to give it that "wow" factor." And of course, never ask your spouse, "Do I look fat in this?" if you are not looking for honesty. I ask Luis this all the time and never have I gotten angry or upset for his being honest! I really do want to know. I usually want to kill him when he gives me the stunned look and responds, "My god, you are HUGE! Enormous!"

6. Follow-up to a question from Episode 33: Which seasonal or holiday movie do you least look forward to this time of year? Always Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. I always hated the Thanksgiving menu and the inevitable family torture of "ou don't know what you're missing", "how can you only eat ham", "try some, you'll love it" - push, push, push. Number 1, I have tried it, I still hate it all. Number 2: the more you try to get me to eat something I don't want, the less likely I am to eat it. Them's the rules.

New Year's Eve I don't care for because it is a nostalgic holiday and I am not one to mire myself in nostalgia about anything. I would much rather look forward to the new year getting better than to look back and see how poorly 2011 treated me. (And sadly, 2011 kicked my ass all over the place, so definitely NOT feeling good about it.)

I started answering this treat of a meme on Saturday night and then events conspired to keep me away from the computer and normal life the last few days. So this is going up late. I hope to tackle the Sunday Seven today but after this stomach bug I'm only good for a limited time...

If you have a Reader’s Choice question you’d like to see asked (and answered), send me an email! I’d love to include it in a future edition of the Saturday Six.