One of the pivotal qualities that renders a person worthy of the term 'Human Being' is the ability to manifest compassion. Without compassion a person becomes a mere hologram of a human being, capable of treating any and all other life-forms--not just other people, but animals too--as just something to be used, abused and tossed away when no longer needed.....like a Kleenex.
So, it came as a rude surprise to me that the Today Show, on Sunday, with Lester Holt, and his sidekick Jenna Wolfe, did a feature on a fellow who has started a website called "idump4u.com". This clever chap--Bradley something...couldn't find his name on his site, of course--has decided that there is a crying need for his willingness to contact a person's spouse, lover, partner etc. and tell them that they are being 'dumped'. He charges only $10 to dump your boy/girlfriend, $25 to break an engagement, and--WHOA!!!--$50 to tell a spouse that they are going to be divorced. He does this by calling the receiving party and telling them over the phone...via electronically disguised voice, that this is a 'dump', and he's happy to give the dumpee any comments that the dumper wishes to pass on. And, this genius entrepreneur reminds you that he's an assh*le, when you sign-up to dump someone....his point being don't mess with him. But, he also proudly proclaims, "We are therapy, humanity and comedy, all rolled into one."
Holy Cow, Batman!!
My initial reaction was, "This is a joke, right?" Oh, no. His whole demeanor during the interview with Jenna was that of a person who doesn't have a clue that this is seriously WEIRD, bordering on surreal. The notion that a person has some responsibility in the delicate personal matter of ending a relationship was not even on his radar, apparently.
So, I next found myself asking what this is saying about the attitudes of the people who hire him towards those they have been involved with....even married to. And, the answer is that we are now witnessing a level of self-interest, so utterly devoid of compassion, consideration, ANY sentiment resembling kindness or even etiquette...that we can just hire someone to say,"Hey, I'm done here. And, uh, oh, by the way F**K OFF!!" Wow! So, a soon to be former date, lover, partner, or spouse really does take on the same level of worthiness as a product for which we have no further use. "Yeah, had to sh*t-can her. So, I hired some dick on the web to do it."
Hey, it's kind of like having a virtual garbage-man who comes to haul off your relationship on Thursdays. And, dear friends, it is also another one of those ethical canaries in the coal-mine that I have been pointing to and saying, "It just keeled over. What do we do now?"
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