My Dog Theory

I was standing there, folding laundry this morning, and my faithful companion, my dog, sat by my feet, standing guard. Even when I go to the bathroom, he follows me to the doorway to lay down at the threshold, facing out, to protect my honor should someone unauthorized try to come near. Not that he's dangerous. He's a pussycat. Except that he's a dog. And he just wants to be near me.

Anyway, I was just thinking about how much dogs are a reflection of their owner's character. Which apparently means that I'm sweet and lovable, faithful and loyal, excitable and playful, and I never bite. Unless you want me to. And then I don't bite hard. 

I know I'm only attributing his good qualities to me, but his only really annoying quality is that when I leave the house he wants to go with me so badly that he rushes out the door before I can stop him, and he refuses to come back in. By golly, he's coming with me, and that's that. And I guess he's got somewhat of an attachment issue. He doesn't like to be alone. And neither do I.

Then I got to thinking about someone I really dislike who has a dog, and what that dog was like. It was always huffing and snorting and crazy eyed, and every time it came around my place it would crap on the floor. Finally I banned that ridiculous dog, and eventually its owner for doing pretty much the same thing. 

So I guess my theory stands.

I'm Rubber, You're Glue

This Wonder Woman mirror could be your secret weapon
against projectionists. Just hold it up.
You get to look at Wonder Woman.
They have to be faced with themselves.

Today's Daily Om could be much more useful to those of us who have been victims of Projectionists, since those projecting probably don't realize their doing it anyway:

Reversed Perceptions
Being Projected Upon
We all have issues, as well as undesirable qualities or traits that we don’t like about ourselves. Most of us realize that we are not perfect and that it is natural to have unpleasant thoughts, motivations, desires, or feelings. However, when a person does not acknowledge these, they may ascribe those characteristics to someone else, deeming other people instead as angry, jealous, or insecure. In psychological terms, such blaming and fault finding is called projection.

When we are the target of projections, it can be confusing and frustrating, not to mention maddening, particularly when we know that we are not the cause of another person’s distress. Even people who are well aware of their issues may find that sensitive subjects can bring up unexpected projections. They may feel insecure about a lack of funds and thus view a friend as extravagant. Or, if they really want to get in shape, they may preach the benefits of exercise to anyone and everyone.

While we can try to avoid people we know who engage in projecting their “stuff” onto others, we can’t always steer clear of such encounters. We can, however, deflect some projections through mindfulness and meditation. A useful visualization tool is to imagine wrapping ourselves in a protective light everyday. At other times, we may have to put up a protective shield when we feel a projection coming our way, reminding ourselves that someone else’s issues are not ours. Although it’s difficult not to react when we are the recipient of a projection, it is a good idea to try to remain calm and let the other person know if they are being unreasonable and disrespectful. We all know that it’s not fun to be dumped on. Likewise, we should be mindful that we don’t take our own frustrations out on others. When we take ownership of our thoughts, motivations, desires, and feelings, we are less likely to project our issues or disowned qualities onto others.

Or, you could just revert to childhood and utter this famous phrase:

"I'm rubber, you're glue. What you say bounces off of me and sticks to you."

RIP Tim Hearden

Which might stand for Redneck In Panties, or maybe Really Ignorant Poop.
No, he's not dead. Still pooping just like the rest of us, but moving on to a different outhouse. Read all about it here.

I can't believe I saw this before Death Of A Newspaper did.

I scooped the poop before my esteemed colleague in blogdom.

Wow.

Projection

Some people should just get a life, get over it, or seek psychological counseling.

Thank you, Dr. Sanity, for your opinion on projection:

Paranoia and Projection
"Johah Goldberg is right about how paranoids think. Paranoia is a more "advanced" form of a psychological defense known as "projection". I have discussed this elsewhere, but it bears repeating since it is so common.

Projection is attributing one's own unacknowledged feelings to others; includes severe prejudice, severe jealousy, hypervigilance to external danger, and "injustice collecting". EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE . Most young children use projection as a defense mechanism, and it is considered normal for a child.

Projection is never a good long-term strategy--nor is it healthy--in an adult; and using such a defense mechanism represents a primitive attempt to shirk the responsibility for one's own feelings, thoughts, and actions. It causes and has caused much human misery, death, destruction and some of the most horrific acts that humans are capable of. When entire countries subscribe to a projected delusion (e.g., the "Jews" are to blame; the "Blacks" are the cause of all of our problems; "Republicans" are evil) it can lead to genocide and other behaviors that are paranoid and psychotically delusional. Full-blown paranoia occurs when one's mind severs the connection with reality entirely. Paranoia is a symptom of mental illness. "