Anybody who drives slower than me is an idiot, and anyone who drives faster than me is a maniac. So by my standards, that makes me normal, and everyone else abnormal .
Naperville councilman Benny White has the same affliction; he considers himself as the norm. If folks are not doing what he’s doing, then he thinks there is something wrong with them. He did it again during the November 16th city council meeting. Watch and listen as he relates an experience he had in a grocery store:
So if someone is not wearing a mask in a store, he sees that as “are you kidding me”. In White’s circle, what he says, and thinks, and does, is normal. However in someone else’s circle he would be considered “are you kidding me”. If White is in Winterset, Iowa, or Wyoming, or the Dakota’s, or Denmark, or Sweden, or Djibouti, and wearing a mask, chances are somebody in a grocery store, might point to his mask in a quizzical manner and say or think, “are you kidding me”.
The problem with Benny White using himself as the norm, is that he, as a city council member, has the ‘authority’ to help make decisions that can make our lives more miserable, based on nothing more than using his point of view as a benchmark for normal.
So the mind-bending questions are:
- Does Benny White subscribe to “live and let live”? Probably not.
- Does anyone know where Djibouti is (probably not), and what is the capitol? The capitol of Djibouti is Djibouti.
Yes, I know where Djibouti is. It was one of the Forward Logistical Sites (FLS)I was in charge of supporting during my deployment. It also happens to now be the location of the only US Military Base on the African Continent.
As to face masks. Yes Denmark requires them. They are now (as of end of December) required on all public transportation in Sweden. They are required indoors since November n Iowa and Wyoming. North Dakota had such a requirement up until January 18th. In fact 38 of the 50 states have mask mandates. And most big box stores (Costco, Walmart, Jewel, etc) require masks no matter what the state requirement is.
So, in reality mask mandates are the normal and not having a mask mandate is the anomaly.
What are the chances of anyone knowing anything about Djibouti? Apparently pretty good, considering Jim Haselhorst would be a tough competitor in a game of Jeopardy. So if a double-mask is better than a single-mask, wouldn’t a triple-mask be even better?
Truth is truth. The fact of the matter is that Benny is just another grandstanding hypocrite that believes in “rules for thee, not for me”. It’s shameful that people are justifying his misguided and and ineffective policies by citing his emotions surrounding a personal loss. As a military officer, he knows better than to manipulate people this way. If a police officer made similar comments to a repeat offender for some crime or a boneheaded move, do you think they would receive the same support? What is more of a public safety concern? That’s the difference between a manager and a leader; White has a long list of education and training on his record, most of which involved leadership in the curriculum. However, none of this resonated with him because he is not a leader; he is a yes-man that is only concerned with his own interests. A real leader would not tout their own personal accomplishments while disconnecting from the people they’re supposed to serve- all while enforcing arbitrary policies that hurt their area of responsibility and the people that live there.
You were a Lieutenant Colonel in the army, Benny. SHAME on you for kneeling in disrespect to the men and women before you that gave their lives. SHAME on you for creating make-believe boogeymen to manipulate the citizens to vote for you. Try something new for once; break from your political safety net and be a REAL leader that unites people and makes a meaningful, positive change.
NAPERVILLE CITIZENS WAKE UP BEFORE YOU SLEEP WALK OUR TOWN INTO IDIOCRACY AND POLITICS! KEEP NAPERVILLE NORMAL!!
Elected officials may warrant a high degree of scrutiny, but the line should be drawn at attacking someone’s character like this.
Watchdog – you do not know Benny White. You do not know my husband, my children’s dad, my in-laws’ son or brother. The only thing more wrong than your commentary is your timing. Our family has been dealing intimately with the ravages of COVID-19 for the past 7 weeks. Benny’s parents were diagnosed with it, and his dad died of it this past Thursday.
So when you ask, “Are you kidding me” perhaps you should ask yourself that question. This is and never has been about Benny… it’s just following the rules that every store has placed outside their doors so we can put an end to this devastating pandemic. Kim White
Well, Mrs. White, most importantly, please accept my condolences, to you and your family for the loss of Benny’s dad. You are correct, I don’t ‘know’ Benny White the person, however I do ‘know’ Benny White the councilman, from listening and observing him on the dais. You said, “elected officials MAY warrant a high degree of scrutiny”. I would replace the word ‘may’ with ‘require’, it goes with the territory, and nothing in this posting ‘attacks’ his character. He does use himself as the ‘norm’ which most of us do, and being a voting member of the council does ‘give him the authority to help make decisions’ that impact the lives of others. Benny and I can agree to disagree which is the basis of mutual respect. Thank you,