I would like to know the formula for those who lead a rotten dissolute life, and are mean, spiteful and nasty to everyone they meet and seemingly in return enjoy good health, fortune, and accumulate good wealth and the admiration and respect of a horde of local cognoscenti. How does Uncle Nasty do it? Is being bad part of doing good? Is it nice to be awful? Is doing dirty the way to do well?
I have seen this time and time again. Some old crank runs a gas station or a local store. He swears at everyone and tells them to go to hell. He is impatient, threatening, ill tempered, foul, and depressed, but somehow it does not rub off on anyone. He sells shoddy goods and is famous for it. He kicks dogs, turns on his heel at children, and wears dirty old clothes. Nonetheless the public keep coming back to him to get cars fixed, plumbing done, or to purchase some god awful centerpiece for their tar-paper shack. In some strange way as talked about as he is, and he may be even a town joke, he inspires a strange kind of loyalty. When he dies the whole town turns up with some story or that, and his considerable fortune is left to build a kennel for all the dogs he kicked and it rivals the park plaza.
Don't tell me this doesn't happen because I know of at least a dozen instances. I can introduce you to the heirs, and let people regale you with stories of the eccentric's bad behaviour.
How do you do it Tom? what is your secret?
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