Hatred: Encountering Demons Past

PEJ News - C. L. Cook - In more dramatic terms: It was that scene from "Marathon Man," where the infamous Nazi 'Angel of Death' is encountered by an unlikely survivor, four decades after their first acquaintance in the infamous death camps: "Zale!" But the meeting with my own (much smaller) "Angel" came today on the pleasant porch of a pub, perched above the bustle of Victoria's Bastion Square Market.

www.PEJ.org

Hatred: Encountering Demons Past

C. L. Cook

PEJ News
June 24, 2006

The object of my distant Hatred? Ken McCulloch, former principal of my elementary school days, Fairburn elementary, School District 61 (or was it 64?).

There he sat in all his corpulence, a retiree with a beer-belly and rakish goatee, giving forth on the distressing "tattoo craze." His wife, and the couple accompanying them, (apparently from Fort St. John, British Columbia) waffled agreement through their onion rings, rejoining the like of: "What I don't get is the earrings. Men "earringed!"

"It's the other places; it's so unsanitary!" pipes in wifey.

And, they all harrumph in concurrence.

There was a time, a long time, where I wondered what I'd do the next time my path crossed with the motherfucker principal, scourge of more than one innocent in those halcyon prep school years? I recall well how he jabbed me in the nose those long days past, (Separated septum there Ken; it's bothered ever since).

"It must make them unemployable," blats Ken.

"Oh yeah," bleat the eaters.

"Well," Ken offers, "then I don't understand why we give them welfare!"

Friend D., a fellow student terrorized by this moron in school for no apparent reason other than his five older brothers graduated Fairburn. D. was a small guy, people picked on him because his protectors had promoted to Junior High. The principle seemed to take relish in tormenting him.

Everybody could see it.

Years later, D. has changed. He's a "tattooed" monster of six feet and two hundred plus pounds, bouncing at bars for a living. He picked up some martial arts and "inside" training along the way.

He told me a story of his first encounter after the fact with Old Ken. Seems Kenny was drunk, shooting his mouth off, getting close to fist work. Bouncer D. took him outside to reacquaint himself.

But today, seeing this putrid specimen; what he's made of his existence seems punishment enough.

Hatred past.




Chris Cook is a contributing editor to PEJ News, and hosts Gorilla Radio, a weekly public affairs program, broad/webcast from the University of Victoria, Canada. You can check out the GR Blog here.

Stay informed. Subscribe and get the best of PEJ News by email. Free.