Quote from: CenturyDeprived
You do realize that this is because he deflects ALL blame and ALL responsibility for these things, right? And that really, really bugs a lot of people. That is not just a Mike thing, I personally know people who do that type of thing, and it very, very much is a personality trait that I find super uncool. It's a reaction to that highly regrettable trait. Which in and of itself is probably a defense mechanism. If another band that I was a huge fan of had someone who acted in a similar fashion, I would be equally critical of that person.And I hope you would think (as I do) that if he actually said that he f*cked up, that he acted in a regrettable way, that ego got in the way etc, that MANY people would actually, really forgive him for these things?
What I realize that is how we feel. Because we think he messed up and acted in a regrettable way does not mean he feels that he messed up and acted in a regrettable way. If you listen to the Howard Stern interview Mike said something like Paul Shaffer cut him off by playing music before he was finished. This is paraphrased, of course as I do not recall the exact wording. But this means he had more to say. LOL. Whether it would have made things better or worse may never be known, but it does not sound like the words of a guy who felt he acted in a regrettable way.
We all know people who have a hard time saying they are wrong or that they are sorry. They do what they do and move on without giving it a second thought as to how others feel. Is there a lack of empathy with Mike? Of course. Is there a lack of class. I think so. Maybe Mike has a bit of a mental illness himself where he is incapable of what we consider norms? There is something called Empathy Deficit Disorder. It is a made-up name for a real condition. This quote is taken out of context, so keep that in mind:
"Most people are socially conditioned into believing that acquiring and achieving things are "normal" - even "healthy" - ways to live. Empathy Deficit Disorder grows when people focus too much on acquiring power, status, and money for themselves."
I understand how you feel about Mike's actions, I really do. I am old enough to have lived most of them first-hand and cringed along with the rest of the world when they happened. How do you deal with people in your life that have this type of trait? Do you hang with them less? Avoid them altogether? I am willing to bet you do not go on the internet and anonymously rip them a new one every time they do something you do not like. We can do this because Mike is a public figure and it is easy when we are supported by a mob mentality.
The funny thing is that I am not a Lovester, but the Mike-bashing about every single thing gets old and it ruins nearly every thread in which his name is mentioned. I love the Beach Boys and nearly everything they have put out musically, and I want more. I love to read new facts and ideas about them - all of them - but more and more discussions take the same path lately is all I am saying. It takes the fun out of reading the material here, and this is the best Beach Boys resource on the net as far as I am concerned. People who try to push the anti-Mike agenda so hard are the ones who made me feel bad for him and lean toward a somewhat opposite stance. He did some shitty things. He still does. I get it.
We all draw our lines about what is acceptable or unacceptable and some lines are more lenient than others. But there are so many lines drawn here, it is like a big block of blackness.