A Social Virus

Son Tyler's band, Arden Park Roots has had an unpaid manager, Josh Dickel, for around four years.  That is how it goes in this business...bands struggle for bookings and once in a while an avid, tenacious fan pops up and asks to take point.  Josh is that way.  He is perhaps the band's greatest fan, maybe only next to a certain really senior groupie.  

Josh is also tenacious. He has booked the gang all over the United States and now actually manages several bands the same way.....for free, for zip, for nada.  

A few months ago he started posting inspirational notes like the one you see here. He would get a couple hundred likes and figured it was working well.  I, in my infinite wisdom, was thinking he was driving away just as many fans as he was bringing in. I mean, if you are following a band for their music and they drop one of these things on you every few days it can be downright annoying right?  Well, maybe not.

Consider the sociology and social media implications of a post Josh put up just ten days ago. Over 4 million people reached...over 32 thousand shares and it has caused over 1,000 fans to sign up for more stuff. The first few days it was hitting almost a million reaches a day and it has finally leveled off. 

Arden Park Roots fires a introspective note and strikes a chord.

Here is what I am thinking on the sociology angle: the widespread reaction to the message to free yourself from wifi for a while (This is my interpretation but it can't be far off right Vern?). These folks are mostly in their 30's and they seem to be concerned about that right?! I, for one am damn glad they are recognizing it.

As far as social media goes there are a ton of considerations. First, the "viral" thing; it's crazy isn't it?!  This is hundreds of thousands of times more reaction than any of Josh's posts have ever got. All those shares too...people have to be impressed to share something and every time it happens all their friends see the post too right? As for the 1,000+ "likes", the band has been stuck at around 25,000 for well over a year and all of a sudden this jump. It all says something about persistence and, of course luck...the Lady's got to visit you once in a while if you keep rolling the dice right?  Yes Vern, it's the old marketing law of large numbers that goes something like this; make a thousand calls, if one says "Yes"... bingo!

Well done Josh.  Well done.

PS - Took another  look in mid March and this is how it stacks up:
Almost 5 million reached, 12 thousands likes and over 37 thousand shares.  Pretty cool.

Captain HRS___, MD

I want to tell you a story about an Air Force Doctor. His name was HRS. (Name withheld to protect the not so innocent.)

In the early 60's, I was a brand-new, naive 18-year-,old at my first military assignment, Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico. I was a public health specialist, a one-striper airman.

HRS was a fresh MD and a Captain. He was assigned to the Flight Surgeon's office. His prime duty was to see to the health care needs of the pilots stationed at Cannon. His secondary duty was to serve as Public Health officer or as we called it at the time; "Military Public Health" and later, "Environmental Medicine."

That made HRS my boss...not directly though. My primary boss was a fine Technical Sergeant named J. A. Clark. JA was not around for any of the interactions between Harvey and I.  He was out doing environmental health inspections or goofing off, or both.

TSgt J.A. Clark and Yours Truly
TAC Mobility Hosp exercise
Cannon AFB, NM - 1964

HRS was what was known at the time as a "Berry Planner." These were physicians who had been drafted but received a deferment to complete medical training. They were then required to serve two years on active duty. Many of them were a problem as they had bad attitudes about having to serve. Many also believed (correctly) they could carry their bad attitudes openly because physicians were in extremely short supply, thus making their superiors reluctant to take disciplinary action when indicated.

HRS caught on to me being naive and vulnerable right away. I saw his as unpredictable, and maybe unstable plus I was afraid he would get me in trouble based on a whim if he wanted.  I was still learning how survive in a military environment.

One day he asked me to wash his car and offered to pay.  I thought nothing of it and was actually happy to do it as it was a Corvette and I had never driven one.  That worked well.  Sometime after that I did something, or failed to do something I don't recall which...but I do recall that I was wrong. HRS was not happy and decided to punish me by ordering me to go to the Base Exchange and buy him a roll of toilet paper.  My thought was that it was preferable to other forms of formal punishment so I agreed and did just that.

One day he wrote a prescription for me and told me to fill it, then give the results to him.  It was for what were then called "go pills" at the time or what is formally known as Dexedrine.* They had just recently became controlled substances. I did it and then wrestled with what in the hell to do.  Finally, I just guessed.  Somehow, I had enough presence of mind to figure it wouldn't stop at that. The next day I went to our Squadron Commander and reported the incident.

*Some may recall back then flight surgeons would give pilots tongue depressors with pill bottles taped to them.  One end would be colored red and labelled "Go."  These would contain dexedrine.  The other end would be colored blue and labelled "Stop." I forgot what medication was in there but the meaning was obvious. They were intended to help pilots stay alert and conversely decompress on and after long haul flights.

The solution was to have me work in the Hospital Eye Clinic a few months, out of HRS's chain of command, until my time came to leave for my next assignment to the Azores.

Nothing happened to HRS as a result of the incident. He didn't ask me to "fill" any more prescriptions either.

At first, I was totally intimidated by HRS but he taught me how to deal with it so I owe him for that.

A while back, out of curiosity I tried to track HRS down.  I found him or at least I am pretty sure I found him, middle initial and all. A Tulane grad, about 79 years old...it all fit.  Turns out in the late 80's he was convicted for filing fraudulent tax returns and in the late 90's the DEA revoked his license because he was not authorized to handle controlled substances in California.  I found that out in two formal documents on Google.  Google knows everything right?!  Poetic justice for that quirky sonofabitch.

Someone asked me to point out the "see something, say something" lesson here but you probably hear that all the time. Instead, I will add, just as in any experience with an emergency or crisis of conscience, you really don't know how you will react until you actually experience it. You can talk about it all day but you really don't know.  When it happens to you, and I am pretty certain it will if it hasn't already, I wish you luck in doing whatever lets you sleep well at night.

Sincerely,

Airman Third Class Thomas R. Campbell

AF19773665

Addendum - Note To Younger Self*

Contributions from Tyler, Sam, Amber and Cody on Christmas Eve, 2015

• Don't do drugs - curiosity and peer pressure will take you there. Don't stay.
• Don't play stereo on the Watt bridge - try to stay in the moment - you will get so excited about something you will find it hard to focus on things that require immediate attention so...you will make mistakes. It happens to most everyone so don't beat yourself up too much about it.
• Fear of missing out  - you will worry about other things you could do or want to be doing. This is a feeling you share with your father, especially in his early teen years. It will pass but it will cause extreme frustration at first. Later, you will channel it into activities that will be productive.
• Don't worry so much about getting every thing done you should be doing...spend more time with things you enjoy, seek balance. Remember though, there are basic structural things in society and within yourself you must give due attention too.  
• Trust your instincts - there will be times when you don't (Jamaica). It's okay as you can learn from the experience.
• Never make friends in second grade then keep them for 20 years...them puppies may come back to haunt you.
• Be nicer to your Mother - you will look back on this and wish you had. She will understand though. She always does.
• Narrow your focus on your interests so you can excel - don't try to be good with everything. There is a time-worn adage by author Malcolm Gladwell that sheds  little light on this...it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master something. If you are lucky, you will stumble across something that you love enough to do this.
• Don't be afraid of change. It attacks every generation. It will attack yours. Count on it.  
• Further your education and don't focus too much on music. Maybe, if you are lucky you will find something that combines the two. Or...you can find ways to do both.
• Enjoy the simple things in life...you don't have to be constantly connected.
• Pursue your passion...if it excites you when you are ten it will likely excite you when you are old enough to seriously pursue it.
• Expand your comfort zone by getting outside your peer group.
• Give everyone at least a first chance.

*Embellishment provided by The Meddler

Note To (Younger) Self

"I am he, as you are he, as you are me, and we are all together..." I Am The Walrus - The Beatles.  This line of lyrics occurred to me as I began to think about a letter from my elder self to my much younger self...

Dear "Thomas T. Tatamous."

Yes, that is the name our Mother will confer on us in our pre-teen years before our despicable brother David Claud William was born and stole a huge chunk of our home turf.  Yeah he even got four names to our three and what the hell was that about?!

Thomas T. Tatamous

You and I will receive many gifts at birth. A silver spoon will not be one of them. Later in life you will come to regard this as perhaps your greatest blessing for it will inspire you to work hard, to not take things for granted and to really appreciate a damn good bologna sandwich - preferably fried and always "with ketchup please."

Tatamous, you will not appreciate your gifts as you should and this will slow your progress - but you will crank up the gears a few times and in the process, to your great delight and surprise, witness your potential. You will find some comfort in coming close and in some critical instances, you will nail it.

As a child raised mostly in North Dakota, you will cultivate a naiveté you will carry throughout your life. As a poor child, you will also cultivate a sense of imposter syndrome. Don't let either worry you too much though as neither is necessarily a bad thing.  The first will give you an extra measure of happiness and the second will keep you humble.

At the foot of the Black Hills of South Dakota, you will find your bride.  She will show you the meaning of beauty in body, mind and spirit. She will teach you about tenacity and loyalty. She will love and inspire you for more than 50 years.

In western Washington, she will give you a son.  He will teach us about stature; in his remarkable athleticism at baseball and soccer, in his intelligence, and in his courage to face performance anxiety through hundreds of stage performances.  He will write poetic lyrics to songs that will touch the hearts of young and old alike. His fine character will include attributes of loyalty, thoughtfulness and generosity. He will struggle to find his place in an increasingly complex world.

In northern California, your wife will give you a daughter of striking beauty and intelligence.  She too will be blessed with athleticism. She will also demonstrate extraordinary mechanical ability.  She will discover a sense of composure in stressful, emergent conditions.  She will show fine artistic and organizational skills. Her character will shine with humor, loyalty and compassion for others.  Her spirit will prove a contemporary match for her Mother's.  She too will struggle in dealing with the cultural extremes that are at every young person's fingertips today.

As fate would have it, both your son and daughter will also be lefties like you. That will make them squirrelly, unpredictable, and easily distracted daydreamers... just like you.

Along the way you and I will learn many things... as do others.  You will stack them up in your mind as you go, until you reach age 70. Then, you will be filled with wonder at the serendipitous way you got where you are. As your bride will testify on more than one occasion, you will live "a charmed life."

Now, after that lengthy freakin' preliminary let's get to it.  In keeping with the precedent set by others for this type of note to self, what have we learned along the way and what can you use to become a better person than you are at 70?

1. Beware of peer pressure - While it can be good, it will get you in trouble more than often than not.
2. Be careful who you hang out with -  See #1.
3. Indulge your curiosity - It will take you where you love to be and if you stay with it long enough it will sustain you.
4. "Write like a Motherfucker" - Cheryl Strayed.  In other words learn from lessons shared by others and, of course write... just write.
5. Be true to those who love you - This is not easy.  Repeat.  This is not easy.
6. Inanimate things will break too - Don't let your leftie disposition get the best of you when this happens.
7. You will witness remarkable advances in technology and remarkable declines in civilization. Try not to take either too seriously; it won't help anything.
8. Being judgmental is not a good thing - try to do a better job of avoiding it than your much older self. In the end, you will make much better decisions.
9. Cultivate those endorphins - You will do good, you can do better.

On the other hand... you will end up who you are at 70 won't you?! So there's no sense in regrets about the past.  Just take comfort in the knowledge that people generally tend to remember the good things and if you can, spend more time with that thought.

Life will be nothing more than your best guess and you are going to be lucky kid... you are going to be really lucky.  

(I was recently inspired to write this by a post from Amy Jo Martin: Her's was a terrific letter to her younger self and I shared it with my son and daughter in hopes they too would reflect on their journey thus far.  I thought it would be fun to do the same...)