Boutros Boutros Ghali was the name of a car that my wife's friend Edy had back when they were both in high school. It was a small car, fitting inside a small plastic casing, having its origins in China. It was bought with a quarter at a certain grocery store from one of those machines that children beg and beg their parents to use to procure toys or gum, candies or stickers, and even perhaps the random temporary tattoo.
Boutros Boutros Ghali (or BBG, as we shall lovingly call him from here on out) spent many a happy hour with Edy and Joy during their high school times. Why he was christened "BBG" as opposed to "Ethel," "Fred," or other customary names is unclear; however, we know that the students at Edison high school have penchants for long, uncommon names. Other cases include the cardboard cow "Biakabutuka", and the twin platypuses "Bubba Azariah Dufu Odabee" and "Dufu Odabee Bubba Azariah."
BBG was called "one of the most important people in the world" second only to "Flibber Flabber Flinger Boo-Boo" in one of my favorite Get Fuzzy strips from long, long ago; however, Stephen Fry on the quiz program QI informs us that the name literally means "Peter Peter-Expensive". Interestingly enough, I agree with his views on bureaucrats: they are best dealt with through "stealth and sudden violence."
I find that, the more I write about this man and this car, I am drawn to the American flaw of "his name sounds weird." "Peter" isn't a weird name: he eats pumpkins, shoots web (when he remembers how), writes epistles, chops slaves' ears off ("It happened one time, okay? Geez, can't we let it go already?"), walked on water, and comes from an alternate universe, to name a few. But can you imagine Boutros Barker, bit by a radioactive spider? Boutros reminding you to be good to your wife?
In other musings, I was once described as "rude to leadership." I suppose this might be true. But I also wonder whether or not it's "rude" to attempt to build a relationship on Imperialistic principles. It's 3:30 AM when I write this; in my sleep-deprived recollections, I'm usually pretty kind to leaders who take the time to develop a relationship with me through mutual transactions of respect. They respect the work I do, I don't count them as a jerk; they respectfully coach me on how to get better, I respect them more. That;s how respect is earned: through mutual dispersion. If a person's character warrants it, respect can be commanded: military personnel, for example, receive respect from me, not because of my relationship with them, but because of their service to our country.
Generally, however, the more I learn about my leader, the less I can respect them. The less time in relationship they spend with me, the more their character is revealed by their actions and words. The more of their character I can analyze, the less I "know" them - and yet, I "know" their type. And most of the time, that's enough.
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