Why Am I Such A "Dick?"

The Last Minute

Misunderstood is just a way of life for someone who lives in the public eye.

It didn’t give me much grief until I left the television industry and started speaking out about what I saw happening on my podcast and social media.

People liked the guy who never made waves and fed them what they wanted.

When the menu changed, the challengers threw fiery darts to try to silence me.

It hasn’t worked.

I stopped explaining myself for the sake of understanding years ago.

I learned that people who don’t like you, don’t agree with you, or for other reasons dislike you, don’t want to understand you; they want to engage you in a conversation to win.

Winning what, I’ve never quite figured out, which is why I don’t play the game.

I conduct my research, I understand the truth, and I’m open to people who challenge me without calling names.

As soon as they stoop to middle school tactics, I’m out.

Those who want to convince me I’m wrong, I can smell a mile away.

They don’t want a conversation but instead indoctrination.

Sorry, not interested.

I was recently named “A Dick” by a Eugene tabloid.

The reason they give is that I left Oregon for Montana, but I still talk about Oregon.

If you’re scratching your head, asking “What?”

Me too.

I spent 60-plus years understanding this state as a journalist, a politician, and just a guy.

Why would I stop talking about it now?

Just because you leave a place doesn’t mean you stop fighting for it.

The real reason they call me a “Dick” is that they hate my views.

They despise the truth.

I know where the bones are buried and have connections who trust me.

This is what I do.

This is what I’ve always done.

I’m not going to change because people don’t like it.

I’ve technically been a Dick my whole life.

My real name is Richard.

My parents could have gone with Dick, but chose Rick.

I guess they didn’t want me to take the name “Dick Dancer” and end up in the porn industry.

It’s crazy we live in a world where an alleged “newspaper” is censoring someone for speaking about their opinions and ideas.

This paper has never liked me and always picked at me, so I think this has more to do with what I believe than it does with me leaving Oregon for Montana.

That’s an excuse and a lame one at that.

For twenty-plus years, I’ve worked to build an audience, mostly in Oregon.

Like the tabloid, our business is to bring in viewers.

By the looks of the number of readers they have versus how many views I get on social media every month, I can see why they might be envious.

But this goes deeper.

They are used to helping to set the agenda for Oregon, and people like me, other voices, other opinions, truth tellers, must be silenced.

A Facebook page picked up the story by asking who this “Dick” named Rick Dancer was.

I chimed in a bit and had a few interesting conversations and lots of support.

But the mudslingers also played along.

They claimed to want their questions answered, but most of what I read were not questions but accusations.

The guys at KPNW picked up on the conversation and invited me to join them live this morning to talk about it.

What is it?

I don’t really know.

I feel no need to explain myself, but welcome the chance to have an honest conversation about whatever it is they see fit.

So, here’s to freedom of speech.

They said I’d be on about 7:35 this morning.

I read something in “Streams in the Desert” that fits.

“When nothing whereon to lean remains, When strongholds crumble to dust, When nothing is sure but that God still reigns, that is just the time to trust.”