Perspective Determines Personality

When you understand how a person thinks, speaks, acts, and sees the world, you feel like you know that person.

This is true whether you have spent time with them, or if you have spent time with them through the magic of modern media.

Television, radio, and social media can be used to make sure that people know about you, or they can be used to make people feel like they know you.

I have written a 4-stanza poem from the perspective of 3 different personalities.

The story arc is the same for all 3 poems.

The 4-verse, 4 stanza structure is the same.

The rhyming conventions are very similar.

The only real difference is that these short poems reveal the hearts of 3 different people; their perspectives, their attitudes, their personalities.

My partner Gene Naftulyev directed the singers who turned these poems into blues songs.

You can read the song lyrics in the text of the Monday Morning Memo, or you can listen to the songs in the audio version of the memo.

These are the words to the first poem, and the song that was created from it:

The faster I go, the more I fall behind.

The map is fading in my mind.

Landmarks are not where they were before.

And cars don’t stop at red lights anymore.

I don’t want to be unkind and

Make innocent people feel maligned

But are all the gas pedals nailed to the floor?

Why don’t cars stop at red lights anymore?

Are these people colorblind?

Are their panties in a bind?

Are we fighting in a war?

Why don’t we stop at red lights anymore?

Is there an evil mastermind

Who is making us feel that we are falling behind?

Perhaps we can dangle him in an intersection

And see if he gets a new sense of direction.

© Roy H. Williams
Oct. 18, 2025

The singer of this song seems to be lamenting the loss of leisure. We perceive that he is troubled by the spiraling tyranny of the merely urgent. He doesn’t want to be unkind. His questions about the red-light runners being “colorblind,” or “having their panties in a bind” reveals a comedic wit. We sympathize with him. We agree with him. We like him.

Now let’s tell that same story two more times using exactly the same structure, rhyming scheme, and storytelling devices. The only difference between that first poem and the next two poems will be the differing perspectives of the storytellers.

I do not pretend to be a counselor-at-law,

Or a judge, or a jury from Arkansas,

But my heart does whisper this probing question:

“When did people stop stopping at intersections?”

We heard the words of Moses and foresaw

That we would need to be a nation of Laws.

But Moses did not give us “The 10 Suggestions.”

So why did people stop stopping at intersections?

Do you have a tragic flaw?

Do you look good in-the-raw?

If you want resurrection,

You need to start stopping at intersections.

Do you want sex appeal that makes ice thaw?

Do you want people to look at you with awe?

Do you want to achieve absolute perfection?

Just hit your brakes at the next intersection.

© Roy H. Williams, Oct 20, 2025

That singer has a slightly more antagonistic attitude. His references to Moses and the Law reveal him to be more legalistic than the first singer. His additional comments about “counselor-at-law,” “nation of laws,” “resurrection” and “perfection” reveal the kind of black-and-white clarity that can result from a strict religious upbringing. We cannot be certain of these things, but we suspect them. He also has a little bit of a fixation on sexuality. “Do you look good in-the-raw?” “Sex appeal that makes ice thaw?” “Do people look at you with awe?” This cat is one complicated character!

Are you ready for that same story to be told by a third singer whose perspective and personality is distinctly different from the first two?

When I look inside my head,

the only color I see is red.

Behind my eyes I feel an itch.

Red means STOP you son-of-a-bitch.

It is NOT okay to go ahead.

Keep it up and you’ll soon be dead.

Green and red, you cannot switch.

A red light means STOP, you son-of-a-bitch.

Were you recently unwed?

Are you sleeping single in a double bed?

Did she not care that you are filthy rich?

You need to stop being a son-of-a-bitch!

Sometimes I think perhaps we oughta

Use your head for a piñata.

I’ll sing it one more time with perfect pitch;

‘Red means STOP… you son-of-a-bitch.’

© Roy H. Williams, Oct 20, 2025

Obviously, that guy is angry as hell and is predisposed toward violence. He sees red. “You’ll soon be dead.” This singer doesn’t joke around about “colorblind.” He says “Green and red, you cannot switch.” He doesn’t laugh about “panties in a bind.” This guy suggests that you’re not having sex because your wife left you, even though you are “filthy rich.”

Every ad reveals a perspective. Your ads reveal what matters most to you.

Your ads let people know how you think, speak, act, and see the world.

And you thought ads were just about delivering information and a call-to-action.

Roy H. Williams

PS… As a special treat, this is the final version of the song that I wrote with Gene Naftulyev. You definitely want to hear the audio version of this:

Faster and faster, but I’m losing ground.

Red light flashing, nobody slowing down.

The faster I go, the more I fall behind,

The map is fading in my mind.

Landmarks are not where they were before.

And cars don’t stop at red lights anymore.

Wheels spinning wild, world’s gone askew.

Why don’t cars stop at red lights anymore?

Gas pedals nailed to the floor.

Whoa, what a war!

Colorblind, panties in a bind,

Are we fighting in the street, losing our mind?

Red light’s burning, but we race right through.

Why don’t we stop? Tell me, what’s the use?

I don’t want to be unkind and

make innocent people feel maligned.

But are all the gas pedals nailed to the floor?

Why don’t cars stop at red lights anymore?

Horns blaring, loud chaos in the air…

Why don’t cars stop at red lights anymore?

Gas pedals nailed to the floor.

Whoa, what a war!

Colorblind, panties in a bind,

Are we fighting in the street, losing our mind?

Red light’s burning, but we race right through.

Why don’t we stop? It’s killing me and you.

Is there an evil mastermind

making us feel that we’re falling behind?

Let’s dangle him out in the intersection,

Watch the lights flash, give him a new direction.

Hang him high where the red lights glow,

See if he learns to just… let… go.

Why don’t cars stop at red lights anymore?

Gas pedals nailed, crashing through the door.

Colorblind, panties in a bind,

Are we fighting in the street, losing our mind?

Red light! Red light!

Why don’t we stop?

© Roy H. Williams and Gene Naftulyev, Oct 21, 2025

Rodney Dangerfield joked about it.

Jackie Robinson said he’d earned it.

Aretha Franklin sang about it:

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Respect is a virtue too often sacrificed in public discourse, online exchanges, and everyday interactions. Robert L. Dilenschneider wants to change that. Respect, Bob says, deserves, well … more respect. “Never take another man’s dignity. It’s worth nothing to you and everything to him.” Respect, Bob says, deserves, well … more respect. On this week’s episode of Monday Morning Radio, Dilenschneider shares his brilliant formula for healing the divisions in our country and restoring a culture of respect. Roving reporter Rotbart and deputy rover Maxwell and Bob Dilenschneider himself are waiting for you to arrive at MondayMorningRadio.com