 |
| LSOphoto, Getty Images/iStockphoto |
I hated Sociology class. But it left me with one thing (unfortunately)… a hyper-awareness to other peoples' hypocrisy and prejudice. And when I make my coffee and sign into Facebook to peruse it like the morning newspaper, I’m bombarded with a news feed full of it.
Fah fahk sake, you guys...
Let people vent on Facebook (or wherever) if they want/need to. Do you know how ridiculous it sounds when you complain about them complaining? Have you ever considered that they might not feel like they have any friends who will listen? That they use it as their ONLY forum to feel better? Maybe they can't afford or don't have access to counseling, or anti-depressants, or any other form of treatment or relief. What if the venting that you complain about is the only thing that keeps them from putting a 9mm in their mouth every day?
Let them wear whatever they want, without pointing and laughing. Out loud OR in your head. Pajamas to Walmart? Tight tanks tops and short shorts? Dirty t-shirt and holey pants? Who f&%king cares? You shouldn’t, that’s who.
Let them have their beliefs, or non-beliefs, it is THEIR life, after all. God? Sure, if that’s your thing. Buddha? Sure, go for it. Pagan? Cool, dude. Atheist? Whatever you want, man.
See? It’s really that simple.
Let them have their political positions, whatever they may be. And hush your mouth about it. It's none of your business. You don't need to name call and ridicule just because they don't belong to or agree with your political party, or (Gawd forbid) because they want to express their political opinions. It doesn't make your party better, or make you smart or righteous. It just makes you a jerk.
Let them be fat, or skinny, or dirty, or toothless, or whatever. How they appear or present themselves (purposefully or not) does not define them. And it certainly doesn’t concern you.
Let them have their addictions, their guilty pleasures, their hobbies, their nuances. Are they aligned with your behavior or how you operate? Maybe not. But who the hell cares? Let them have their pumpkin spice, their blue hair, their video games, their tattoos and piercings, their D&D, their karaoke, their Pokemon card collection, their goth makeup... And what EVER else it is that they might enjoy or do, that for whatever unearthly reason, makes you feel like you have a right to chastise them for it.
And don't even get me started about mental illness or disabilities. Do not, I repeat, do NOT ever, ever, EVER let me hear you make fun of or laugh at someone who is bipolar, schizophrenic, mentally challenged, paralyzed, suffers from any kind of affliction, be it tourette's or just a stutter, etc, etc, etc... it is likely that it will provoke a swift punch in the mouth.
And what about that homeless guy standing on the corner? Don't even. He slept on the bench last night, and it was 8 degrees. He sleeps on that frozen bench every night. Unless he can make it to the warming shelter for a respite from the cold and a tepid cup of coffee. And hopefully something to eat; he hasn't eaten in three days. Who the f%k cares how he got to this point in his life, and it sure as hell isn't your business or right to castigate him for it. Yelling "get a job" to a homeless person is another way to precipitate a punch in the teeth.
Let them be gay, or bisexual, or transgender. Really, what does it specifically have to do with you and your life? Right- Nothing. Not a goddamn thing.
Let them be feminists, activists, egalitarians. Let them march in the streets with vagina hats or rainbow flags or signs and banners for whatever it is they are rallying about (or write loquaciously about their beliefs and causes), without being a douche about it. GET OVER IT.
At least they believe in something.
Seriously. Where the f&%k has our humanity gone.