I have a fun new daily habit. I like to peruse the “news” heading on Facebook, and I use the term news very loosely in this instance, and allow myself to descend into an intense rage whilst wondering what absurd turn the country has taken that day. Sometimes I get really dark with it and spend my entire gym time (just 30 minutes, guys. I mean, its not like I’m an athlete) catching upon some current events on YouTube. Every single day I am incredulous over, just, oh I don’t know… everything? The pussification (that’s a word, look it up!) of society? The fact that people are alternately outraged and then complacent over these changes?
Cancel culture – and I cringe at the mere mention of this term – is a rampant disease. But what is the fuel that is keeping this heinous fire burning so fiercely every single day? Are people really concerned about what Joe Schmoe said on his twitter feed 10 years ago at age 19? Do people even have that much time on their hands? I know the answer, friends. The answer to why the world is in this pickle wherein EVERYONE is foaming at the mouth to play the part of (puke) “social justice warrior” and point the finger at the bad guy du jour.
Its narcissism. From every angle and in every instance its just pure narcissism. We’re living in a time when EVERY person seems to think that every thought they have, no matter how trivial or questionable, is worthy of public consumption. Sparked by the universal platform of social media and fueled by the need to be heard, people just seem to have an inflated sense of self importance lately. I’m not exempting myself from this. First of all, I’m taking time out of my evening, at midnight, to write something that I guess I think people need to read. Do they? Nope. Who am I to tell people how to think? A self important narcissist, that’s who.
Social Media – for me, its Facebook, but for you it might be Instagram or whatever else you use – but in general, it gives us this false sense that we should release our opinions out into the world. I promise that 99% of the time, not only does no one actually care about what we’re putting out there, but it’s probably unnecessary crap. For example, I once posted three different statuses in one day about my Ped Egg. MY PED EGG. How self-important am I to assume that you all want to hear about my foot calluses? Very. Did the world need to hear the tweets of then 17 year old not-quite-Teen Vogue editor asking how to not make her puffy no sleep eyes look less Asian? Nope. Do we need to hear the BS political ramblings of celebrities? HELL NO.
But there is an even darker side to the narcissism and it comes in the form of the internet tattletale-come-social-justice-warrior: the turner-inner. the whistle blower. THAT person. I came upon a story about Nicole Brown (I honestly have no idea who she is) who I suppose is some sort of a celebrity who “uses her Twitter feed to call out injustice…” Give. Me. A. Break. One such instance involved her calling out Ken Jennings for cracking a joke (a JOKE people, remember those?) about wheelchairs. It is this type of self importance that really ticks me off. No one liked a tattletale in kindergarten, and no one likes one now. Don’t like what someone has said? Don’t think a joke is funny? DON’T READ IT. Jeez, if I was held accountable for every little shit I said at age 18… well, you know.
And, I guess it just perturbs me because I don’t understand why Ms. Brown fancies herself the protector of wheelchair folks, or whomever. Why can’t we all just keep on keeping on and mind our own business?
Why am I bothering to write this? Honestly, I have no idea. I just needed it out of my head. Remember when you were 12, or 15, or 25 and you literally had NO idea where any of your friends/family stood politically? Can we go back to that?