This quote annoyed me recently. I forget where I saw it, but it ticked me off, and I thought I’d rant a bit about it. Because, hey. I feel like ranting.
“Noticing so many people talking on their phones while walking as if the solitude would kill them.”
Now, do I want to be in the middle of a bunch of people all talking on their phones? No. One, because no one seems to have faith their phone is picking them up, so they always talk loudly. Two, because science has shown it’s much harder to tune out half a conversation than all of it.
But really? We’re making judgments on whether or not people can handle being alone based on the few scant minutes of their life we might share, walking down the street?
I pass judgment too, but I justify it thus: I pass judgment on those who pass judgment. They started it. So mature, I know.
But honestly. Wearing socks with sandals? I don’t care. Enjoy sporting the raccoon look in eye make-up? Not gonna say a thing in word or glance, unless I admire the colors you’ve caked on there. Wearing crocs? Go for it.
Sneering at one of the aforementioned? It’s on. (In a completely non-confrontational sort of way, unless you’re being a jerk to someone. Then I’ll probably support their choices.) For heaven’s sake, even Tumblr takes a turn! Notice that post has 154,296 notes–that means it’s been reblogged or liked that many times.
Sheesh.
My instinct is to start this paragraph with “I’m sorry…” except I’m not really sorry. There’s a lot of judging flying around out there, and it’s annoying. People take style guidelines like not wearing horizontal stripes if you’re zaftig and make a judgment on a person’s entire life. And God forbid you have a a tattoo.
I’ve never understood why people care about this stuff. Please realize that you know nothing about a person just because she got a tiny star inked behind her ear, or a barbed-wire band around his arm. I know you’ve heard all the meanings behind all of it, but honestly? That stuff is mostly made up by news organizations so they have something to report, or possibly by “sources” who want to snicker at the media getting something completely wrong.
At my school once there was the flip-out about jelly bracelets. Remember this? Wearing this color meant you’d do this sex act, wearing a black one meant that, if you broke one you got to do that sex act with the wearer…and all the kids were doing was wearing freaking bracelets. And, being teens, when they found out the jelly bracelets made the grown-ups flip, they wore more bracelets.
Seriously. Things people should be judged by (within limits, not advocating the death penalty or Nobel prize, here): kicking puppies. Feeding hungry people. Embracing diversity.
Things that don’t freaking matter: talking on the phone, playing Angry Birds, having a mis-drawn kanji character on their ankle.
Can we just ease up already?