Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Back to Black

Went back to MD for a weekend. JT and Jay Z were amazing. Played Legendary with 2 sets of siblings I'm gonna miss when I move. Walked around the harbor and rediscovered Otakon. I'm going to miss all of this. Hell, I miss all the things I've already lost there.

I forgot my laptop, but I'm really glad I did. Spending time talking to people(even if they were on their tablets or computers), is something I enjoy. One of my friends recently posted and infographic that made me kind of sad. Based on this, being in the middle is the best. Because clearly anyone who focuses on themselves and doesn't think before they speak is obnoxious.

Here is why I think that is bullshit:

I always relate things people tell me back to my personal experiences. What you share with me is your personal experience, and I am so glad that you decided to open up to me that I want to share something with you. If that thing is trivial or boorish, I'm sorry. Its all I've got that I can return to you about my experiences after you have taken time to share yours with me. When people point out that I repeat stories often, it makes me disappointed. Not because I've been repetitive, but that in that attempt I failed to share something with them.

What people see as my verbal onslaught is just my excitement to share with you and relate. I'm kind of stuck in my own head a lot of the time, so when I get to interact with people, I want to spill my thoughts to them. My verbal onslaught is basically me seeing a break from my internal monologue (which is not always the happiest or comforting place).

Claiming that what I say "bypasses my brain and goes straight to my mouth" is not an insult. Hesitation allows dishonesty. I don't want to sugar goat what I'm thinking. I want you to get it just as I think it, without my ego getting in the way. Pausing to think of how to more appropriately phrase something is what I do when I'm with those who I'm not close to, and those with whom I have to maintain a facade of appropriateness.

Labeling people as "playthings" is wrong. People are the reason we exist. Without interaction, life would kind of be pointless. You could sit in your head all day and think of new ideas. But without anyone to share it with, that gets old. I'm pretty sure that's why that old Greek philosopher wrote his work as a dialogue. People sharing ideas or experiences is basically the best you can get.

My past couple rants have been edited, because I wanted to maintain some level of coherence. Too bad. This is the stream of my consciousness. Get swept away in it, and try not to "put P in our 'ool' ".

Lyric of the Day: Amy Winehouse - Back to Black
"You went back to what you knew
So far removed from all that we went through
And I tread a troubled track
My odds are stacked
I'll go back to black"

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Trigger Warnings

I think that trigger warnings are dumb.

While it probably is that way because I'm lazy, I nonetheless refuse to label everything that could shock someone. I also think it is presumptuous for someone to say "I have a good enough understanding of other people's life experiences to label things that are traumatic for them". I think its also insulting for someone when you define things that are supposed to trigger them. I basically agree with Susannah Breslin. I will not babysit your voyage on the internet.

Also, I feel like fully embracing the self-righteousness of trigger warnings will lead to some really stupid things. Like this post, where someone chastises someone else for not having a trigger warning for a group of people who probably wouldn't demand a warning.

</rant>