Sweet Tea and a Cloudy Sky

I just remembered something. See, sometimes I pick up my three-year-old sister from daycare. One day, I picked her up and when we were going to the car she was telling me about one of her little friends. His name was Andrew. She said, “Andrew doesn’t wear panties because he’s a boy. Boys don’t wear panties. Boys wear underwear.” Now, since I’m not her mother and I’m not raising her, I just let it go. Besides, she’s three. They’re just trying to teach her the basics of life.

Can you imagine if it was my kid, though? You know I would immediately walk back into that daycare center and bitch them out. Something along the lines of “why the hell are you teaching my child that boys don’t wear panties? Boys can wear whatever they want. Why are you differentiating between boys and girls anyways?”

The world is probably glad I’m not a parent.

I get really angry when I’m trying to help someone and all they do is give me back reasons why it won’t work. Especially when the issue is completely psychological.

Now, before any of you get on me, I’m aware that what I’m saying may be pretty hypocritical. I want to change these things in myself, too.

If you are depressed because you’re stuck in a crappy town, I’m going to try and help you think about the future when you can get out of it. I’m a futurist. That’s what I do. So when you turn back to me and say things like “well just because you got out doesn’t mean it will work for me.” Shut up with your negativity. When I’m trying to help you it feels really shitty when you just shut down my help.

When you’re feeling low self esteem and I tell you you’re not unattractive, please don’t respond with how you feel unattractive and that’s what matters. Say thanks and internalize the praise I’m sending you — it’s meant to make you feel better. If people tell you that you’re cute and you don’t listen to them, you’re never going to feel cute. You’re always going to feel shitty and ugly. You could be the most beautiful person in the world but if you don’t believe people when they tell you that, you’re shit out of luck.

And please please PLEASE don’t complain to me about feeling fat. Chances are it’s the way your body is supposed to be, it’s perfectly healthy, and you’re just trying to fit into some shitty societal norm that doesn’t even make sense. When you tell me that you’re jealous of my tiny body it just makes me feel shitty. I didn’t choose to be this way, I have a really small bone structure and a fast metabolism. As soon as I turn 20 or 25 my metabolism will slow down and I’ll have the same issues that you do. So please PLEASE learn to accept your body. It was made for you and it’s yours to love.

Apparently you’re out to get me. You and every other non-hetero-normative thing I can think of.

Last night I was out with some group members working on a project for class. At the end of the night I got a phone call from Christoph saying he was ready to pick me up. As soon as I got off the phone, one of my group members said “Oh you have a boyfriend?” I cringed a little, quite a bit actually, and then responded “yeah.” The group responded with various “aww”s and “cuuuuute”s, which basically killed me inside.

Who said I was straight? You guys don’t know me. I specifically haven’t mentioned any of that because it’s not any of your business.

Also, why do we need to use such gender-defining terms? WHY “boyfriend” or “girlfriend”? I do NOT like these at all. Why can’t everyone use terms like “partner”? Not everyone conforms to society’s labels for male or female. If we eliminate the constricting terms, we can create an environment so much more conducive to exploring of the self and identity expression. If the words being used to pigeonhole people are gone, the negative feelings won’t have words attached to them, and the thinkers will be forced to re-evaluate the way they are reacting. As it is, it’s easy to say things like “you can’t act that way because you’re a girl and that’s not how girls act. No one will want you to be his girlfriend ever.” Instead of living up to the expectation of being someone’s “girlfriend,” one should try to find a relationship where each participant is a partner – working together.

I almost said something last night. What would I have said? Could I really go off on this rant to people I barely know? I’m not sure I have that kind of courage. I’m also not sure I could have rationally expressed my thoughts – I was much more likely to get angry and defensive, and not present a convincing argument at all.

Can we seriously just talk for a minute about how angry this article makes me?

Gar-Field: Graduation ceremony remembers late principal

If you didn’t read it, at least pull it up in another tab for reference.
Now. Look at the picture. Look at the title. How are these two things related, except for the event around which they are centered? Why is there a picture of a couple kissing for an article about commemorating the dead principal?

Now. The people who wrote this article presumably do not know the couple pictured. There’s mention of their names in the caption. I, however do know these people. I found this article because of a link on Angela’s facebook page. The people that are being linked to this article do not care about the content, just the fact that “Oh wow my friends’ picture was in the paper!”

From a photojournalistic standpoint. I used to be on the yearbook staff in my high school. The same high school featured in this article actually. What we learned was not to include photos of couples, since there’s no guarantee that they’ll still be together. Well….more that, if the pictures are used, they have to be ‘innocent’ photos and the caption says something along the lines of ‘friends.’
It’s high school. There is nothing saying this is a good solid relationship. What if the inclusion of this photo caused drama and messed things up?

Now. The rest of the article. Why does it jump around so much? One minute we’re reading about Dr. Aiken, the next we find out who the valedictorian and salutatorian were, and then we’re hearing advice from Tara Wheeler.

I’ll admit, I didn’t go to the ceremony this year. I’m kind of glad, being around all those red robes would have made me mad. They were blue for so long…-sigh-. As someone who didn’t go to the ceremony, I would have enjoyed at least being able to read proper coverage about it. Where is the cliche copy about how parents eyes were moist, friends ran off celebrating, basically all the stuff that I didn’t get to experience at mine? WHERE IS THIS SAPPY STUFF?

I’m so mad about this. I bet it’s probably not a big deal to anyone else in the world. Just me.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/fashion/02voicemail.html?pagewanted=1