Things that piss me off...(A rant)
There are many things that, over the years, have and continue to piss me off.
Here are some of them.
What are some of yours?
1.) Things and people that are superficial, lacking in complexity.
It's one thing to have a thing or person who is Simple. I don't mean in a touched-in-the-head-by-a-hammer kind of way. When they are Simple, and perfectly suited to a place and time, it can be truly wonderful.
What pisses me off is shallowness. Face value should only ever be an indication of the whole. It should never be the entire thing.
It's like the difference between honey and honeycomb candy (you know, the crunchy foamed sugar confection). I am not fond of the taste of sweetness per se. But honey, as I have mentioned in a previous post, has such complexity and depth that I find it beguiling. It has fragrances, notes, acidity etc. all contained in its astonishing flavour. Honeycomb candy however is largely just sweet. If you're lucky enough to get the homemade kind you may find a slight caramelisation note from the syrup boiling, and a faint bite from the baking soda used to foam it up. Otherwise the taste is rather flat.
There are soo many people who live life by surfaces alone. Whatever their reasons, I find it very frustrating to interact with them. That goes even more so if they are unaware they are doing it, if they know nothing else. These people often assume others live by surfaces too. They tend to love stereotypes and snap impressions. People like that have made my life hell for waaay too many years. Most of the people on my friends list can certainly tell me of several instances when they've been misjudged badly, whether for appearance, action or glib comment. If only people would just think!
I once had a conversation with a girl who was snarking about another girl. The first girl denounced the second as constantly searching for a new gimmick. The irony here (which I relished - I named my LJ well, I assure you) was that said second girl was going further than that; she was constantly reinventing herself, while the speaker often adopted many gimmicks or personas herself. The reinventing girl has my respect. Changing oneself is not easy. Changing a surface without the courage to change yourself, however, does not.
2.) People who refuse to take responsibility for their actions.
If you said it, did it or made it, and it turned out wrong, admit it. Blaming it on your parents, your teacher, videogames or your boss is not only craven and wrong, it's pathetic. If you want to do something, do it. Just be aware that it might come back and bite you. And you may not like it. If you aren't sure if it's going to go well, don't allow yourself to be "persuaded", then whine about how it wasn't your idea/fault in the first place when it goes bad. Nobody forced you, and you will have to grow up sometime.
And if you're caught in a lie, own up. It's easier to keep respect by saying you're wrong than by insisting you're damned sure "those WMD were there, goshdarn it!"
3.) The letter, rather than the spirit of the law.
'Nuff said. Just look at all the "only in [insert country name here]" stories for some sterling examples. I'm really getting to mislike the words "zero tolerance" now.
4.) People with no sense of proportion.
Do I just attract these ones?! There's the guy who randomly takes offense at offhand comments that nobody in their right mind could consider offensive, let alone a personal attack. And he's so far from culturally aware/appropriate that it leaves my jaw hanging sometimes.
There's the one who tells everyone they know about lifechanging insights they've had....which seem to happen every other weekend. Twice.
I swear, I've got to stop patiently listening to people when they unburden themselves. I've never had to replace so many imaginary Clue Hammers.
5.) Whiners who won't fix things that make them miserable.
We all know people like this. They repeat patterns that make them miserable. They may spend all their money on cigs/booze/drugs/Stuff and then wail about how they have no money. They may spend all their time doing Stuff(eg. watching TV/gaming/collecting stamps) and whine about how they don't see their friends enough. They may make friends and lose them in an endless merry-go-round of mixed messages and vitriol.
Enough. I don't understand why people do this to themselves when they know they're doing it. Why wouldn't you want to be the very best kind of person you could be? Maybe changing yourself to fix it is hard, but it surely can't be worth the kind of suffering you've put yourself through all these years..
....
Hmm. That's about it for now. Maybe more later if I manage to recharge my snark gland.
Here are some of them.
What are some of yours?
1.) Things and people that are superficial, lacking in complexity.
It's one thing to have a thing or person who is Simple. I don't mean in a touched-in-the-head-by-a-hammer kind of way. When they are Simple, and perfectly suited to a place and time, it can be truly wonderful.
What pisses me off is shallowness. Face value should only ever be an indication of the whole. It should never be the entire thing.
It's like the difference between honey and honeycomb candy (you know, the crunchy foamed sugar confection). I am not fond of the taste of sweetness per se. But honey, as I have mentioned in a previous post, has such complexity and depth that I find it beguiling. It has fragrances, notes, acidity etc. all contained in its astonishing flavour. Honeycomb candy however is largely just sweet. If you're lucky enough to get the homemade kind you may find a slight caramelisation note from the syrup boiling, and a faint bite from the baking soda used to foam it up. Otherwise the taste is rather flat.
There are soo many people who live life by surfaces alone. Whatever their reasons, I find it very frustrating to interact with them. That goes even more so if they are unaware they are doing it, if they know nothing else. These people often assume others live by surfaces too. They tend to love stereotypes and snap impressions. People like that have made my life hell for waaay too many years. Most of the people on my friends list can certainly tell me of several instances when they've been misjudged badly, whether for appearance, action or glib comment. If only people would just think!
I once had a conversation with a girl who was snarking about another girl. The first girl denounced the second as constantly searching for a new gimmick. The irony here (which I relished - I named my LJ well, I assure you) was that said second girl was going further than that; she was constantly reinventing herself, while the speaker often adopted many gimmicks or personas herself. The reinventing girl has my respect. Changing oneself is not easy. Changing a surface without the courage to change yourself, however, does not.
2.) People who refuse to take responsibility for their actions.
If you said it, did it or made it, and it turned out wrong, admit it. Blaming it on your parents, your teacher, videogames or your boss is not only craven and wrong, it's pathetic. If you want to do something, do it. Just be aware that it might come back and bite you. And you may not like it. If you aren't sure if it's going to go well, don't allow yourself to be "persuaded", then whine about how it wasn't your idea/fault in the first place when it goes bad. Nobody forced you, and you will have to grow up sometime.
And if you're caught in a lie, own up. It's easier to keep respect by saying you're wrong than by insisting you're damned sure "those WMD were there, goshdarn it!"
3.) The letter, rather than the spirit of the law.
'Nuff said. Just look at all the "only in [insert country name here]" stories for some sterling examples. I'm really getting to mislike the words "zero tolerance" now.
4.) People with no sense of proportion.
Do I just attract these ones?! There's the guy who randomly takes offense at offhand comments that nobody in their right mind could consider offensive, let alone a personal attack. And he's so far from culturally aware/appropriate that it leaves my jaw hanging sometimes.
There's the one who tells everyone they know about lifechanging insights they've had....which seem to happen every other weekend. Twice.
I swear, I've got to stop patiently listening to people when they unburden themselves. I've never had to replace so many imaginary Clue Hammers.
5.) Whiners who won't fix things that make them miserable.
We all know people like this. They repeat patterns that make them miserable. They may spend all their money on cigs/booze/drugs/Stuff and then wail about how they have no money. They may spend all their time doing Stuff(eg. watching TV/gaming/collecting stamps) and whine about how they don't see their friends enough. They may make friends and lose them in an endless merry-go-round of mixed messages and vitriol.
Enough. I don't understand why people do this to themselves when they know they're doing it. Why wouldn't you want to be the very best kind of person you could be? Maybe changing yourself to fix it is hard, but it surely can't be worth the kind of suffering you've put yourself through all these years..
....
Hmm. That's about it for now. Maybe more later if I manage to recharge my snark gland.