That Awkward Stage
Hi. Intro: I'm a 19-year-old junior in college. I like a lot of things, because there are so many things that are too cool not to like, from little plastic mousetraps to Marbury vs. Madison to game theory to webcomics to ethical psychology to those little popup flash games that promise you a free iPhone if you throw cookies at the monkey. I like life. A lot. Life is strange and interesting and there are so many cool things out there that one person couldn't possibly discover them all in a lifetime. I like experiences: doing shit because you can, not because you're expected to, or feel obliged to, but just to feel differently about something, just to be able to say, "I've been there, I've done that, and it was kind of cool".
I realize that a lot of people don't feel the same way about life: they have obligations, they have needs, they have to schedule their "recreational time". And that's fine. I'm not going to try to tell anyone how to live their life: people are capable of making their own choices and finding fulfillment in whatever form they choose. I would never want to deny them that freedom.
It's when other people expect me to live in a certain way that I get angry. These are the people who cry, "Freedom!" "Progress!" "Community!" "Love!", but stifle unconformity, reinforce oppressive social conventions, and instill close-minded "values" in their children who grow up to be just like them. The people who like being around people who don't challenge their precious preconceptions. The people who mistake "appearance" for "character" and then make up their own ideas about what appearance means anyway, so you never really stand a chance.
I don't know who I am right now. Maybe I'm a girl. Maybe I'm a boy. Maybe I'm nothing more than a 5'4'' blond person that has a short haircut and wears jeans and polos. Let me decide that. Stop being surprised that I don't act or look how you think I should. Do you love me, or just your idea of me? If it's the former, shut up and try learning who I really am. If it's the latter, I have no business with you. Shoo.
I realize that a lot of people don't feel the same way about life: they have obligations, they have needs, they have to schedule their "recreational time". And that's fine. I'm not going to try to tell anyone how to live their life: people are capable of making their own choices and finding fulfillment in whatever form they choose. I would never want to deny them that freedom.
It's when other people expect me to live in a certain way that I get angry. These are the people who cry, "Freedom!" "Progress!" "Community!" "Love!", but stifle unconformity, reinforce oppressive social conventions, and instill close-minded "values" in their children who grow up to be just like them. The people who like being around people who don't challenge their precious preconceptions. The people who mistake "appearance" for "character" and then make up their own ideas about what appearance means anyway, so you never really stand a chance.
I don't know who I am right now. Maybe I'm a girl. Maybe I'm a boy. Maybe I'm nothing more than a 5'4'' blond person that has a short haircut and wears jeans and polos. Let me decide that. Stop being surprised that I don't act or look how you think I should. Do you love me, or just your idea of me? If it's the former, shut up and try learning who I really am. If it's the latter, I have no business with you. Shoo.