This has actually been building for a while.
Guys.
Guys.
I don't understand why this is so hard.
Okay, so, Ke$ha. Can't stand her. I mean, tooth-grinding, skin-crawling, turn-off-the-radio-rather-than-listen-to-her loathing. There's not many artists - indeed not many things - I can say that about, but she definitely qualifies. She, as the poets say, grinds my gears.
This being true, what would I do if I were to meet someone who actually likes her music? Or if one of you, my dear flist, were to come forward and say, "I have a confession to make: I am Ke$ha's Bigge$t Fan." Confronted with such a direct threat to my way of life, stability of mind, and the cheap supply of oil, how would I be compelled to respond?
Simple. I wouldn't.
In the course of your life - unless you go to truly heroic lengths - you will come across people who like things you don't, believe things you don't, and do things you wouldn't. You may be perturbed, confused, annoyed, even pearl-clutchingly offended. Understand that I am not condemning or judging you for those feelings. Feel what you feel, but realize that a) unless they're causing real harm to real people, what people like/believe/do is their business alone, and b) how you react is your business alone. If you act like a jerk, it doesn't matter what you're being a jerk about - you're still acting like a jerk. It is not wrong of me to dislike Ke$ha and to think she is symptomatic of a deep sickness in our society; it would be wrong of me to accuse anyone who can stand her of being drug-addicted whores. Just for example.
This goes double for fandom, obviously (I'm sorry, your pet ship or anti-ship is not filed under Srs Bzns, would you like to look under Hobbies?), but it can be applied to many, many things. You say you go to a psychic twice a week? I wish you all joy. You have a fetish for doing Biblically unsanctioned things to cucumbers? As long as the cucumber is a consenting adult, have fun. You have political views that do not jive with mine? Great, let's have a debate with stuffed animals sometime. You believe in a god I've never heard of and regularly sacrifice copies of The Watchtower to her? Put in a good word for me, just in case.
But I really don't Get wasting good outrage on these things. You're not making the world a better place by acting like you're morally superior to someone else. Quite the opposite in some cases. Why not save it for something that matters?
I'm Just Sayin' (TM).
Guys.
I don't understand why this is so hard.
Okay, so, Ke$ha. Can't stand her. I mean, tooth-grinding, skin-crawling, turn-off-the-radio-rather-than-listen-to-her loathing. There's not many artists - indeed not many things - I can say that about, but she definitely qualifies. She, as the poets say, grinds my gears.
This being true, what would I do if I were to meet someone who actually likes her music? Or if one of you, my dear flist, were to come forward and say, "I have a confession to make: I am Ke$ha's Bigge$t Fan." Confronted with such a direct threat to my way of life, stability of mind, and the cheap supply of oil, how would I be compelled to respond?
Simple. I wouldn't.
In the course of your life - unless you go to truly heroic lengths - you will come across people who like things you don't, believe things you don't, and do things you wouldn't. You may be perturbed, confused, annoyed, even pearl-clutchingly offended. Understand that I am not condemning or judging you for those feelings. Feel what you feel, but realize that a) unless they're causing real harm to real people, what people like/believe/do is their business alone, and b) how you react is your business alone. If you act like a jerk, it doesn't matter what you're being a jerk about - you're still acting like a jerk. It is not wrong of me to dislike Ke$ha and to think she is symptomatic of a deep sickness in our society; it would be wrong of me to accuse anyone who can stand her of being drug-addicted whores. Just for example.
This goes double for fandom, obviously (I'm sorry, your pet ship or anti-ship is not filed under Srs Bzns, would you like to look under Hobbies?), but it can be applied to many, many things. You say you go to a psychic twice a week? I wish you all joy. You have a fetish for doing Biblically unsanctioned things to cucumbers? As long as the cucumber is a consenting adult, have fun. You have political views that do not jive with mine? Great, let's have a debate with stuffed animals sometime. You believe in a god I've never heard of and regularly sacrifice copies of The Watchtower to her? Put in a good word for me, just in case.
But I really don't Get wasting good outrage on these things. You're not making the world a better place by acting like you're morally superior to someone else. Quite the opposite in some cases. Why not save it for something that matters?
I'm Just Sayin' (TM).