Category: Uncategorized

I’m tired. I’m sad. I’m pissed.

I haven’t been as active here in the last month because I can’t find it in me to be funny at the moment. It seems like every time I open up Facebook or Twitter and scroll through the news, there is something awful happening somewhere in this country, and I am so incredibly exhausted. In the last month, I’ve posted about toxic masculinity in reference to a privileged piece-of-crap who raped an unconscious woman and more or less got away with it, 48 people who died at a gay bar in Orlando because of an evil human who was able to get a gun despite the fact that he was suspected of being dangerous. Oh and then I wrote some half-assed, poorly written crap about how much I like the Hamilton Soundtrack. I really do like the Hamilton Soundtrack, but I was just looking for something that wasn’t awful to write about, and even in that, the underlying sentiment was that we have the ability to make things better because they’re kind of awful right now.

So what the fuck are we going to do about it? Seriously. I’m asking. And if you’re not in the mood to read another opinion about any of this—Bye, Felicia. It’s my blog, not yours.

If I see or hear one more white person say, “All lives matter,” or post some fucking meme on the internet about Blue Lives or some bullshit about “playing a race card,” I may actually scream. I seriously saw a meme that said, “How about all lives matter? Not black lives, not white lives. Get over yourself. No one’s life is more important. Put away your race card and grow up.” I was so infuriated when I read that. I’m infuriated just thinking about about it. I also just corrected the grammar of what was actually on the meme. I mean, if you’re going to post something so idiotic, you could at least make sure the grammar is correct. The person who posted this is the same former co-worker who told me I should be getting married, so I think our Facebook friendship is over. Ignorance may be bliss, but ignorance also makes you an asshole.

I am pissed that black men are repeatedly murdered because some shitty, racist police officers operate from a place of fear and hate. If you’re a cop, I think it’s time to take really hard look inward and be honest with yourself. Do you have a fear of black men for no reason at all? Do you make assumptions about their character? Yeah? GO DO SOMETHING ELSE! How about we take this one step further? If you peaked in high school, are pissed off that no one gives an ounce of a shit that you were the quarterback of your high school football team located in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, and you want a job that gives you power over people, leading you to victimize poor people and minorities, you should also GO DO SOMETHING ELSE! You could work your way into management at a Walmart where you’ll also work shit hours but make a bunch of money while your employees are all on government assistance. Seems perfect, but you don’t get a deadly weapon. So we’re all better off.

I’m also pissed that some loner/psychopath/shit stain on humanity decided the answer to this problem was to kill and injure a bunch of cops who were doing their jobs the way it’s supposed to be done. THAT IS ALSO NOT FUCKING OKAY! That moron delayed any productive conversations that had been started about this issue.

I don’t have to choose a fucking side here. As a matter of fact, if you are of the opinion that this is an issue requiring people to choose sides, YOU ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM! I want racist piece-of-shit cops on a power trip to lose their fucking jobs and go to prison when they MURDER people, and I want good cops to be able to serve and protect without some lunatic shooting them from a fucking parking garage.

There’s no easy answer, but there will be no answer at all until we all wake the fuck up and accept that we have a problem here.

Hey white people! Racism is still a thing, and I don’t give a shit if that makes you uncomfortable. Yeah, sure, all lives matter. What you aren’t hearing is that not a single person ever said otherwise. But your indifferent, apathetic, unfeeling ass does not get to speak unless you are willing to recognize that there are people in this country whose lives are treated as less valuable than yours. Period.

Hey Police! You have a problem, and you need to address it. You have shitheads working for you. No, not everyone, but clearly, there are enough people who suck at this job that this is a repeated issue. How is it that I have training in de-escalating difficult situations with other people at my cubicle farm job, but this seems to be a novel idea for cops who deal with things that actually matter, like whether or not they should fire their gun?

Every single person has a choice every time they interact with another human. You could be a dick or you could not be a dick. Please make the right choice. I am so exhausted with human beings and their bullshit right now. Stop fighting. Put your fucking guns down. Stop killing each other. We really need to get our shit together. If I’m being honest, I dislike more people than I like, and I don’t really care to make new friends beyond the few close ones I currently have. I’m a cynic, I’m skeptical about everything, but somehow I find it in me to NOT BE A FUCKING DICK ALL THE TIME. I say “please” and “thank you,” and I fucking treat people like humans. I don’t have to like someone to respect their existence. If I can be nice to people, I promise you can do it too.

As much as I believe in the power of kindness and respect, I also recognize that it only goes so far, and the people in charge need to do their jobs. Here’s the thing—they’re doing fuck-all right now, so it seems we’re on our own. What choice will you make when you leave your house to go be among other humans?

Maybe I’ll be back with something funny next time. Have a nice day.

WhitneyLeave a comment

Why did it have to be Prince?

This one hurts.

We’ve lost a lot of people this year, but this one really breaks my damn heart. I have such vivid memories of my dad blasting music in our house on weekend afternoons. The Purple Rain soundtrack was one of the albums that was frequently added to our 6-CD changer and played over the the giant speakers that stood in our living room and filled the whole house. I remember sitting in the living room while my dad watched Purple Rain on television. I was probably too young to be watching it, but he didn’t say anything. Thank goodness he didn’t. It stuck with me.

The Purple Rain soundtrack was one of the first records I bought when I got a record player for myself. It was an essential to me-one that I had to have in my collection. It was a piece of my childhood that I remember and hold onto. Of course, as I got older, I began to recognize the incredible extent of the influence Prince had on music and so much more, the unbelievable talent, and the sheer artistry of everything he did. He was daring,  always true to himself, and he set the bar so much higher. 

He could not be defined. He was a prodigy and a true artist, and I am sad tonight.

Cheers, Prince. Thanks for the memories. Rest in power.

IMG_1182
To you, Prince. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SFNW5F8K9Y

That guitar solo, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NN3gsSf-Ys

In case you needed reminding of possibly the best Superbowl Halftime Show ever. I forgot how good this was.

WhitneyLeave a comment

Dear everyone, please shut up.

Harrison and I celebrated 5 years together last week. We celebrated with cheap Mexican food and a liter of Margaritas. We’re just about the fanciest people I know. We are pretty relaxed about most things in our relationship. Yes, 5 years is a big deal, but talk to me when we hit 50. Even so, I often post a little something on Facebook to mark each year together. I try to make it clever and unique to who we are as people and as a couple. I’ll admit, maybe posting things on Facebook opens me up to comments of the ignorant kind. However, we would all be well-served to think before we post.

One of the things that pisses me off most when people comment on my relationship is when people ask, “When are you getting married?”  “When’s the wedding?” “Why aren’t you married yet?” If you have any of those questions for me, please keep it to yourself. I don’t owe anyone an explanation, and it’s none of your business, especially if the extent of our relationship is that we used to work a crap retail job together, and/or I don’t like you that much, and I am too lazy to delete you from my list of Facebook friends.

FBSS

My response was snarky enough, but it did not capture the level of rage I was feeling when I read that comment. Seriously, don’t be this person.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

WhitneyLeave a comment

What can we do?

First of all, I’m aware that I have been mostly absent from this website over the last few weeks. I’m finding it hard to overcome my inclination to be lazy and bottle up my thoughts because sharing them is too much work. I have some stuff I’m working on, I promise. Also, if there are people following this, that I do not know personally, I want to know you! Please contact me via the “Get at me” page, leave a comment, or connect with me on social media. Click the icons to the right.

I really wanted to take a few paragraphs to talk about the world and the state of disarray that the entire planet seems to be in. Last week was a rough one for the planet and the people that live on it. There were gruesome and deadly attacks in Paris, Beirut, and Kenya, in addition to natural disasters. I felt like the news told one horrible story after another, but for some, it wasn’t just a story-they lived it. It’s unimaginable for me.

In times of tragedy, I often feel so completely helpless. Some force beyond our control, whether it’s Mother Nature or an evil human with guns and bombs, has stolen the minuscule amount of power we have over our own lives. That’s an overwhelming thing, isn’t it? There’s this weight I feel — a desire to do something to help, while also knowing that I’m only one person, and making any sort of tangible impact is unlikely. But maybe my idea of what is tangible is skewed.

So what do we do? I’ve been thinking about this a lot. For me the answer is that I have to represent ideals of compassion, and try everyday to simply be a better human being. I don’t want to sit here and talk about my misanthropic self, and how much of a challenge it may be to be outwardly nicer some days. The point I’m trying to make in an admittedly not-so-clear way is that you don’t have to change your whole personality to operate from a place of compassion. Say “please” and “thank you,” listen more, don’t interrupt, help the person that trips on the sidewalk and drops all their stuff, maybe offer a compliment every now and then. Maybe, I’ll even try to give more hugs, but I’m not making any promises. If you’re so inclined, volunteer, give blood, donate money or goods. I am certainly subpar in developing some of these good habits. However, I do believe that I will feel more fulfilled in life if I’m doing something to make someone else’s just a little bit better.

As a quick aside, there’s a lot of really gross and, well, racist commentary flying around. Being kind and compassionate does not mean that this should be allowed in your space. I think of it kind of how people talk about a person who witnesses a bully and says nothing. Saying nothing is just as bad. Don’t tolerate hate speech.

So much about this world just doesn’t make sense. We have control over how we treat people, and kindness is what the world needs right now.

 

Whitney1 Comment