Now, this is not to say that I am some all-knowing messiah of a woman who has the whole life thing nailed down exactly to county building codes. I'm really kind of an idiot. I just like to talk, and I feel like I sometimes have mildly amusing things to talk about. That's...basically the whole point of this blog after all. And I know that there are more important things I could be worrying about than things people do or say that annoy me, and that I find to be a waste of energy. But people sometimes need to vent. So humor me, and let me vent.
The Doctor vs. Doctor Who
If you are not a fan of Doctor Who, or at the very least not a fairly active fan, you may have never heard this, and you are all the better for it. But in a nutshell, little idiot Whovians on the internet tend to get their knickers in a huge knot when people refer to the main character of Doctor Who as Doctor Who. "His name isn't Doctor Who, it's just The Doctor!!!" they cry, (re: type), out, likely adding a misspelling or two in their haste and definitely including way too many exclamation points. For those people, I present the following:
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Nine.
That, my friends, is the closing credits from episodes starring the First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Ninth Doctors. Notice anything? If you answered, "They got his name wrong," you're on the right track, but still kind of a moron. If you answered, "They all say Doctor Who," you are correct. And you get extra bonus points for self-awareness if you followed that with, "Wow. That kind of invalidates my utterly pointless-in-the-first-place argument. I feel a bit silly now." Now, I don't have Five through Eight on here because I couldn't find screen caps of those credits, but believe me when I tell you, they also all say either Dr. Who or Doctor Who, (because I've also seen people get in a tizzy about the abbreviation). Which means from 1963 to 2005, (for emphasis: that's 42 goddamn years), the character was credited as Doctor Who, not The Doctor. It wasn't until David Tennant took the reigns in 2006 that that happened. The people who created this show we all love so much thought of him as Doctor Who. So Doctor Who is just as correct as The Doctor.
So chill out. Breathe. If you really want to get upset about something Doctor Who related, make it something at least somewhat more meaningful, like gaping plot holes and frustrating unanswered questions.
Black Friday
Okay, so maybe this is because I just spent over 24 hrs in and around the mall where I work, and it is Black Friday, but seriously. Saving a lot of money is not worth all the horrible crap that happens every year. Tramplings, occasional deaths...which is normal, every-day news until you think, Holy crap, they were just shopping. This isn't war or gang violence, this is just really crazy people, apparently desperate to get an HDTV for only $300.
But the other half of the Black Friday crowd could use to calm down, too. You know, the ones who go on local news and complain about how Thanksgiving soon won't even exist because Black Friday keeps getting earlier. I've heard that same story for the past five years, (at least), and you know what? Black Friday is still getting earlier. So obviously ranting to your friends and possibly to a local newscaster isn't actually accomplishing anything. You know what will? Not showing up. If you're that upset about how early Black Friday is, don't go Black Friday shopping. You know why it keeps getting earlier? Because people keep showing up and spending money, and you know what companies and businesses like more than absolutely anything else because it's kind of the whole reason they exist? Money. So don't give them yours at 8pm on Thanksgiving Day, and you, and maybe eventually no one else, will get trampled to death.
Console Wars
You guys. Seriously. It's video games. They're all equally time-wasting and money-draining. Get the hell over yourselves. I'm seriously getting to the point when somebody asks me if I'm an Xbox or a PlayStation, and I politely answer neither but go on to explain that I do own an Xbox 360, and then they get all huffy and in my face that, "PlayStation is better" (even though I explicitly first said I was neither), I have to try so hard not to punch them square in the jaw. Not because I disagree, but because I don't fucking care. They both get pretty much the same games. A few exclusives here or there, but really nothing of any serious merit, let's be honest. So why do you people waste so much energy getting in fights about this crap? Buy whatever you want to buy. Let other people buy whatever they want to buy, and for the love of Celestia, shut the hell up.
Being Extremely Defensive/Offensive About the Things You Love and/or Hate
We all have passions. We all have things that we love and feel our lives would be empty without. I have a long list of equally pointless things, but they make me happy. Star Trek, Star Wars, Doctor Who, My Little Pony, Mass Effect, Zelda, my dog...I love all these things. But you know what? Not everyone loves these things. And that is entirely okay. I grow so very tired of people, especially nerds, who absolutely cannot accept when someone doesn't like something they like, or doesn't share their exact opinion. Here are some sample interchanges that you may have heard, or even said:
Person A: "I don't think Ocarina of Time is the best Zelda game."
Link, (no, really, his name is Link. He changed it because he loves Zelda that much): "WHHHHHATTTT???? Ocarina of Time is TOTALLY the best, it set so many standards and had so many great moments and completely revolutionized adventure games for the rest of time, etc. etc. etc."
Person A: "I gave Doctor Who a go. But I don't think I really like it."
Person Undoubtedly Wearing Some Piece of Doctor Who-Related Clothing, Possibly Carrying a Sonic Screwdriver in Their Pocket: "WHHHHATTT??? But it's SOOOOO good!!! How can you not love the Doctor and his quirky awesomeness and BOWTIES, MAN! BOWTIES ARE COOL."
Person A: "I'm not really a fan of football."
Person B, insecure in their masculinity: "WHATTT? What do you MEAN you don't like football, bro? Are you some kind of pussy? Yeah, just a little pussy bitch, that's what you are!"
You know what Person B should have said in all of those situations? "Huh. Well, that's cool, I respect your opinion. Everyone has their own tastes, after all."
But you know how many people I've come across who actually react that way? I can count them on one hand. I have people I adore who are guilty of it, (I'm looking at you, Browncoats). I've been guilty of this in the past, but I've learned that it's a pointless waste of energy. And the same goes for when someone says the like something that you don't. Stop trolling. Don't be a dick just to be a dick. Because more than likely, the person you're being a dick to is going to enter SUPER DEFENSIVE NERD RAGE MODE and start trying to defend their passion to their dying breath. And maybe that's what you want, because you're a trolling asshole who belongs in the deepest pits of hell, and you get a kick out of watching geeks foam at the mouth and possibly cry.
Here's a list of things that are kind of a big deal that I don't personally like:
The Hunger Games
Twilight
How I Met Your Mother
The Office
Lord of the Rings
Firefly/Serenity
Scrubs
House, MD
Chick Flicks, of any shape or size.
But you know what? I really don't care if you do like them. In fact, I'd love to have a civilized discourse with you about what you enjoy about them, while I can contribute what I dislike, and we can thereby analyze the beast as a whole together and probably have rather an enjoyable conversation.
So take a deep breath and take it in stride when someone insults something you like. Or learn to say you dislike something in a polite manner. Remember, just because you don't like it doesn't mean it's stupid, and just because someone doesn't like something you do like, that doesn't make them stupid.
The NSA Spying Stuff
Okay, so this one is entirely a personal opinion, and you are more than welcome to disagree and call me an apathetic fool; I probably am. But do you honestly think the government wasn't watching its citizens? Do you honestly think other major nations don't do the exact same damn thing, they just probably haven't been caught yet? The United Kingdom is pretty Big Brother-esque, yet we still romanticize it, (or their accents, at the very least). Every country has its nitty gritty bad side. And on a scale from wire tapping to government-sanctioned genocide, I don't think we're actually all that terrible.
Reddit
Reddit is just as full of idiotic twat-bags as the YouTube comments section, they're just slightly more eloquent which actually makes them more dangerous; it makes them seem like they're actually intelligent when really, they're not. So stop acting like it's the shining example of what the internet should be. If the internet was all like Reddit, I'd disconnect my router.
Presidential Elections and Just Stuff the President Does, (Or People Think He Does)
"Thanks, OBAMA," said every person who couldn't be bothered to do some actual reading and research on a subject that troubled them, (and also Jenna Marbles).
A little while ago, I found this gem on my Facebook feed:
Now, admittedly this is from a person that posts those stupid pictures of money in hopes money actually does come their way and those, "I love my kids!" text-picture things, and very little else, so normally I keep scrolling and pay no mind. But this caught me. This made me stop.
I don't pay attention the news. Why? Because I don't really give that much of a shit. I just...I don't. I know I should, but I don't. I'm the same way with drinking water. Know I should, still don't. But I will bet my entire bank account and life savings that the phrase, "Well, you know, I think those Al Qaeda guys are just really misunderstood. I'd like to help them out with their future plans." never came out of President Obama's mouth. Or anything even remotely similar. Which leaves me with two options: either A.) I am horrendously misinformed and, because it took a random Facebook post for me to even hear about this, the rest of the country is even more apathetic than me, or B.) This is sensationalist bullshit meant only to stir up people's emotions for no other reason than to push a foolish and misinformed agenda. I'm really leaning toward the latter. Also, that makes that picture racist as shit, and I have etymological issues with the word "racist" but I'm still gonna use it here because fucking really? I was unaware the entire Middle East = terrorists, which is vibe this picture gives off. The creator should be ashamed of themselves.
Here's my thing: I may not follow the news or read very much, but because I don't, when I'm asked my opinion on a hot topic, I will give it, but with the qualifier that I haven't been following this story. And I am completely open to being shown reputable sources who give me a clearer explanation of the issue at hand, and thereby possibly changing my very baseline opinion. But when you just tell me Obamacare will ruin the entire medical system, I'll ask you why. And if you don't have a rock solid reason why, along the lines of, "Well, I read somewhere that..." No. Stop. Where did you read it? What sources can you site? No, I don't care that you're not writing a research paper, you still need solid, trustworthy sources. Here's a hint: Major news networks, especially Fox News and MSNBC? Not trustworthy. They're like that picture: biased and sensationalist. Don't listen to them. Read things yourself, and formulate your own opinions. Read the actual text of a law before you tell me it's the most terrible thing ever. Don't wanna do that? Takes too much time? Way too boring? I am so right there with you, but you know what? That makes our opinions not entirely valid. Because we don't know all the facts. Please, by all means, still have an opinion, but recognize when something is trying to stir you up and endeavor to find out whether or not that shit is actually true instead of just spitting it back up like vomit when next it comes up in conversation.
And on the subject of presidential elections, which was admittedly a misleading title: The President doesn't actually do that much, you know. You know what elections have way more bearing on you as a person and your life and your family's lives? Local elections. Who your mayor is. Who your city council members are. Who your school board is. But do people show up for these elections? Not terribly often. Do people go into a manic frenzy over these elections? No, but they sure as shit lose their damn minds over presidential elections, despite the fact that any law is created in and goes through Congress, not pulled out of the President's ass just to piss you--yes, personally you, you one, single person in a country of hundreds of millions--off. Not that I think any election is worth the insanity that occurs every four years in November, but if any were, it should be local elections. Maybe state elections, because since laws all go through Congress, you really should care about who your representatives in Congress are. They have the power to do a lot more to piss you off than the President does.
And you're not always going to like the President, anyway. You'll love one, hate the next. It's the way it goes in the bipartisan system. And you know what? It's supposed to work like that. If the people you like were in power all the time, the country would stagnate. Nothing would change. It'd be the same old shit. So accept that you won't always like the people in power and move on with your daily life. It misses you.
Again, I don't know everything. I don't purport to. I actually know very little, but I do think I've found a decent balance of where my energies should be placed in life, and this stuff? Not it. At least not for me. Is it different for you? Probably. But you know what? That is a-okay with me, and I respect each and every one of your opinions.
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