So there is, let's say, a bit of a kerfuffle going on right now around these parts. Tale as old as time, someone wanted something related to the alphabet soup group to happen, shockingly they were actually told no, and since we've raised a generation of people who don't understand the concept of no, as in we used to just drop it and go on with our day, where they throw down into a meltdown temper tantrum, apparently it's all over facebook. And even made the local news. More than that, actually, because my sister 9 hours away asked me about it this morning.
Here's the thing. The nature of my work makes nearly everything my problem in some way. Just how things roll. In this case, we're logistics. We are the tables and chairs and how many traffic cones do you need folks. We are not the politics.
So I haven't looked at a single organization or community Facebook page in just about a year. It was last June, when a crisis was going down, and I went to click in to see what the community was saying about it. And I stopped myself. I don't have a Facebook for a reason. Awful, awful people are on facebook, awfully spewing their awful and awfully incorrect opinions about everything, and making you feel awful when you read it. And I knew what I was going to see, and I told myself not to do it. Not then, not ever again.
And I started a gradual phase out of my local news, deleted the apps off my phone, deleted the apps off my work phone, and stopped logging in to the local sites at lunch. I was tired of these nothingburger stories. In which innocent people are passively blamed because lazy journalism is easy. People don't like potholes. Road Commission says they're doing what they can, it's a bad pothole season. They're out busting their ass everyday. Well they need to do better, people say. And because it's on the news, there's an air of alleged legitimacy to it, forget all that.
Sure, you can say I'm sticking my head in the sand, but am I really? The local news is biased and does shit for reporting. The national news is biased and does shit for reporting. Facebook should never be used as a primary source, those people are awful. As they are on most social media, present company excepted. We live in an age of information where news is readily available, I don't need it filtered through some hack who's trying to get ad revenue. Like I told my sister this morning, if I'm about to be nuked, set off a siren. Otherwise, the bread is stale, and the circuses aren't particularly entertaining.
All day, all week in fact, it's all anyone can talk about. Oh my God, did you see what they said on facebook? Oh my God, did you see Channel 4 last night? Freaking the fuck out. My opinions on social media are hardly a secret, people know that I don't have a facebook, but when I said no, I didn't see that news story, (not diving into deeper detail, because I'm not a vegan telling you they just became a vegan, just leaving it at that,) people shoot you a look like you got two heads. Or they think you're fucking with them, how could you not have seen it, it was on the news! It was all over facebook.. oh right, you don't do facebook. Even that one, people still have a hard time accepting. But it was on the news.
Look at yourselves. You are losing your mind over a decision you didn't come up with, made by people who aren't you, regarding something that doesn't affect you, attempted by people who are not you, none of this affects you in any way, shape, or form. Your life is literally no different then it was 5 minutes before the decision took place, or would have been if the decision never happened at all. This is the definition of stupid shit. And there's far too much in the world to be worried about, legitimately worried about, to be spending your valuable time getting worked up over stupid shit. Like what is this doing for you? You're all freaking out, drama level is through the roof, you've got an opinion all of a sudden, you've got to tell people that opinion all of a sudden, who gives a fuck?
Ultimately, I think the best part is that I have very little desire to look into this. Media is an addiction, and I would posit that drama is an addiction. It's like when there's an accident on the freeway, nothing to do with you, but you're curious. You want to look, even if you're capable of doing so without slamming on your fucking brakes like so many people. But I'm not getting the shakes because of drama withdrawal. I'm not sitting here fighting the urge to go to Channel 4 and see what was said. It's very manageable. And as for the rest of it, while I'm watching everybody else losing their fucking minds, I have peace. I've got my own shit to deal with, but I'm not dealing with this on top of that.
Someday, some way, wherever I end up on the ladder of my career, it might become part of my job to be involved with Facebook and all that nonsense. That might honestly be a deal breaker at that point, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But in the meantime, there is nothing at all compelling me to do so. And I think... no, I don't have to think, I know I'm better off for it.
When people steal your joy, that's bullshit, and it happens far too frequently. When you deliberately let your joy be stolen, however, you have no one to blame but yourself. 🥔
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