Why are we this way?

Maybe I've been quiet for too long.

Maybe I'm too old.

Maybe I'm too intelligent for my own good.

Maybe I wasn't raised by Neanderthals.

Or maybe it's none of that.

But one thing I do know for sure, I'm tired of the way people are now.

Everyone is so snap judgmental, have to be first to condemn or praise something.

You don't even have to know WHY, you just have to comment.

Even if, no, especially if they don't have all the information.

This Social Media age is all about trying to get attention more than trying to be good people.

You see a story, it makes you react, you and 50,000 others repost it in your indignation or approval.

Two hours or days later that initial post is proven to be incorrect, either partially or completely.

NO ONE notices or shares that.

Because you can NEVER be seen to be WRONG.

Heaven forfend.

People will believe ANYTHING theses days.  I saw someone post something online that was completely false, and I knew it because it happened to fall into an area I have done a lot of studying.

I mentioned it to the person who posted it and was told "It doesn't matter because I like it".

(It was aviation related)

And that's society today. Facts don't matter.

Truth is........lost.

All I am asking you to do is think.

That's all.  Stop, be human, think.

Think about how you would feel if someone acted to YOU as you are acting to others.

And the worst part about no one ever thinking for themselves any more?

It's all black or white now.  There are no gray areas.

You're either with me or you're against me, seems to be the way people live their lives now.

Well guess what.

That's not how life ACTUALLY IS.

Just because you didn't get that promotion and someone else did doesn't mean your boss hates your or is prejudiced against you and whatever group you are a part of.

Maybe you're just not as good at your job as the person that GOT the promotion.

Today it's all witch hunts and Cancel Culture.

How about, before you start blaming anyone else, ypu take a good look at yourself.

Are you perfect?

Of course you're not.  No one is.

I'm FAR from it, but at least I don't try to go around starting fights with everyone, telling people you should stop talking to someone because they don't agree with you, or calling you names because you don't have the same viewpoint I do.

NEWS FLASH MOTHERFUCKERS.........

NO ONE HAS THE SAME VIEWPOINT AS YOU.

We are all individuals, we all have had different experiences in our lives, we have different levels of education, different interests, different jobs, are different ages, AND ALL OF THAT IMPACTS OUR VIEWPOINTS.

All I am asking you to do is think.

That's all.  Stop, be human, think.

Think about how you would feel if someone acted to YOU as you are acting to others.

This isn't a post directed at anyone in specific but at our society as I have seen it unfold online in general.

But, if you THINK I'm talking about you......Go back up 4 lines and reread that little area.

And if you suddenly think you're perfect.....then you actually ARE the problem.

If that offends you, I'm not surprised, that seems to be the reaction de jour to everything these days.

I like surrounding myself with open minded people, people who can look at multiple sides of WHATEVER IT IS and have an actually discussion about it.

Those are the people I choose to be my friends.

And that's something else....not everyone is your friend.  And that's ok.

I think actually friendship has been lost somewhere along the way.  But that's another post entirely.

*this one, in fact: https://valdersmusings.blogspot.com/2011/03/friendship.html

All I'm trying to say here is, if you can't be civil, and if popularity is the main thing driving your opinion, get thee away from me.

I know it's hard, but try to be better.

Try to think about what you are saying.

"Don't throw stones if you live in a glass house"

And just try, try, to see someone else's viewpoints before you decide you're suddenly better than they are.

We need less division and hatred in this day and age, with everything going on.....but there seems to just be more, always building.

Try to do your part to lessen it, to prove you're the type of good person you yell at others that you are.

All I am asking you to do is think.

That's all.  Stop, be human, think.

Think about how you would feel if someone acted to YOU as you are acting to others.

Let's stop letting this be about popularity and snap judgements and try, maybe, for positivity and intelligence?

I'm not saying you should love EVERYONE either, but.....try to understand them.

*Steps off soapbox*

The world has gone mad.

Yeah, I know, it's been a few years.

Life has taken some twists and turns, and not always for the best, but I'm going to try and get back to blogging on a more regular or at least semi-regular basis.

Barring that, I'm going to try not to go 3 years between posts, lmao.

Obviously, the big thing in the news right now is COVID-19.

Man, it's everywhere you look, you can't avoid hearing or seeing something about it.

In some cases, you see it too damn much.

Over the past few weeks, the Coronavirus has taken over all of our lives to some extent or another.

The mainstream and social media are filled with it, promoting it as some sort of end of the world, apocalypse adjacent supervirus that is going to wipe out humanity.

But in a real way, the mainstream media's job is hype.
And if that verges into fear-mongering territory, hey, they still get ratings.

I might be a little cynical, having worked in Media for a while there.

Right now, across the country and the globe, Restaurants, Theaters, Beaches, Bars, Clubs, even ENTIRE COUNTRIES and a couple of states have closed to try and halt the spread of this airborne virus that is spread through sneezing.

So the geniuses here in the United States and especially Florida do what thy always do.....make a run on toilet paper and water, and have a party.

Some days, I wonder how the human race even managed to survive long enough to evolve out of Cro-Magnon days, and then I look around....and realize most people probably didn't.

Are people REALLY this stupid that, in the middle of a pandemic, their response is "If I get it I get it, it's not going to stop me partying" as one Jersey Shore reject recently was interviewed as saying on the news.

Said reject pictured below.

*every time I see this clip I want to deck this dipshit.  Sorry, but it's a visceral response I've always had to stupidity.
**yes, I'm amazed I'm not in jail too

Can someone explain to me where we went wrong?

An how on earth did my generation, Gen X, get raising children so badly fucked up that we now have to deal with the Entitlement Generation, Gen Z.

I know, we were all to some extent full of youthful exuberance and prone to doing stupid things, but it seems to me that the situation has been exacerbated by the rise of Social Media, where everyone is trying to be an Influencer, to gain likes and views.

We've lost a huge part of our culture now that everything i about the shallow "me me me, look at me" viewpoint and less about depth and character.

Or am I just old and grumpy?

(Don't answer that)