General Musings, Part 32

Another one so soon, you may ask. Well, lots of things have been going on lately in society that I do have some opinions on & I figured this was the best structure to vent. Plus, some of these are based on things I've already mentioned in this blog (for instance, being a sorority member). So, here goes:

First off, further proof that if you have never lived a situation you should shut the hell up about it. Does anyone else find it funny this guy's name is Ron Johnson? In case you don't, I'm thinking of the show A Different World. The character on the show (whose name was Ron Johnson) was a serial playboy who was known for going through women like an alcoholic goes through alcohol until he got some character development in the later seasons. I also fully agree with the author's views & his further advice. Pat responses from idiots get on my last nerve, no matter how well meaning they might intend this "advice" to be. Apparently, he's never been to a middle class area & would get eaten alive in the inner city. Any inner city people want to debate on whether this Ron Johnson would last longer than a day in your area?

The first letter in this Dear Prudence column reminds me of the song "Too Much Too Young" by the Specials. It practically reads like the lyrics of the song: You done too much, much too young. You're married with a kid when you could be having fun with me.

I've said it once & I'll say it again: that song should be the childfree anthem. In fact, The Specials have some great songs. I definitely relate to many of their lyrics like "Racist Friend" & "Rat Race." Plus, there's "A Message to You Rudy." I actually heard "Too Much Too Young" for the first time when my husband & I were watching a season of classic Saturday Night Live on DVD. One lesson to be taken from this letter: if you're not 100% sure you want a kid, don't have one! You can't put it back once it's come out of the birth canal.

Now I didn't read this whole series but I wholeheartedly agree with this point. If the food restriction people aren't acting like assholes, we're cool. Not acting like an asshole means:

1. Not making comments about the food on other people's plates. Such as telling meat eaters about how beastly they are & are killing animals. That's their prerogative, much like it's your prerogative not to eat meat. You don't get to tell me or other grown people what to eat.

2. Not assuming the host knows all about the foods you can & can't eat. I didn't grow up with vegans or people with special religious rites concerned with their food. The South is not a place for such things. I've told people that my food isn't fat free or healthy so if you're looking for that, don't eat my cooking. If you're vegan and coming to my house for a meal, you're going to have to bring your own food or your own ingredients & make something for yourself. I don't mind trying vegan food & if you don't tell my husband it's vegan, you might even get him to eat it.

3. Not assuming I know the first thing about making something you're going to eat that fits your food preferences. See number #2.

4. Not preaching about your diet and how the rest of us are evil, corrupt, selfish, stupid or whatever insult you care to heap upon us mere mortals for not following YOUR regime. Again, your freedom of choice ends with your own stomach & perhaps that of your minor children.

I like the "bring your own food" tradition if YOU have the special diet. Maybe you could end up getting people to try your food if you bring enough as long as you aren't preaching about it all the while.

My husband is a hardcore, unapologetic meat eater. I'm shocked he's not a member of that People Eating Tasty Animals group. He is rather strident toward vegetarians and vegans since he did experience the preachy types before; I'd hope he wouldn't be a jerk to a non-preachy type but I make no guarantees. See why I said you can't tell him something's vegan or meat free if you want him to eat it?

Speaking of the birth canal, the judge's actions here truly pissed me off as a woman and as an attorney. This judge sounds like my late uncle who had a sexual relationship with his 15 year old stepdaughter. He claimed she initiated it. I hope he's being investigated for this since not only does it pervert the whole concept of justice, it tells all young women that they can be raped and adult men will never be held accountable (even if they are in positions of authority over the women in question). I also hope this girl's parents had some words or did something after she killed herself over this; I could see my parents being livid if that had been me or my sister.

Reading this, I thought "Amen & Hallelujah to that!" I've been saying it for years; I'm glad it's not just me. In fact, being someone from NC it's my fervent belief that you are a monster if you subject the general public to a total lack of air conditioning in the summer months unless you live in Antarctica or Alaska where you will never need it. Climate change is here, folks & if the temperature is about 70/75 degrees, you'd better have that air conditioning on or be prepared for bad things to happen. I know how I react to excess heat & people in the South are also known for being more temperamental & violent than folks from the North. This is why I don't perform a job or do anything where I'd be subjected to heat in the summer (such as cooking or working in a small space with no air conditioning). No one needs the lawsuits or my redheaded rage.

This story hit home for me. I found out my sorority does not have a chapter there so I can definitely confirm something I know about it; we have NEVER been a "white" sorority or discriminated in membership based on race. My particular chapter was brand new when I was in it & we were looking for members generally. Being from a minority group would never factor into the equation of whether to extend a bid or not. One sister in particular outright said that if our group did that, she'd report the offending sister to campus officials. After she said that, I said I'd also do the same. Sisterhood is not about what race someone is. Apparently, some people's alumnae don't get that. You have to wonder if those people are total bigots.

I can assure you they couldn't have gotten much from the sorority experience since one of the things I & other girls got from it was interaction with people who had different experiences, personalities, perspectives and so forth from us. Even though our individual sisters weren't clones with the same circumstances, we still had common goals and a common bond through the sorority. Heck, that's what sisterhood is all about if you ask me. That made going to school away from my hometown or high school classmates valuable; I met new people & got a diversity of thought/perspective/what have you. I think diversity should be praised and encouraged in sororities while the membership gets their freedom of choice (for instance, not making the gamers take someone who hates gaming). Are happy mediums no longer a concept anyone grasps?

In one answer to that question, consider this recent action from the French Senate. Honestly, I would be perfectly fine with child pageants where the kids can't wear swimsuits, make-up, high heels, have corporate sponsors & the like such as the "mini-miss" pageant mentioned in the article. I'm sure most parents would be more willing to put their little girls in pageants like that.

Could you imagine how freaked out people would be in America if kids were banned from being in pageants? At least Toddlers & Tiaras would have to go off the air. That might disappoint people I know, though. I was in a high school pageant but never had to wear a swimsuit or put in fake boobies in my dress. I guess we figured the audience went to school with us so they'd know if a girl with an A cup suddenly had a C/D while competing in this pageant.

I think a total ban is a little strong, though.

So that's all the rant I've got in me today. The husband is bugging me to get off the PC (which we criminally need to get fixed ASAP & I'm about to go nuts about). Ciao.