May 26, 2011

Intolerance. It gets on my nerves.

People are different, yo.  And that's okay! 

I think a lot of judgment is caused by our need to validate our own choices.  It's like this:

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Them: (happily doing whatever it is they do)

Us:  Hmm.  They are doing something differently than the way I do it.  Since I am the standard of normal in all things, that must mean THEY are doing it incorrectly.  Because it couldn't possibly be that I am doing it incorrectly.  And because the whole world is black and white, it's definitely impossible that we are ALL doing it correctly, but just differently. 

Them: (happily doing whatever it is they do)

Us:  Man, that really pisses me off that they are doing that incorrectly.  And I bet they think I'M the one who's doing it wrong.  Because otherwise they'd be doing it the way I do it!  Aw hell naw!   How dare they think that when THEY are OBVIOUSLY the ones who are in the wrong here!?

Them: (happily doing whatever it is they do)

Us:  Look at them flaunting their smug wrongness in my face!  I'm gonna correct their assumption and let them know in no uncertain terms that I AM RIGHT and THEY ARE WRONG!

Them:  (glancing over at the red-faced, sweaty pillar of rightness walking toward them)

Us:  WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE AND WHAT IN THE H-E-DOUBLEHOCKEYSTICKS DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING JUDGING ME LIKE THAT?

Them:  (glancing over their shoulders wondering who this escaped mental patient is talking to)

Us:  Yeah, I'm talkin' to you!  Don't you know that what you're doing is WRONG?  Everyone knows that the way I do it is the NORMAL way, therefore you are ABNORMAL and WRONG!

Them:  (glancing around for hidden cameras, certain that they are on an episode of What Would You Do?)

Us:  Don't you know that you are damaging your health/your children/the economy/the state of marriage/the environment?!  If you would do things the RIGHT way (like I do them), all the world's problems would be solved and I wouldn't have to deal with the ambiguity of multiple possibilities of rightness anymore!

Them:  Uh, sorry?  I'm just trying to walk along this path.  I don't know the way.  I'm just trying to find my way...

Us:  Only I, the keeper of all knowledge and standard of normalcy know the one true path!  If you go any other way, you will not reach your destination!

Them:  Yeah, I don't think I want to go where you're going... 

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It doesn't have to be this way, y'all.

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