…..then you ain’t doing something right.
That’s how the saying goes right? Or as comedian Katt Williams so hilariously stated,
“Feel free to hate on me!”
Being that my last blog was about the pure goodness of people, I’m going to try to keep this perspective positive, but I admit it may go left at some point (I can’t always be right).
If people aren’t talking about you, you aren’t doing something right. This statement always annoyed me. I’m no celebrity, CEO, uber-successful figure, fancy journalist, or aspiring artist. I’m an average joe. I love being normal, and wouldn’t trade it for the world. I’ll definitely take the money, but never the fame.
Seriously, no one knows me. So why would people care what I do or who I date? This has baffled me since 1999, when I entered the black hole of gossip, otherwise known as high school. High school was aggressively agitating, but my friends and I made the most of it; we had a blast (usually when we were skipping school, sorry mom). Ask anyone in my “crew”, we did the MOST, all behind closed doors and tinted windows. Now don’t misunderstand me, we were all good girls and so we never endangered ourselves, but we had our share of fun.
We also had our share of drama and gossip. I could go on and on, but the point is, gossip happens. Even worse, when you come from the itty bitty city by the Bay, you experience what I snarkily refer to as “small town syndrome”.
Small town syndrome follows you wherever you go, whomever you see, whatever you do. You might be in Paris, France, and everyone back home knows about it. Facebook and Instagram exacerbate the thirst of people who once knew you.
Some say it’s jealousy, envy, or admiration. I say it’s exaggerated curiosity and overzealous interest, also known as “thirst”. It’s been 10 years since high school, yet it still annoys me. I have to admit this because I know that it annoys some of you too. I didn’t have Facebook until the end of my college years. I’m no longer on Instagram (that lasted less than a year). I love and hate the access technology allows. As a media and communications advocate, it’s my profession AND interest to know all methods of communication, but I have to say some of them are really irking me. Am I alone in this?
I’m no saint, but I don’t TALK about people in general. I don’t ask my friends about their other friends, I simply don’t want to know. I don’t criticize people’s choice of fashion, or laugh at their misguided profile pics, not because I don’t notice, but because I don’t have time to. I don’t laugh at my former friends’ misfortune, because I’ve been hurt and heartbroken too. I can’t take it personal when people misjudge me, because who hasn’t judged a book by its cover? For those who see me as withdrawn or unfriendly, they’re probably right, because sometimes I am. I don’t want to be friends with everyone, in fact, my friends are few and far between and I like that about my life. As I grow older, and most importantly, as I mature, I’m seeing that maybe they’ll never stop talking about me. But that’s okay. Perhaps I’m doing something right.
Or perhaps they can’t see past the smoke and mirrors, and that’s okay too.
