So a really funny guy I know was complaining about his recent trip to a Starbucks Coffee. The young girl in front of him requested fair trade coffee. He found this to be an annoying request. So when he got to the counter, he made a request for Unfair trade coffee.
This was funny.
He went on to tell me that it was not only annoying, but pretentious, for this girl to ask for fair trade coffee. Who the hell is she? he protested. What..is she better than everyone else? Fuck her, was his point. I gave him shit about being judgmental, but I understood where he was coming from.
I've heard this sentiment before. I worked with a guy who said activists piss him off as a rule. This was during the WTO protests in D.C. He rolled his eyes a lot when he talked about the activists, describing them as hippies, anarchists, free sexers and, well, people you roll your eyes over. (following his logic, the activists were never normal shmos like him because that would puncture his fantasy and his ability to hate them.) I get it. I get why people have that reaction. I've experienced it a lot -- both as an eye roller and as an eye rollee. Me being a vegetarian, for instance, is often a, um, chickenbone of contention (thaz right, i am the punstress). It rarely happens, but some people have said to me, "Well I looove meat," or some such defensive thing, as if my vegetarianism implicates or accuses. That's not the intent, but I get why someone would feel that way. After all, animal rights activists have been known to hurl accusations -- and blood.
It is uniquely off putting to be around someone who is righteous. Like the girl who is preserving her virginity until marriage, sitting in quiet judgement of those who don't. Or the people who foist their ideals of perfection on you -- these are the proper manners, this is proper attire, this is the way to throw a party, a wedding, a life, my way is the right way. It is precisely why political correctness has been such a colossal failure. How dare someone police my language? Never.
But everyone has some degree of obnoxious righteousness in them that they dip into on occasion and fling at other people.
So it's not surprising to want to silently raise a middle finger to Fair Trade Coffee drinkers around the world. Again, I've felt that way myself.
But here's the deal. After some thought, some consideration, a little ego check, I feel -- righteously-- that people need to fucking get over themselves.
It's soo much easier to be a spectator and make fun. To be clever and on the sidelines. To trash the people who take a stand, who have conviction, who are passionate about something, even if it is misplaced, or you disagree with it.
It's much easier to sit and fondle the fence, to sit in judgment (much like the virgin) or let your eyes rolls out of control when you are around people with a point of view. It is, in my estimation, cowardly.
"Who does she think she is," is, in my estimation, a cowardly attitude.
But suppose you, for a minute, take people at face value. Suppose Fair Trade girl genuinely believes she's making the world a better place by buying fair trade coffee. Why not let her be? Why not send good mental vibes toward her? She's just acting in accord with her belief system, right or not. It's one thing if you disagree. But if you don't know whether you agree or not, maybe don't knock it til you try it.
Or at least analyze why you are a hater. Maybe that's the best course of action.
Also, I am SO much better than ALL OF YOU.
HAH!
Ok, I'm a get me some Sanka now. See y'all later.
