The Wednesday Pop Culture Rant would like to request people quit claiming they are “misunderstood” when they say, tweet, post, or write something stupid. Own up already. You aren’t sad that you’re being misunderstood; you’re sad that everyone understands you perfectly. How refreshing it would be for the celebrity/sports star/politician/talking head to say, “Can you believe what came out of my mouth? What was I thinking? My apologies. From now on I will keep that sort of crazy to myself.” We’re looking at you presidential candidates. Although making eye contact with all of you takes most of the day. Thin the herd.
Being misunderstood is followed closely by “that’s not who I am.” The Rant would like to inform you that whatever you do is exactly who you are. If you steal you are a thief. If you lie you are a liar. We have noticed no one issues disclaimers when their actions put them in a favorable light. No act of generosity includes a statement that reads, “being a giving person isn’t who I really am. I’m a selfish narcissist looking to draw even more attention to myself.” The Rant laments the dearth of such comments.
The mistake, as The Rant sees it, is believing you have to remain who you are. Just because you are a liar today doesn’t mean you have to be one tomorrow. Interestingly, we rarely extend this privilege to ourselves or to others. We complain the poor won’t stop being poor but refuse to offer any opportunities out of poverty. We demand criminals rehabilitate and then create a system that virtually ensure they remain criminals. These structures exist because deep within us we suspect change is impossible rather than merely difficult.
Today I failed but tomorrow I can succeed. Despite this losing streak, a win remains within reach. Stop telling us who you aren’t and share what you would like to become. We’ll try to nudge you in the right direction if you’ll return the favor.
