I've been thinking a lot lately about the "American dream" and about what it means and how I factor into it. Let me just say, first, that I am all about some capitalism. The whole Benjamin Franklin rags to riches thing, I'm feeling it. I have pretty strong political views and I sway to one side pretty severely. While I feel very intensely about my views, I generally choose not to voice them openly. I do this because A: there's nothing more obnoxious than someone trying to force their views on others or thinking they are smart enough to sway another's heart and B: I just think it is sort of a private matter. I feel that if you know me, you don't have to ask what I believe.
This post is not about that. This post is about the "cultural" or "societal" things people do that I find mundane and, at times, repulsive. Rites of passage or societal acceptances, if you will. These may seem trivial, but I have come to abhor these things. I feel that I have come to despise what they stand for more than the actual acts.
Here are things you will never see me do (and if you do, feel free to kick me one day, I'll need it):
1. Take pictures at the beach in white shirts and khaki shorts. Really, do people really think that looks natural? Get real, it's sweet and all, but this is not Margaritaville. Let's kick it old-school and take actual pictures on the beach, like in swimsuits and with sandcastles and the like.
2. Post pictures of my naked pregnant belly. Again, I get it, your uterus is expanding and it seems earth-shattering. I don't want to see it!!!! Some things are still sacred. I'd like to believe that growing a new human being at the will of God is one of them. Aside from that, read my last blog about parents and you will have more evidence of why you'll probably never see pics of my pregnant belly.
3. Monogram every friggin thing in my house. Again, I like it, it's classic and cute. Towels, handbags, etc. Enough is enough. My stuff is my stuff. I don't have to have my initials on it to prove it. Anyway, it's my house. That should be clue numero uno that the belongings therein are the possession of yours truly.
4. Have pictures with inspirational sayings around my house. I don't need to be reminded to "Live, Laugh, Love." In general, I like to do these things on a daily basis. I'm pretty sure that a mass-produced piece of artwork from a store like Kirkland's is not going to inspire me to "Live Life to the Fullest." It's just tacky after awhile. I will admit, that in my bathroom, I have two pictures hung that have sayings. These are mainly still there because I could never really find a good theme for my bathroom so I hung them there five years ago and left them. I don't think I've ever felt a tinge of great inspiration from them.
5. Wear pajama pants to Wal-Mart, or anywhere else besides the E.R. Yoga pants, yes. I've never been that comfortable. I usually go to Wal-Mart on Sunday mornings for copies of The Birmingham News. I do this in yoga pants. It's usually around 6:30 in the a.m. Let's get it ladies, if I can do it in the morning, you can do it in the middle of the day. You're not that busy.
6. Allow my husband to "let me off" at the front of the store so I don't have to walk up there. Let's get real, we all need all the exercise we can get. Nothing makes me more mad than seeing people let their wives off at the front of the store. Have we, as Americans, gotten that lazy? Usually, these people need exercise worse than the rest of us and, coincidentally, are wearing their pajama pants.
I could go on for days, and I probably will. These are just a few of the things I despise about our culture. It's the lazy, mass-produced, hedonistic tendencies that I despise. I want no part of it, EVER.
No comments:
Post a Comment