What Makes Me Angry.

So I came across this exercise during an online workshop where we had to write about the issues, both big and small, that make you angry. I was unsurprised, and yet still disappointed, by the number of things I could list. And I’m curious how “unusual” (or not) I am in this regard. So if anyone’s reading this and would care to share, by commenting below, I’d be curious to hear others’ perspectives.

Anyway, the first “big” issue that popped into my head is people who don’t make enough (or even ANY) effort to empathize with others—I think this is Reason #1 there is so much whatever back and forth between “red” and “blue.” And I think, to be completely frank, it rears its head most among the ultra-religious.

Because of their faith, their surety in the rightness and goodness of their lives, they don’t feel the need to try and understand where others are coming from—-they only feel the need to convert that person to their beliefs. Who needs to try and see where a person is coming from when you already “know” it’s from sin and ignorance?

That leads to my next “big ticket” issue that makes me angry and that’s hypocrisy. I understand that most people are usually hypocrites in some small fashion—at least on occasion—so I’m mostly talking about stuff like the Republican homo homophobes. I mean, who knew such a thing could exist? It sounds like a parallel universe kind of thing.

Or the hypocrisy around “activist” judges and simplistic reasoning. These gap-toothed, slack-jawed, racist dittoheads are more than happy to shriek about an “activist” judge overturning the “will of the people” when it comes to screwing gays out of their civil rights, but if an activist judge overturns a local ordinance, from the people, on gun control, well then that’s just fine and dandy. That kind of hypocrisy makes me want to puke!

And SPARE ME that stupidly repeated “overturning the will of 7 million voters” crap. What about the 6.4 million who voted the other way? Technically, the judge overturned the wishes of 600,000 people – but to hear these bleating-heart right-wing wackos, you’d think it’s perfectly acceptable for .017 percent of the population of the state of California to dictate who can and can’t get married.

Speaking of, another thing that makes me angry is all these “Christians” whose religion is supposedly based on love but who seem to spend most of their time hating on fags or Muslims or Jews or the French or Black people…I mean, forget about their capacity for love—their capacity for hate is amazing! You’re #1! You’re #1!

I would say a “small” issue that makes me angry is people who can’t laugh at themselves. I mean, I know a lot of times it’s a sign of insecurity, and/or may be based on psychological issues that are not their fault, but for many it’s just downright boorishness. Get over yourselves, people—a wet blanket belongs either out in the rain or in a dryer on extra high heat.

An issue that makes me surprisingly/distressingly angry is people who have no concept or concern about the amount of space they’re taking up on public sidewalks and/or have no concept of walking on the right (unless I guess maybe the British walk on the left? And the Japanese?). Anyway, this is part of a larger issue wherein most people today really just have no concern whatsoever for anyone else’s personal space except their own—and then they get incredibly outraged at YOU when they almost knock you down because they’re too busy paying attention to their fucking droid or ipad or whatever to be watching where they’re going.

Luckily, I don’t drive anymore so I’m not as angry at the incredibly wussy-ass and bad drivers that are on the road today; but on the occasional scooter trip I make around Oakland, I get to “stock up” on my road rage—without the “benefit” of having Kyle sitting in the passenger seat and moralizing about my rage and how it doesn’t serve any useful purpose—as opposed to the cockamaimie “theories” that come out of that boy’s head! :)

What also makes me angry is a Board of Directors who have basically fiddled while the organization they handed over to me burns—fortunately at only a slow grade right now thanks to a kick ass staff and (cof, cof) Ex. Dir. But then I’ve heard, in general, people just aren’t committing to things like they used to in terms of their volunteer time. To me, it’s like that old chestnut why would you waste your time doing something half-assed? Grow a pair, buck up to do what you should be doing, or have the decency to admit you won’t step up and resign! Seriously.

Of course the stupidity and racism of the Tea Party “movement” angers me no end. I’m going to make another plug here for the “Balkanization” of the United States. I mean, Yugoslavia was MUCH smaller and if they felt the need to break up into what is it like 5 different countries now? Then the U.S. would certainly be better served by letting “naturally sympathetic” regions branch off into separate countries. We could still have strong “trade relations” and mutual defense pacts (well, except with the South—ha) and all that good stuff, we’d just have our own governments. Think about how happy people would be! Make it so!