Alex, I have to say. Very well worded, and a good point. Although, I do need to say; I don't know where you got the idea of me being emotional over the death of Amy Winehouse. I mentioned the 27 Club, which I personally find very interesting, and merely mused on it. In no way (and I'm sorry to say this, to anyone who was upset by her death) was I moved by it emotionally.
Now, Oslo. I tweeted two things: Firstly, I remarked on something regarding the shooter in America a few years back who killed 33 people, and mentioned the the Norway killer "beat his high score". I agree, that was very, very insensitive and inappropriate. I deleted it shortly after tweeting it and then tweeted: "*Generic politically correct post expressing feelings towards lives lost in Norway*".
Alex also said: "I'm not friends with you on Facebook, and don't know you personally. All I see is your Twitter, and it paints a different picture." after I told him my feelings were posted on Facebook. That's what prompted me to write this blog. Firstly, I'm going to copy/paste what I said on Facebook:
"How many people in Africa die per day from sheer starvation? Do you see hundreds of outcries on Facebook and Twitter for that? No.
Just because they're not poverty-stricken black kids, doesn't mean that their lives are any more important. Perhaps I should post about them all the time too.
The point I'm trying to make, is that there is nothing I can do or say for any of these people. And people on Twitter and Facebook keep posting about it, with nothing to actually contribute.
So yes, It DOES bother me. More than it bothers most people, I imagine. But pull your head out of your arse. The way I deal with it is through humour and attempts to "lighten the mood" in some way or another. When I have the money, I will donate a portion of it to charities to help with it. Until that point, infuriatingly, I can't do fuck all except throw coppers in the charity boxes in Morrisons. Which I do."
Just because they're not poverty-stricken black kids, doesn't mean that their lives are any more important. Perhaps I should post about them all the time too.
The point I'm trying to make, is that there is nothing I can do or say for any of these people. And people on Twitter and Facebook keep posting about it, with nothing to actually contribute.
So yes, It DOES bother me. More than it bothers most people, I imagine. But pull your head out of your arse. The way I deal with it is through humour and attempts to "lighten the mood" in some way or another. When I have the money, I will donate a portion of it to charities to help with it. Until that point, infuriatingly, I can't do fuck all except throw coppers in the charity boxes in Morrisons. Which I do."
To expand upon my Facebook post: I *DO* get upset by the Norway killings, I *DO* give a fuck and I *DO* wish I could do something. But at the end of the day, there's nothing I actually CAN do. So instead, I make sick jokes, and try to say things which will make me feel less upset about how fucked up, depraved and horrific the world we live in is.
Now, by my coping technique, do I upset people? Do I make them think less of me? I'm sure I do. But I also feel that a lot of people also try to make themselves feel better about it, and like to read my jokes/comments about it. How does the saying go? "If you don't laugh, you cry.". Now, I'm submitting this online in writing now: When I die, please, please, PLEASE don't all fucking mourn me, don't cry for hours, I beg you. Please, make a joke. Take the piss out of me... I want my funeral to be a full-blown sex orgy with strippers, an all you can eat buffet and more alcohol than a brewery. I want people to fucking SMILE when they think of how I died.
Now, the incident in Norway was worse then horrific. I'm not denying that. I don't want people to have parties celebrating it. And yeah, being disgusted about it, and getting upset is fine, if that's YOUR way of coping. But mine, and a lot of other's is to brush it over with a distasteful quip, moving onto something a little more mind-numbing. Personally, I don't think I would be able to handle getting out of bed in the morning if I thought about how sick our planet is.
And as for knowing me personally, if you don't: I'm a good person. I may not seem it, but I am. If you ask my close friends, talk to my family or other people I talk to, they will tell you that. But... I'm odd. Different. Fucked up. Strange. And I'm not going to apologise for that.
So please, consider this my formal apology to anyone I've offended. Consider it my condolences to all the lives lost in Norway, and everywhere around the world every single day. And also consider it my promise, that should I ever find myself in a position to help people around the world, that I will. But until that day, I need to say these things, think this way and act the way I do, just to cope.
Oh, and about Amy Winehouse: She was incredibly talented, but she had the illness of drug addiction. I'm not saying we should all mourn her death, but we should at least use it to think; no matter how much talent someone has, no matter how much potential they have, it can be destroyed in a heartbeat. As long as you're alive, don't waste any day. Make every day push you to your potential. This is something I've only recently realised (when doing my resits, mainly). I've wasted so many fucking days. Fuck that shit. I'm moving on, pushing my boundaries and evolving. You can do it too. It just takes a little push in the right direction. Don't waste your life. You owe yourself that much.
Wow... I'm starting to sound like I'm trying to sell a 12-step-self-help program. :P What has become of me?
Peace out. Smile. And be fucking awesome.
-Spudders.
Thanks for this. Your observation regarding people talking too much and doing too little is very true. That's why I typically avoid commenting on international events. And I didn't see your first tweet regarding the Oslo incident. Oddly, I think I would have received that one and moved on. However, knowing now that you tweeted and then deleted it, puts the 2nd tweet into a context which makes you sound less apathetic and more chagrined, which I can understand and sympathize with. With regards to Amy Winehouse, my reaction is similar to when Ryan Dunn died and the internet exploded for 3 days. It's tragic that ANYONE dies. Did I care for her work? No. Does that make the loss her friends and family feel any less significant? No. But when a B-list celebrity grabs more headlines than things that are actually culturally/historically significant, I start to see a little red. The tweets you retweeted seemed to be emotionally invested in her death, especially the one decrying anyone speaking ill of her, which seemed odd in light of your aforementioned habit of making jokes to alleviate solemn topics. So, I assumed that those retweets reflected your opinions, rather than being of interest to you. So I apologize for my mistaken assumption. In any case, this was an excellent explanation of your feelings and views, and I feel like I know more about you and have more in common with you, now. So thanks for taking the time, and as you silly Brits say, cheers, mate :)
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