Who Cares?

When I wrote the “I Don’t Get It” post,  I kept coming back to one thing. Since I’m feeling cranky, I decided to give it a separate post.

No, this won’t be about helpful baking hints—this time—but rather that I don’t understand why some people get so worked up about certain things other people do, simply because they’re don’t like or understand the same things.

I joke and gripe about people who watch “The Bachelor” or that feel the need to share their obsession with self-portraits or the reproductive habits of sea mammals 25 times a day via every social media site created, but in all honesty, I really couldn’t care less.

My sarcasm is like a high colonic for creative constipation, so I vent my issues.

But if a responsible adult* wants to spend their time on the Internet “pinning” things or reading blogs, watching sports or trashy TV or scouring store windows for shoes or shingles, who cares?

If a responsible adult wants to marry someone of the same sex, do something horribly misguided with their hair or occasionally spend the money they earned on something slightly impractical, how does that really affect everyone else in the “big picture”?

Most of the time, it doesn’t.

But yet people will make a point to express their displeasure and confusion over the fact that someone made a choice they didn’t personally agree with or understand.

*Of course the key word is “responsible” adult, meaning other necessities such as family, friends, cleaning, bills and employment are not neglected as a result.

For example, you probably knew I’m a vegetarian.  If you don’t, you do now.

I choose not to eat meat or fish, and unless someone has expressed an interest in my lifestyle, I will never preach about my or their diet. Ethical/ecological issues aside, their diet doesn’t affect me, just like me not eating meat doesn’t affect them.  All it basically means is more greens for me and more meat for you.

But for once my point isn’t really about food.

It was just one example because there’s often a lot of judgment surrounding the topic. I could have just as easily used anything as it relates to lifestyle, recreational or professional choices — they’re all under the microscope of cynicism from time to time.

Don’t get me wrong in that I snark and watch “Fashion Police” on my couch in sweatpants and my ESPN T-shirt. However joking about it or being annoyed is one thing—come to think of it, it’s kind of my thing—but there’s a line between general griping and judgmental interference.

I’m not sure if it’s part insecurity, part boredom or just “I want this person to be this way but because they’re not I’m pissed.” Whatever it is, I have to ask, who cares? 

Well, sometimes I do.

But then I remind myself that wasting my energy on worrying about the things other people do leaves less energy for me to worry about the person who searched for my blog with, “Are women wearing banana clips and fuzzy thongs again?”

Now if you don’t mind, I have some research to do.

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