i think timing's for stupid fucks

"my girlfriend dumped me...boohoohoo...
and i'm really hurt..."


the idea of rebellion is being tossed around way too often these days, up to the point where its exact definition has become so bland, overused and generic no one really knows what it is anymore. with the emergence of a new generation comes a new face of pop culture, fads, clothes, music, hair, style, slang, way of thinking, whatever else you want to throw in there. a lot of things have changed in the past decade, and just because stuff's been shifted around a bit doesn't mean that it's a good thing.
now i don't want to sound too preachy on this because i'd only be contradicting myself, but to be honest with you when i think about the idea of people trying too hard to be different nowadays it only gets me really, really POed and i end up exploding on an hour-long rant on how they're doing the complete opposite. you see it everywhere nowadays: people are bragging to each other, trying to look more bad ass then the rest.

"yeah, i was a badass in high school. did the stupidest shit - did drugs, never went to class, fought against my teachers. wasn't the best student, but whatever - i grew out of it...i think. hurhurhur"

"oh man that was awesome - totally brings me back to the time when i got mad wasted and i woke up the next morning not knowing where i was or what happened last night. fuckn' eh man, it was so live."

really, i'd expect this kinda stuff from high school students. for adolescents it's a completely different story: we've all been there and we've all gone through the phase. there was that one time in your life where the need to be different from everyone else was your number one priority, and you went great lengths to achieve it: you wore funny clothes, you listened to music no one else listened to, you dyed your hair a bajillion different colours, you pierced your face and tattooed your body. yeah, it's teenage rebellion, adolescent angst; a need to 'express ourselves'. i've totally been there before - my lip ring's plain proof.
it's funny how the youth act nowadays; when our parents were our age the popular thing was to try and fit in. now it's basically the exact opposite. what makes it even funnier is since everyone's trying so hard to be different they all end up the same anyway - they wear the same clothes, listen to the same music, talk the same slang. oh the wonders of irony...
sadly, i still see the same high school-ish attitude in college, where there are people that are like, five years older than me and they're telling these farfetched stories like it's a fuckn' nursery rhyme or something. i even see it online - i've had reviewers on ff.net who tell me the weirdest things in a vain effort to make themselves appear 'cool' or 'tough' or whatever. there's a scene in one of my stories in which there's a lot of blood. i put a forewarning in the beginning of the chapter, telling people that writing this chapter made me feel queasy because it was sort of graphic. anyway, this one reviewer had the nerve to 'apologize' because they didn't feel queasy at all. they said it was because they bleed all the time, and then they put in one of those little funny faces like o_O haha. it was one of those comments that was meant to slip by casually, like they wanted to mention it in passing but at the same time they wanted you to acknowledge it. it was kinda aggravating.
i hate it when people do that. it's like saying "oh, yeah you're cool and all but i've done things that make me cooler than you." honestly, do i fucking care?
...sorry, i was just talking this over very briefly with a friend over twitter (yeah yeah i know, fuck off haha) and i just got all bristled up over it. it's something i have to get off my chest before i sign off for the night 'cause if i don't i'll end up fuming over it for the remainder of the evening.
i've seen these kinds of people everywhere, and really i should be used to it by now. maybe it's just the fact that i've been over-exposed to it that i've grown a more intense hatred for it rather than a tolerance. i dunno.
then there are those people who like to call out on others who 'conform' or 'fit into society'. now this is another pet peeve of mine. i know most of us live in a free country where free speech is allowed but some people really have to draw the line. i see stuff like this happen everywhere, from the computer to the real world. there's always that one dick that has to say shit like:

"i find it funny/weird/amusing/whatever adjective you want to use how everyone's liking so-and-so now because of what they did and the stuff they're involved in."

again, it's just one of those 'casual' passing comments that are meant to just slip by, yet its purpose is to catch people's attention and make them feel guilty for allegedly 'conforming' or 'doing what everyone else does'. i'm not gonna lie to you - i've made a comment like this a few times before so i'm somewhat of a hypocrite, but i'm openly admitting to it. it's something unavoidable really - everyone's made this kind of comment at least once or twice. it's just one of those tongue-in-cheek comments you just HAVE to make in certain situations.
you've got all kinds of people, old and young, who constantly make passing remarks like these to somehow give their peers a subliminal message that they're secretly rebelling against society and that they're badder than they appear to be. i guess it's sort of a natural thing - ever since man was smart enough to record history a lot of people have been aching to overthrow the system and fight against whatever they don't believe is right - but at the same time people also have to know when to draw the line. you can express your opinion and be respected for it, or you can preach to the point where people disdain you and label you as an obnoxious brat who just thrives in hearing themselves talk. do you want an example of what happens to preachy people? watch american history x and hopefully you'll get an idea - sure it's a little dramatized but it will help to pass the message on.
while we're still on the topic of movies, i also want to mention another great movie that deals with the topic of posers and try-hards and rebels: slc punk! great, great stuff. i highly recommend it.

now, back on track...

i guess when it all comes down to something it might have to do with one common factor: we really just want people to like us. think about the douche who told you about the time they got arrested with their friends and spent a night or two in jail - why else would he or she tell you that pointless, farfetched story that was totally irrelevant to your conversation? they wanted to impress you; they wanted you to think 'wow, this person's pretty cool.' in a way it's kind of sad, kind of heartbreaking, kind of pathetic. whether you're open to admit it or not we all want to be liked, we all want to be appreciated, we all want to be 'cool' to somebody else, whether it be your friends, your family, or a reader who reviews your stories on ff.net. though it was a main priority in our adolescence it carries onto our adulthood. it's human nature to crave that kind of attention - some are just more desperate for it than others.

of course this doesn't have to be taken literally - it's my opinion, after all. it's nothing worth mentioning on fuckn' cnn or something. it's just something i've observed over the past few years, something that's been picking on me for awhile. i can be right or wrong, or maybe even both. so if you totally disagree with everything i had to say in this little rant by all means disagree - you've got the power of free speech; take advantage of it!

alright, time for my featured song:

since i was in a ranting mood and was on the subject of rebelling and whatnot i had the notion to listen to anti-flag. they're probably one of my favourite punk bands; they've got the typical fuck-the-system, somewhat-preachy attitude but hey - no one's perfect. their music's great and they're conveying their message through their music, and that's what counts. this song in particular is one of my favourites - not only because it's humourously cocky but because there's some truth to it too...but then again that can also be seen as somewhat opinionated. whatever tickles your fancy, i guess.