Extreme Vocabulary Lesson

I don’t blog as much as I used to.  I still usually avoid topical subjects when I do.  I wouldn’t be blogging about this Epic topic but #1 it was requested via a Facebook status I posted on the subject & #2 it’s in my face and #3 for the folks that like to correct me on my opinion because apparently in modern politically correct hide behind your keyboard society an opinion can be measured.

Expect this blog to go in multiple directions (or maybe just 2 depending on my mood).

First of all I said EXTREME vocabulary lesson for a reason.  It’s more my opinion than an actual lesson, but you know opinions are facts as long as you agree with them…otherwise measure it up as wrong.  Extreme measures if you please.

Who here remembers when “extreme” was the big word? Saying something was “extreme” was the epic thing to do.  Yeah, you saw it…I said “epic”.  “Extreme” is so 2011.  It’s been “epic” for a while now.  “Epic” is even more extreme than “extreme”.  “Extreme” wasn’t good enough so society went full on “epic”.

Words.  What do they mean? Do they have value? If they do, I know that “extreme” is so spent it’s probably worth pennies on the the dollar…if that even.  It was a word overused in epic proportions back in it’s heyday.

Words have been fun and games for a long time.  I don’t think “sweet” has gone out of style yet, and that’s pretty sweet.  “Cool” will never go out of style and I can dig it because it always makes me think of the Fonz.

It’s for this reason that words can’t always be taken literally.  For instance, I just said “I can dig it”.  Literally, I would need a shovel and dirt to make that happen.

And that brings me to the beginning of why I’m actually here today…
to get topical and be lured into the the extreme trending topic that’s totes everywhere in my newsfeed as of late.

The hero…I mean heroine that is Caitlyn Jenner.

Though I have no need whatsoever to post a disclaimer here, I’m going to. I openly support the LGBT Community.  I’ve known one transgender person on a personal level and I adored her.  It was quite a few meetings before I even knew she was a transgender person.  It, like homosexuality or whatever sexuality, doesn’t phase me.  Other people’s sexual lives do not affect me…or you…think about it. You live your life, I’ll live mine. YOLO. (2012 really made me hate that acronym.) Anyway, I don’t care what people are into as long as whatever it is is consensual and nobody is getting hurt.

Moving on to Caitlyn Jenner, formerly Bruce Jenner the guy who set the Olympic World Record in 1976 and was a gleaming athlete on Wheaties boxes who later married Kris Kardashian and was on a reality show I’ve never seen (For those of you who live under a rock and don’t know what I’m talking about).

Wikipedia has already updated their page to Caitlyn Jenner with mention of her birth name/sex.  That’s cool.  The fact is, there really is no more Bruce Jenner.  And I’m totally okay with that.  In fact, I applaud her.  Yes, you read that right, I applaud her.  Why continue to live a lie at age 65? Over a span of 40 years the artist formerly known as Bruce Jenner was married to three women and fathered 6 children.  All the while a woman trapped inside the body of a man who had been a famous athlete in the spotlight and later returned to the spotlight with a reality TV show empire (built around his step daughter who became famous originally because she had famous connections and a leaked video of her having sex with a semi-famous person. “Leaked”…there’s another word that is cheapened just by the internet alone). Anyway, the point is Caitlyn was in the public eye with a dark, uncomfortable secret, for decades. She’s finally free.  I think that’s great.  It certainly beats the alternative of never having the opportunity to be true to yourself.  In other words, better late than never.

2015 is a lot different than 1976.  In 1976 it would have been a career killer for Bruce Jenner to explain the painful secrets of what was going on inside back then.  In 1986 alternate lifestyles were being frowned upon and labeled due to the AIDS epidemic and the backlash was horrible for anyone who wasn’t straight and monogamous.  Those decades would’ve been very hard on people coming out about homosexuality let alone being transgender.

Things have improved dramatically in the last 20 years or so.  Sure, we still have a long road but people are so much more open minded today.  Not only that but being politically correct today is as important as it was in the 70s.  Probably closer in importance than it has been in decades.  The only thing is, the definition of politically correct is far from what it was back then.  Well, not the literal definition. The literal definition is basically the same; agreeing with the idea that people should be careful to not use language or behave in a way that could offend a particular group of people.  Saying it’s far from what it was isn’t a bad thing.  In many ways it’s good.  Back in the day, for example, schools had prayer and it was basically enforced.  Today, because it was enforced and some are not Christian, forcing everyone to pray is no longer allowed.  However, in the extreme, if you are a Christian in many cases today you’re not allowed to pray in public. (See how that worked? I used extreme there, but it actually belonged for once.)

Today feelings are celebrated whereas in the past they were regulated…both in support of a greater good.  Think about that for a minute.

Words.

Anyway, this brings me to my actual point.

The hero Caitlyn Jenner.  (There, I said it.  Hero.  All you political correctors, haven’t said anything about the media not using the term “Heroine”) But anyway, that’s not even my problem with the word “hero” being used in this context.

My problem is; being able to afford amazing plastic surgery and hormones and such to transform from a decent looking man into an incredibly beautiful woman does not make one a hero…or heroine.  She is not the voice of transgender people.  She’s an obviously wealthy celebrity who could afford to do this when the time was right.  That’s not so heroic.

Doing it in 1976 would’ve been epic heroism.  Doing it in 1986 would’ve been extreme.  Doing it today is…well…not really that shocking.  Today it is more frowned upon to not be team Caitlyn than to actually be Caitlyn.

I understand Caitlyn earned an epic $500 million for her upcoming reality show.

What door is this opening for transgender people exactly? Did I miss something? Are all transgender people millionaires who can afford to do this and free themselves the way Caitlyn did? I mean, I might be feeling the word “hero” used here better if Caitlyn was starting some sort of charity organization to do this miraculous surgery for all transgender people.

Her situation has been protected since her career caught second wind with the Kardashian clan.  A reality spotlight celebrity in a politically correct media frenzied society, she chose the easiest time in her life to make this choice (not to mention the financial benefit that existed for her).  I might have felt the word “hero” better suited had this happened 40 years ago…even 30…maybe even at 20, but today? Meh.  It’s just another extreme story in my newsfeed for everyone to support and tweet about that will be yesterday’s news when the next epic thing happens.

I don’t think a hero is limited to just a soldier or a fire fighter.  I can find a better comparison here.  Rosa Parks. I hope you know who Rosa Parks is, but if not please look her up.  Rosa Parks was a heroine.  Her actions were courageous, dangerous, and she did to help her people not herself.  This is my opinion of a hero.

I’m not belittling the courage it had to take for Caitlyn to do this for herself.  Courage doesn’t make a hero though.  It’s more than that.  If I’m the last person on earth and I fight to stay alive, does that make me a hero? Not in my mind.  Not in my opinion.  Now, if there was myself and another person and I did whatever ever I could to keep us both alive then I I would be a hero.

I’m quite sure it takes courage to be Caitlyn Jenner because, even in these politically correct times, there will still be many antagonists to face.  Heck, antagonists are hiding in every nook and cranny of the internet to even bully plain old folks like me who write blogs and stuff.  Keyboards are ablaze across the planet right this moment antagonizing Caitlyn Jenner and antagonizing people for antagonizing Caitlyn Jenner.

It’s just another day.

It’s another epic day of extreme levels for a hero of the internet.

It’s just words.