Just Virtue Trolling, Don’t mind me…

It’s true, we are living in unprecedented times.  But we were doing that before the pandemic and we just didn’t speak about it. The pandemic only added to the existing problems while putting those problems under the microscope.

We are living in a time where your choices in entertainment, employment, where you eat and how you dress are all somehow tied to your political opinion whether or not it’s a true reflection of that. This dilemma is exasperated by social media.

I struggle to post my opinions on any topic on social media without being condemned by political enthusiasts.  And political enthusiasm is a way of life now.  It’s not about your passion for a political party rather about passion for everything the individual feels is tied to their chosen political party.

Same F**king Difference

For instance, let’s discuss Ted Nugent.  He’s an outspoken, over the top right wing enthusiast who spews his beliefs into the media regularly.  He’s also an amazing guitarist with decades of great music that I enjoy.  Am I now supposed to pretend I don’t like his music because of his politics? Does this mean if he puts out a new record and I say I like it that I share his political beliefs? The clear answer is no, but no one today likes clear answers to anything. Instead, most people prefer to tie their own beliefs to what other people choose to like and condemn or praise them for it.  I can post a statement about Ted’s new album and get people who will comment on my post cursing me for supporting this evil man while also getting people commenting about how much they love that I support his beliefs.  I can get 100 comments under such a post and only about 2 of them will actually be about his new album.

This is a problem.

Another instance, let’s discuss Madonna.  I grew up listening to Madonna.  She’s an icon.  She’s an innovator.  She’s a true artist who manages to stay relevant with the times and continually create interesting content in various ways.  She’s older and she’s still managing to stay sexy because she can afford to.  Good for her.  Who cares? She’s also extremely liberal in her politics and very vocal about it. So, let’s look at if I make a post about how great she looks now. As you can guess, 98 comments divided between bashing her or praising her…all because of her political stance. 2 comments will agree she looks great and has the talent to stay relevant decade after decade.

This is a problem.

It’s not just a problem that people must make everything politically charged and divided based on their personal agendas but it’s also (to me) a bigger problem that I must get either chastised or praised for my opinion of such artists because of politics.  It’s a problem that people are assuming my political stance based on my entertainment choices. It’s not just a problem because some of these people are wrong about the labels they try to pin on me, but also a problem because all of those labels are wrong.

I am not the type of person who chooses what I like based on politics.  I make my choices based on what I actually, genuinely enjoy or don’t enjoy.

You love it, I think it’s a dumpster fire. Who cares?

Recently Kid Rock put out some politically charged garbage song that millions of people who would’ve never given him the time of day before suddenly latched on to.  Brilliant on his part.  More money coming from people who never cared about him before.  Absolutely brilliant.  But the song itself is garbage.  At least to me it is.  But who am I? I’m nobody.  Just like you. Nobody. I never liked his music.  I never saw the appeal.  But now that he’s in the political limelight his fierce fan base worships him like a God. I was never so brow beaten in my life than when I posted my disdain for his style, all of his music and his very persona. Even though I love someone quite similar (being Ted Nugent) and had posted about that numerous times… the very people who supported my love of Ted turned on me with a quickness assuming I was a “bleeding heart liberal”.  Oh how short their memories.  How fickle that they loved me last week because of Ted Nugent and hate me this week because of Kid Rock.

This is a problem.  But this is your problem, not mine. I like what I like.  I like my taste in music.  I like my taste in the products I use and the shows I enjoy and the books I read and the clothes I wear. I like me.  I’m fine with me.  You’re not fine with yourself, and that’s fine too.  But that’s not my problem, that’s your problem.

Do you really believe your “cancel culture” efforts are making a difference in this money driven world that could care less about your existence? For every person “cancelling” something because of politics, there is another person who’s suddenly representing that same something because of politics.  You’re not making a difference.  You’re nobody.  Just another number in a numbers game.  A numbers game about division.

If you think complaining about a brand using mixed couples or gay couples in their advertising will destroy their brand, I’m here to tell you just as many people started supporting their brand when they added this to their ads.  And guess what…not one marketing company truly cares about the message.  They care about the bottom line. You’re the only one who cares about the message and you are nobody.

If you think complaining about the show you’ve watched for years suddenly invoking “woke” plots into their storylines is an issue…someone else just started watching that show because of these changes. Get over it.  You’re not special.  The person who started watching it isn’t special either. You’re just numbers in a numbers game. Nobody cares about you because you, in fact, are nobody.

If you want to actually be somebody, stop virtue signaling or bullying people online and put your phone down.  Then, when you’re phone is not in your hand, go out into the world and make a difference by volunteering to help the homeless or stray animals or unwanted children or maybe get out there and advocate for your love of guns by protesting with other people who got off their asses.  And don’t take selfies or videos of you doing it and negate the effort just to get that added social media attention. Just actually do something.  Actually put your heart into it rather than just blowing hot air all over the place. If you want to be somebody then actually be somebody.  Right now you’re just another person on social media who desperately wants to be superior to everyone else.  You and a bunch of other nobodies just like you. Nobodies on your team.  Nobodies on their team.  Numbers in a game.

Boycotting a product changes nothing because you’re just buying a similar product in it’s place that has an equally sordid background that just hasn’t made it to the front page news yet.  Boycotting an artist you once enjoyed isn’t winning, it’s just taking something from your repertoire that you may or may not miss. Boycotting a show doesn’t change the writing of the show or the cash flow.  And aside from all of this painful truth, most of you aren’t really doing any of these boycotts you claim you’re doing.  You’re just virtue signaling on social media and nothing more. You’re probably still watching, listening, and using all the things you swore against. 

Yes, you’re really making a difference out there pal.

Your superiority complex is not my problem.

Your desperation for attention of any sort whether negative or positive is not my problem.

Your trolling the internet to one-up everyone so that your life feels less empty is not my problem.

You are your problem. You are also your solution, but too feeble minded to realize that so you just choose to step on others to elevate yourself.

You are stepping on others in a virtual world and your actual world still sucks because when you’re not on social media bullying everybody you are, in fact, still nobody.

When you refer to someone as “sheeple” remember this fact: just using that very term means you are a “Sheeple” yourself and your team of sheep like to use that term against those they oppose but it goes both ways.  When you’re offended by people getting offended that means you too are a “snowflake”.  You’re just another snowflakey sheep in a herd of sheep that are only seen as numbers.  You are nobody…until you decide maybe you don’t need to be a sheep in the herd being snowflakishly offended by someone else’s offenses. You are nobody…until you realize that spewing your opinion all over social media as if it’s more important than other’s opinions gets nowhere. You are nobody…until you stop seeking a reaction from strangers in a virtual world. Really, even if you’re trying to get a rise out of people you actually know personally, you’re still nobody. Getting a rise out of someone isn’t rewarding.  It’s temporary.  But you already know this because that’s why it’s a never ending cycle, am I right?

I only like to count sheep when I sleep

You need something from me and you’re not going to get it.

You need me to pledge loyalty to your chosen team…or even to choose loyalty to your opposition so that you know how to treat me.  You’re not going to get it.  If you need that knowledge to know how to treat me, I really don’t want you around me. 

You need me to react to your efforts to either condemn or praise me based on your assessment of who and what you think I am.  You’re not going to get it.  If you need me, a nobody just like you, to feed your desperate craving for attention then you have far bigger problems than my lack of interest in you.  I really don’t want you around me.

You need me to commit to something because you believe everyone surely has to commit to something.  But I won’t.  I can’t.  I can’t because I am an ever changing, ever growing human being that has to experience things to gain the knowledge of where my emotions should stand on these things.  When I can fully commit to any such things I will likely be on my death bed, taking my last breath and even still I may or may not be right about my beliefs on this or that. Who knows? Who cares!?!

You see, you need me but I don’t need you.

I don’t need propaganda to help me vote my conscience.
I don’t need virtue signaling to make my conscience woke.
I don’t need a team to be on, especially if that team will be deciding what kind of music I listen to or what kind of movies I watch and such.
I don’t need you at all to have my conscience functioning… it’s working just fine.  I’ve used it politically and socially for decades and I will until that last breath.
You need me to see you… and I see you… I see you as a nuisance.
You need them to see you… they see you as a number in a numbers game.
You need to see yourself.  That’s it.  That’s all you really need. 

See yourself.  See your worth.  Use your gifts for something that benefits you or the community.  Use your energy to make a difference rather than make a façade. Until you do that, you’re nobody in even your own reality and that’s the most depressing thing you can ever be.