Okay, Rude McDouchepants. I get it, we've all been there. You've got this paper that you absolutely HAVE to print out. And that's when the printer breaks. It's like a previously undiscovered law of physics, and it's annoying.
HOWEVER.
You do not get to be rude to me. I did not tell you to wait until 3 minutes before class to try to print out your reading, or paper or whatever. I didn't imply to you that you'd have time, that there wouldn't be a line, or that nothing would go wrong. I wouldn't do that to you. Instead, I'd tell you: something always goes wrong. Three minutes in never enough. Do your fucking homework and print it out on time.
And don't be rude to someone who has the password to delete your print jobs, bitches.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
When did hating things get so popular?
Another rant about something that bothers me:
To paraphrase from my Uncle's best friend, at some point, it becomes cooler to hate a cultural phenomenon than to enjoy it.
I'm not referring to not liking something after having tried it, or even to professing a deep and visceral loathing. AFTER TRYING IT.
No, what bugs me is the blind hatred of something SIMPLY BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE LIKE IT.
The most current target of this pop-culture hatred is, of course, the Twilight Saga.
I was conversing with a fellow student the other day who, when the aforementioned books were brought up in the context of encouraging teenagers to read, professed her undying hatred of them, and all their fans. Being a fan myself I asked, "Have you read them?"
"Uh...no," was her slightly sheepish response. I admit I was a little taken aback by this answer. After all, even as a fan I know there a lot of things to dislike about the series. The writing is not great. The storyline, even discounting the vampires, is ridiculous; and a tale of two teenagers falling madly in love with each other and growing alarmingly codependent is not a healthy example for anyone.
I know all this, and I still like the books. I can understand people who don't, believe me. But my fellow student really can't fairly say that she hates them. She's never read them. She's basing this dislike completely on the opinion of others.
If this was happening the other way, if she LOVED something, say Harry Potter, without ever reading the books or seeing the movies, people would think she was a moron. And a weird moron at that.
This is less about disliking the novels than it is about enjoying the feeling of superiority that comes with disliking something popular. And that makes absolutely NO SENSE.
The same problem arises with things like Star Wars, Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dungeons and Dragons, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica and Harry Potter. It has been drilled into us that these are things the nerds like. Many people feel embarrassed mentioning they enjoy these shows, movies and books, until it is confirmed that the listener is a fan too.
To hell with that. Things become popular for a reason. And if I like something, I like it. It's better to accept that I'm a nerd than to fight it. I'm happier. And if people don't like it, they are cordially invited to bite me.
To paraphrase from my Uncle's best friend, at some point, it becomes cooler to hate a cultural phenomenon than to enjoy it.
I'm not referring to not liking something after having tried it, or even to professing a deep and visceral loathing. AFTER TRYING IT.
No, what bugs me is the blind hatred of something SIMPLY BECAUSE OTHER PEOPLE LIKE IT.
The most current target of this pop-culture hatred is, of course, the Twilight Saga.
I was conversing with a fellow student the other day who, when the aforementioned books were brought up in the context of encouraging teenagers to read, professed her undying hatred of them, and all their fans. Being a fan myself I asked, "Have you read them?"
"Uh...no," was her slightly sheepish response. I admit I was a little taken aback by this answer. After all, even as a fan I know there a lot of things to dislike about the series. The writing is not great. The storyline, even discounting the vampires, is ridiculous; and a tale of two teenagers falling madly in love with each other and growing alarmingly codependent is not a healthy example for anyone.
I know all this, and I still like the books. I can understand people who don't, believe me. But my fellow student really can't fairly say that she hates them. She's never read them. She's basing this dislike completely on the opinion of others.
If this was happening the other way, if she LOVED something, say Harry Potter, without ever reading the books or seeing the movies, people would think she was a moron. And a weird moron at that.
This is less about disliking the novels than it is about enjoying the feeling of superiority that comes with disliking something popular. And that makes absolutely NO SENSE.
The same problem arises with things like Star Wars, Star Trek, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dungeons and Dragons, Doctor Who, Battlestar Galactica and Harry Potter. It has been drilled into us that these are things the nerds like. Many people feel embarrassed mentioning they enjoy these shows, movies and books, until it is confirmed that the listener is a fan too.
To hell with that. Things become popular for a reason. And if I like something, I like it. It's better to accept that I'm a nerd than to fight it. I'm happier. And if people don't like it, they are cordially invited to bite me.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
That's what I'm here for.
Okay, fellow college students, let's talk about this.
The printer.
It's basically my only job. I sit here, look pleasant, and help you with the fucking printer. It's what I do. SO ASK ME FOR HELP.
I'm beyond sure that you've encountered something like this before. You've been somewhere, at some time, and you needed help.
You've known what to do then, right? You look for the person wearing the name tag. And in this case, I WEAR THE BLOODY NAME TAG.
Do not just stare at the printer. Do not attempt to fix the printer, because half the time that isn't the problem and you don't know how to fix it. I do. I've got the training, which is how I managed to land this sweet gig in the first place.
Believe me, I know how you feel. Lost, scared, and embarrassed to admit there might be something about technology you don't know. We've all been there. And I know you might be ashamed to ask for help. But know this: despite my pale skin, dark hair and black clothes, I will not bite you if you ask for help. I will help you. With a smile. 'Cause that's what I'm here for. Plus I'm a big fucking ray of sunshine.
As for the rest of you, you "I've seen it all before, I can fix any glitch on any machine" types. Go fuck yourselves. Seriously. And stop touching my machine. Douches.
The printer.
It's basically my only job. I sit here, look pleasant, and help you with the fucking printer. It's what I do. SO ASK ME FOR HELP.
I'm beyond sure that you've encountered something like this before. You've been somewhere, at some time, and you needed help.
You've known what to do then, right? You look for the person wearing the name tag. And in this case, I WEAR THE BLOODY NAME TAG.
Do not just stare at the printer. Do not attempt to fix the printer, because half the time that isn't the problem and you don't know how to fix it. I do. I've got the training, which is how I managed to land this sweet gig in the first place.
Believe me, I know how you feel. Lost, scared, and embarrassed to admit there might be something about technology you don't know. We've all been there. And I know you might be ashamed to ask for help. But know this: despite my pale skin, dark hair and black clothes, I will not bite you if you ask for help. I will help you. With a smile. 'Cause that's what I'm here for. Plus I'm a big fucking ray of sunshine.
As for the rest of you, you "I've seen it all before, I can fix any glitch on any machine" types. Go fuck yourselves. Seriously. And stop touching my machine. Douches.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)