No. Not really.
I’ve known for many years that clickbait and sensationalism were a thing. For MANY years. But it seemed extra prevalent this last year, as we trudged through the unknown, and, everybody’s annoyingly favorite new word: “Unprecedented.”
Here are a few headlines just from today. Tell me if you see a theme:
- “Is This The End?”- The Atlantic
- “The Pandemic Has Split In Two” The New Yorker
- “Scratching this body part may be an early warning sign of Alzheimer’s”-Something I saw in the search results on YouTube.
- GOP is a powder keg giving off sparks-some lady on medium.com
- “How to make hugging safer” (Carebears: ROLL-OUT!)
- “Was covid-19 released by Bigfoot?!”–me, just now.
We don’t need to keep using more and more extravagant and overly dramatic words for things, ok, guys? I’m losing some of the words I already know in this big beautiful brain, just trying to keep up. Not to mention, it’s just plain stressful.
*Unexpected news doesn’t need to be called “jaw-dropping.” It can just be surprising.
*Someone with well-developed stomach muscles needn’t be described as having ABS OF STEEL. We can simply say they are “in shape.”
*A woman who is being assertive with her peers shows confidence and courage but is not “fierce.” Although I actually enjoy this exaggeration, it feels empowering. But I AM trying to make a point, so…
*Celebrity breakups don’t always have to be “devastating” or “earth-shattering.” It’s cool if we just call them breakups. Breakups always suck.
The way we talk to each other and announce things to one another is the seed in the ground that is fertilized with either beauty or bullshit. How do we want it to grow? All bent and gnarly and closing in on itself out of fear and isolation? Or tender, loose, gentle, relaxed, and buoyantly blooming like a deeply pink rhododendron in the rainy afternoon of a Pacific NorthWest spring?
Yes, I am high. Thanks for asking.
This world is beautiful. And you, Reader, I’m sure you are beautiful too. As was the 4.20 chocolate bar I had an hour ago. So. Damned. Beautiful.
Now, listen to what I’m thinking about something:
The human drama-llama phenomena are not limited to news reports and gossip mags. Our ancestors have handed senseless hypocrisy down through the generations as cryptically vague but “wise” sayings that contradict each other.
- It’s the thought that counts, but……………the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
- Any job worth doing is worth doing well, but…………….work smart, not hard.
- Leave no stone unturned, but…………….know when it’s time to let go.
- The early bird catches the worm, but…………..the second mouse gets the cheese.
- Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. However…………the pen is mightier than the sword.
- If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, but……..an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
- Patience is a virtue, but…………….. If you snooze, you lose.
- Knowledge is power, but………………. ignorance is bliss.
- Make new friends, but……………..keep the old. One is silver, and another’s gold.
- Make time to stop and smell the roses, but………………without a sense of urgency, desire loses its value.
- The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but……………. It’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.
- Fortune favors the brave, but………………the meek will inherit the earth.
- When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time, but…………..don’t judge a book by its cover.
- Your past is not your future, but……………..the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
- Fall seven times, stand up eight, but…………….know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.
- Now is all you have, but……………..keep moving forward.
- Sometimes you feel like a nut, but………….sometimes you don’t.
I found many of these on a website under the title of “quotes that will CHANGE. YOUR. LIFE.”
The moral of the story?
!syuG eyB
