Don't Hate Me Because....oh, wait....You Can....It's Cool.....

I am a horrible person....I'm horrible, I know it, and I don't really care.  I mean, I CARE, but there's nothing I can do about it (not that I've found, anyway), so what would be the point of caring????  I realize that made no sense, but I'm getting to a point.  I have realized, in my old age, that I'm growing intolerant.

There are just certain types of people I can't tolerate:

1. Entitled people--These are the people who think that the world, their parents, their siblings, the government, random strangers, etc, ALL owe them some debt of gratitude JUST for being born.  These will be your people who sit at home all day, drawing welfare checks, food stamps, medicaid, etc with no intention of getting a job and justify it with "my dad (mom) paid into it, so I'm just getting what they put in".  And, that, my dear, would be WRONG!!  Dad (or mom) paid in, so YOU should get off your sweet ass and get a J-O-B (oh, the horror!) and let dad (or mom) reap the benefits of their hard earned tax dollars....but, they likely won't, because they're decent people...too bad THAT apple didn't fall closer!

2. Self-righteous people--These will be the ones who are forever pointing out YOUR faults while seemingly overlooking any of their own....also known as hypocrites. They think "I don't want you in my life because you did (insert cardinal sin here) and I would NEVER do a thing like that, so you suck and I'm perfect".  If you want to spot one of these, ask around for people who have ousted family members with little to no "just" cause, other than "you hurt my feelings when I was 12 and you were 16 and 22 years just isn't long enough for me to get over it!"

3. Blamers--The mantra here is "it ain't my fault".  "Did my life turn out worse than someone else's?  Well, it's not because of MY choices, it's just because they were 'lucky' and I wasn't."  Always an excuse....always someone (or something) else to blame to defer responsibility and avoid having to own up to the consequence of an action.  These will be the same ones with kids who are seven shades of screwed up, who, rather than saying, "I might could have taught them values or been around for them more", will say "well, I didn't have the money when they were growing up that other people had" or "if he'd had TWO parents instead of a broken home, he might have turned out better"....well, folks, "luck" didn't make Bill Clinton, son of a single mom (once widowed, once divorced from a man who was a gambling drunk), into our 42nd President.  "Luck" also had little to do with Oprah Winfrey, who was born into poverty in backwoods Mississippi, EARNING a scholarship to college (even after getting pregnant at 14) and becoming one of the most successful women ever.  Billy Bob Thornton, Jay-Z, Walt Disney, and, the list goes on, really....for every excuse someone can come up with for their failures, there is at least ONE person who was strong enough to rise above that same circumstance (and  usually worse ones) and become a success story, rather than a statistic. If you fail at life, or if your kids fail at life, there's really no one to blame but the person who wasn't strong enough or dedicated enough or smart enough to change their stars.  No one's path is predetermined and if you think it is, then you've already failed.  If you accept your life as "it is what it is", then it'll never get better, but you can't blame anyone but yourself for settling for less.  Suck it up and either own your mediocrity or work to change it!!

4. Braggers--On the opposite end of the spectrum, are the people whose parents DID have money and they feel that this makes them "better", somehow, than the person who didn't grow up affluent.  Granted, there are certain opportunities that are afforded to people with more money....that's a given.  But, that doesn't automatically mean that your life will turn out better or that you're superior to a person who has achieved the same level of success as you but actually had to WORK for it, rather than have it handed to them because of "daddy's influence".  Decisions still have to be made and consequences (good or bad) still have to be faced, regardless of having money or not.

5. Closed-Minded People--Just because you have a way of doing things doesn't make it the "right" way and certainly not the "only" way.  Just because you don't like something, doesn't mean that it's "crap" to the people who do.  There's a reason for chocolate and vanilla and that reason is pretty easily comprehended (by someone of average intelligence, anyway)....it's VERY possible for two people to not like exactly the same things and neither person be "wrong"!  What a remarkable concept!!  I don't like rap music, but I'm not going to tell someone they're "weird" because they do.  I don't understand Japanese anime, but this is my daughter's most recent obsession.  It took a minute for me to come to terms, but I now can express to her that, if that's what she's into for the moment, more power to her.  I will even watch an episode or two periodically, just so that I can get a feel for the tastes of my favorite human on the planet. I don't like watching TV much and I like corny westerns even less than that, but I have been known to sit through a few and not even complain (much).  It's always a good idea to broaden your spectrum just a little.  I like that I can tolerate just enough of other people's likes to where I can say I've experienced most things.  And don't even get me started on social issues!!!  I can't even begin to explain the exasperation I experience when a conservative blasts a liberal (and vice versa) over their opinion.  The only thing that accomplishes is fueling anger and hatred and makes both sides look like a couple of closed-minded douchebags.  My opinion is just that...and opinion....it's neither right or wrong (if it is, then it stops being opinion and starts being fact, which is a different topic, altogether).  Everyone has the basic right to express any opinions but if they can't do so in a way that is constructive and respectful, then I will exercise my right to ignore the hell out of them.  No need to fuel that fire!  It won't change a mind. You have to be adult enough to respect a difference of opinion and accept that your way isn't the only way!  Common sense, people!

We all have our faults and personality "quirks" and we can ALL be any one of those things in a moment.  It's they stop being occasional lapses in good sense and start becoming "who you are" that it's a serious problem.  Please don't let these toxic traits become you!!