rants

I was completely out of ideas for this blog post. Some friends told me to write about how I have nothing to write about, but I thought, How cliche. I'm not going to do something as lame as that. Sorry, friends. It wasn't a lame idea. I was probably just angry that I didn't think of it myself. So of course, I turned to the internet and typed in "interesting blog post topics."

I scrolled through many suggestions and rejected many suggestions. Too much work, too stupid, too much thinking necessary. You get the picture. Then I stumbled upon a post called "101 Fabulous Blog Topic Ideas" by someone named Molly Greene, a self-proclaimed "Author, Blogger, Blogging Specialist & Coach."

Yup, that's right. Molly Greene will teach you how to make your blog successful in exchange for $45 per hour. She even wrote a book about how to "get subscribers FAST!" Frankly, Molly Greene, I am not impressed. For one, I instantly shy away from those who call themselves specialists at anything without concrete evidence. And I try to avoid book series that have titles such as the "Gen Delacourt Mysteries." It just seems like bad writing and a lack of creativity to me. Also, the covers look like ones you can find on YA fiction novels. Ew.

I know that I don't have a right to judge. I mean, I haven't published any books! But I just can't seem to stop this tirade. It's not completely my fault. I don't try to find the bad in everything, but I think that you have it coming.

In your fabulous ideas, you wrote that a good blogger "does not rant, whine or complain." You say that a good personal essay blog post "entertains, inspires, or generates a positive emotion in your reader."

I don't know what universe you live in, but in my experience, people love ranting, whining and complaining. And we enjoy hearing other people rant, whine and complain about their lives. It makes us feel better about ourselves. It offers us some escape from our own pitiful existence.

It's called schadenfreude. And everyone totally experiences it. If you say you don't, you are either a liar or a very perfect human being (annoyingly perfect).

Molly Greene, I don't believe that you don't enjoy reading rants. Don't be ashamed. It's just human nature. But honestly, don't tell me that I can't rant what I want when I want.

catcalling

It pains me to admit it, but until very recently, I didn't mind when guys whistled at me in the streets. I liked it. It made me feel pretty. It was kind of like validation for me. It's incredibly embarrassing difficult to express and, honestly, I'm not quite sure why I'm posting this. I think it's because I want to get a message out.

Last week, I was in a parking lot after a swim meet, waiting for my parents to come  pick me up. I was wrapped in a towel and wearing a jacket and my parents were running late. So I was alone. At 7pm. In a parking lot. Alone.

A group of boys started whistling at me and shouting for me to come over. I was not flattered and I did not like it. I was freaking terrified. I didn't want to walk past them to get back into the building, so I walked to the farthest end of the lot away from them. There, I shivered and waited some more. Thankfully, a kind family let me sit in their car until my father finally drove up. (If you are reading this, kind family (you know who you are), thank you from the bottom of my heart).

So, what I'm trying to get across here is: do not catcall. Do not wolf-whistle. Do not honk. It's degrading. And objectifying. And terrifying as freak. The people who enjoy it have not yet realized  that they shouldn't enjoy it. And thank God I've learned my lesson.