Yeah, I’m on Crackbook. Uh, I mean Facebook. I both post things that are very personal and yet aren’t personal at all.
I’m talking about quotes.
I used to post things that are obviously directly relevant to me. (And still do sometimes) What I noticed was that everyone has an opinion. Everyone has advice. Everyone tends to get triggered by different things.
I just don’t want to deal with all of that.
But it usually only happens when it’s obvious that it’s “mine”. MINE. I own the words, the idea, the sentence, the offensive pile of sh!*t. That’s when I get pummeled with opinions with a side of shame and blame. That’s when everyone thinks they know how to “fix” me. Like I, or anyone else, need to be fixed.
It’s annoying.
The Quotes:
So I started posting quotes. I’d think to myself, “So, Karin, what’s on your mind?” and I’d think “oh, I’m still thinking about that egotistical idiot who ran into me on the sidewalk.” Then I’d go looking for a quote that would be at least in the vicinity of what was on my mind. Sometimes it takes me even deeper into my thoughts.
A really good quote has a lot of layers. It makes me think. It expands my mind. I love quotes.
I especially love them because they are not “mine.” People tend to not get triggered by them.
“Hatred is the coward’s revenge for being intimidated.” -George Bernard Shaw.
What can they say to George Bernard Shaw? Not much.
The Trigger:
But every-so-often, I post something really provocative. I’ll sit there and look it a long time, wondering if I should post it. It’s bound to piss someone off. Then I say “fuck it”. And post it anyway. Heh heh.
Oh yeah! It completely triggered a friend of mine and she let me have it. Her main issue was that I was “celebrating abuse.”
Since “celebrating abuse” wasn’t on my list of things this quote did for me, I was triggered as well. I felt like she was putting words into my mouth and then shaming me for them. To me, it was all in her own mind.
I get it, I do. I’m sure she saw the phrase “bitch-slapping” and had a deep emotional reaction to it. It’s why we had a short discussion in the comment section rather than me just shutting her down.
A Great Quote:
But that quote is so much more. That’s why I posted it. I don’t post anything without thinking about it, and I think a lot. Some say too much. I always think about it…
…with the exception of the few times I post something direct and true about myself because I’m in a tizzy…
…and now this blog…
Go back up and read the quote again…I’ll wait…
<waiting>
Did you do it? Good. What was your reaction?
Let me tell you what that quote told me:
- I treat myself worse than I would ever accept from any other person (Bitch-slapping)
- I am not honoring my own creativity (Bitch-slapping your creativity)
- Creativity is not guaranteed to last (it’ll run away)
- Thalia, the Muse of Comedy, might go bless someone else who may not be as worthy as I am (it’ll run away and find a new pimp)
What’s your reaction now? The same? Different?
I apologized for triggering my friend, but I didn’t apologize for posting the quote. It might look like a dumbass quote on its surface, but it has a lot of layers. It was deeply personal for me. It hit me in my gut. And it was my truth.
It’s a great quote.
Sometimes things are not what they look like on the surface. It’s those things that I love the most.
© Karin Armbrust 2019
