It has been a while since I did one of these long winded Fairly Messy Rants, which is a title that I am debating, since it is more of a critique than a rant. However, I don’t see a huge need to change the title, mostly because I dislike manipulating categories via this interface, and it encompasses my feelings whilst writing. So let’s talk society, because I have no reviews on my posting backlog. So have something I made a few months ago, and I am not so super fond of.
As I have not tried to hide, I am currently a Senior in Highschool, so I still do see teenagers throughout the majority of my time when I am not on the computer, sleeping, or consuming entertainment through other means. And I agree with people who think that teenagers can be pretty crap in a hat. However, I have grown indifferent towards their actions due to most of the people who are obnoxious will probably not have a great life, get into massive debt, and work a job they hate while raising kids they never really wanted with a spouse they are not too fond of anymore. Still, that is not what I have to talk about today, if anything, it is more about merchandise.
I am about as materialistic as a person can get, I love collecting media, I use electronics for the majority of my communications, and I like the feeling of buying things that look neat. I own over 200 games, and have not fully played through at least 50 of them. However, one thing that I do that is not viewed as common, revolves around clothing. You see, I do not own any shirts that are not just one or two colors per shirt. And the only one that I own with text on it, is my school’s designated shirt for PE class. I also do not wear any belts, or even own a single pair of jeans.
I like to think of myself as an anomaly in that respect, but there is a good reason why I own several different version of the same outfit, I do not like myself to be associated with things. When I see someone walking down with some form of graphic T-shirt, I really only have that to base their personality off fo. Sure, I can observe their movement and their physical appearance, yet the most key and visible feature that I see is what they are wearing.
And I must ask myself, why would people advertise things as their first impression towards others? What exactly would there be to gain from advertising oneself as someone who goes to a college, when they do not actually go to that college, and probably never knew anyone who did? Yet, on the topic of gag shirts, I understand giving yourself a visible personality, but one image doesn’t help a personality as much as it limits it. It is truly one of the few aspects of society that baffles me, yet I am the kind of guy who doesn’t like being seen while reading a required reading book in his school library during a study hall.
I kind of understand wearing a shirt for a group or team you are a part of, but it still does not give a lot of solid character. I understand that great character design requires one to be able recognizable and distinct from their very pose, where you could know what they are about just by looking at them do an idle animation. However, humans are dumb and lack that and for some who range between extremes, like me with my bright eyed happiness and cold stare of disgust being switch operated, that can not really work.
I understand the idea of deciding whether or not you want little of something, or none of it at all, and I believe this might be a case where having nothing actually gives more. Providing one slice of your personality via an image on cloth is not a very good indicator of who you actually are, it is just something you relate to yourself. And you don’t need to me to say that I certainly do not fit in that regard, I keep my interests broad so I can avoid having a bare 2D personality, in favor of one with complexities. I do not think that individuals should ever need to summarize themselves with a mere image or logo on a shirt.
Yes, the various clothing styles do indeed offer a good assumption of who one is, namely whether or not they are well or casually dressed, offers situational context for that person, allowing the observer to deduce the personality based on that and their general reactions and normal actions, while graphic shirts over power and drown the subtleties out by shoving one large image to base everything off of.
At the same time, if the personality you have is crap, maybe you should wear a graphic shirt, if anything at all. You see, I have no idea how I would classify my own personality. I can be kind and offer common courtesies, yet I do not care about people beyond being individuals who supply things for me. In a sense, I only do care about my readers because they are my readers. It is a grim outlook, yet caring about individuals who you have no tangible relationship with seems a bit foolish.
People do indeed suffer and die everyday, so why would you not care about them if you care about those unrelated to you. I am most concerned about the economy taking it up the arse due to Hurricane Sandy, than the individuals who have been harmed. I also like to think things through and be introduced to new ideas, along with taking criticism. Those are traits that I do not believe to be hand in hand, so it is, in my mind, a personality. However, I have met many people who can only really display one trait throughout the entire school year, and it is the disruptive uncaring asshat.
Now, people can do whatever the hell they want, from raping a dog, to getting into more debt than they can ever hope to pay off in their lifetime. But when it is affecting me, then I have some social edict to throw around, that I believe can be summarized as, “be courteous, you git!” It is humiliating to see the “common” courtesies that I knew when I was six, not being followed by people who have access to machinery that could slaughter dozens of individuals. There is a time and a place for enjoyment, and there is a time and a place to be serious. Just because you are buddies with others, does not mean that you must socialize and mingle instead of learning.
If it is indeed a disgrace on society that I, someone who managed to go through a Trigonometry class without understanding the material 30% of the time, and got into the AP successor. While still not actually learning anything, and getting a B while only sorta trying, what the hell are the people who just do not care? I believe that as long as you did indeed try in school, you are doing your job. Some people just do not get certain things, and if there is a problem with them advancing, and their grades slip, they should get help. And the fact that some actively go against the idea of doing homework while talking about how they will beat their teachers to death due to them expecting students to at least try, is and idea that just furiates me to no end.
I am not asking people to give me the sodding moon, I am asking for them to just give me a roll when I ask for a loaf of bread. I should be an average student, and I am still in the top 25% while not doing any homework at home for months upon months. There are low standards, and then there are standards that have been lowered to encompass people who refuse to budge from below the bottom of the barrel. Goodnight, and godspeed!