Tolerance

Ok - so I was on my way to go to bed this morning and once again I get a PM on Facebook from someone I know complaining about something I posted this week. This makes for 4 total messages this week. So now I am in full pissed-off mode and can't sleep. So here is my rant!!

We all speak of tolerance - how we need to be nice and good to each other. Yes we do. But in reality - are we? As much as we try - we are often judgmental and at times, hypocritical. Why is that? I can tell you why - because none of us are perfect! Guess what - if you were indeed as perfect as you think you wouldn't be living in this world - and wouldn't be human. So as long as you are stuck with this whole humanity gig, take a big whiff of imperfection - because its part of who you are.

I am extremely judgmental. I will be the first to admit. There are things that annoy the ever-living-shit out of me. Yes - ever-living-shit is my word - it may not be accurate in the dictionary but I am using - I'm human - I can do that. So what are some of these annoying things? Hate for one - I think it ridiculously stupid. Anyone with half a brain would realize that hating someone is a complete waste of time and energy. Hating someone for life choices or for something they were born into - like skin color, sexuality, religion, political views - etc - well if you manage to hate someone because of that you get the extra super special moron star in my book. Now if you hate someone because they did something horrible to you - then go ahead and hate away. But hating someone for something has absolutely nothing to do with you is just plain stupid.

What else do I judge? People with kids who live on my street. Ok you have kids and live on my street - good for you. You chose to have kids - wonderful - I respect that choice. I too live here and I did not chose to have any kids - that's right - I don't have them so I don't need to have your brats running about in my front yard screaming at the top of their little lungs. And if you are my neighbor and reading this - great! Have your kids play in YOUR yard - not mine. Its a simple request - I honestly don't think it would take a lot of effort on your part to make that little change for me. I sleep in the daytime - if your kids are playing in your yard and wake me up - that's problem - sucks to be me. If they are playing in MY yard and wake me up - I reserve the right to break their little legs or to shoot them in the face with my paintball gun. So yes -you with the red van - I know you are reading this - get your kids off my dammed yard during the day! And just a side note - why the hell are your kids playing in my yard before 2PM when its the middle of the week and they should be in SCHOOL, eh? Answer me that there genius!!

I also dislike a whole other range of things. Couples that love to do the whole "kissy-kissy-I-love-you" to each other in baby talk in public - please get a room - most of you are 30-some years old and you look absolutely ridiculously stupid doing that - yes I get to call you a moron for that too. What else? Oh - people who drive past injured animals on the street - I would run your ass off the road if I hadn't stopped to help the poor animal you just drove over. People who dump their pets when they move because they are too lazy to find pet-friendly housing - there is not a word in the English language to describe the pile of scum you must have crawled out from. And those of you who abuse animals or profit from animal suffering in any way just need to have a blunt rusty spoon driven slowly through your eyeballs and your fingernails pulled out several times a day.

So you see - I am no better or no worse than anyone else. I am human - I judge - I have things I like and dislike. They don't make me better or worse than anyone else - they make me human. So all of this is building up to one big thing. In the previous few weeks, I have suffered through many and many posts of many people I know and am friends with on Facebook who are very right wing conservatives about how wrong and bad healthcare reform is. I made NOT ONE comment - either on their posts or to them. Why is that? Because they are *entitled* to their opinions - they are each entitled to their views - whether I agree with them or not. That is the beauty of free speech and this great little place I like to call America. An opinion by its very nature is not right or wrong - its an opinion and every living person in this country is entitled to have one and I don't have to agree with it or even like it - all I have to do is respect it and I do. Completely.

So, on this very same principle, last week I made a post on my facebook making fun of republicans because of this whole health care debate - it was a hilarious video a friend sent to me from Bill Maher - well I thought it was funny - that was my OPINION. Since then - I have gotten hate mail after hate mail from right wing people I know about how inappropriate it is for me to post said link! Whatever happened to free speech? Whatever happened to tolerance of opinion? Yes - I support the healthcare reform. Why? Because I am self-employed, and I am sick and tired of getting royally screwed by healthcare in general (without even getting dinner first, mind you). I am not lazy - I work - but I don't work for a large company. I have some existing medical problems so my options are almost non-existent. So yes - I support healthcare reform - I am entitled to my opinion just as you are entitled to yours. I respect your opinion and the least I ask for is for you to respect mine.

We are all entitled to our own opinions on all issues - why? Because we live in AMERICA - yes - the good old US of A. So we can be neighbors, friends, colleagues, acquaintances or complete strangers and each completely disagree or agree and have both sides be right. Because when it comes to opinions - there are no facts - its all valid and all right. Science has facts. The sky is blue - unless you are colorblind - it is a fact that the sky is blue. The earth is round - that is a fact and it cannot be disputed - if you still think its flat then you need to get your dumb ass back to school. The healthcare reform is good - that is an opinion. The healthcare reform is bad - that is another opinion. Neither are fact - therefore both are valid points of views and each of us entitled to pick one as our own.

So - respect each other's opinions if you expect yours to be respected. We are entitled to them. Well, except for you who messaged me last night - you who are still on your daddy's insurance plan and don't have to pay for healthcare - you don't get an opinion until you start wearing your big boy pants and paying your own way in the world - YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!! So yes - almost all of us should have a right to our own opinions and those opinions should be respected by all.

Ok - end of rant!