the right to remain stupid.

anything and everything you say
will be ignored.

I was recently given a tee-shirt that reads, "You have the right to remain stupid. Everything you say can and will be ignored." When I first laid eyes on the shirt, I cracked up at its hilarity. Then, perhaps a tad more solemnly, I realized how accurately it reflected what I think about many people I meet/know (if you think you're included in this group, you probably are; fix yourself--haha, semi-jk).

Now, I'm not trying to be all snooty and pretend like I'm some super intellectual scholarly-type, because I'm totally not, but, I am saying that too many young people nowadays lack common sense and/or tact. I can't count how many times I overhear something on the street and think to myself, "wtf." I also can't count how many times an acquaintance says something to me and I think to myself, "why am I friends with you again?" I am not going to give examples because the people I give examples of may read this (is anyone reading this, anyway?) and do something harsh to me in retaliation such as, de-friend me on Facebook. Eep. Anything but that, please! In all seriousness though, is it so hard to carry on a thoughtful sensible conversation? It doesn't even have to be thoughtful--can we try slightly amusing or enjoyable? C'mon people, it's the 21st fricking century. Why is it that while technology is improving everso rapidly, our ability to compose an intellectual or semi-stimulating thought from the natural juices of our entirely capable brains is shot?

I don't like stupid questions and I despise stupid answers. I'll be the first to admit that I ask A LOT of questions. I'm just a curious-ass person. But my questions make sense in the context of the conversation. What I mean by a "stupid question" is this:

Friend 1: Hey, so after I have dinner I'll meet you at the fountain in Washington Square Park.
Friend 2: Oh okay, but isn't it broken?
Friend 1: ...............SO???

This is precisely what I mean by a stupid question. What compels someone to ask such a thing? What the moly hell does the fountain being broken or perfectly functional have anything to do with meeting there? Is the fountain going to magically disappear or transport itself if its broken? Or, does my asking you to meet me at the fountain somehow imply that I want you to don a swimming suit and prance in the water flowing from it? If the fountain is broken, does that disenable us in any way from planning a rendezvous there? Do enlighten me; is there something I'm missing? This conversation isn't completely made-up. I have reluctantly engaged myself in such a conversation and afterwards, proceeded to bang my head against a wall repeatedly. An even worse scenario is this:

Friend 1: Wow, I am soaked! It's raining like crazy!
Friend 2: Oh, were you outside?
Friend 1: No, idiot, I wasn't outside. I just decided to take a shower with all my clothes on and pretend like I got rained on to help you find it in yourself to say something intelligent for once, but obviously, my plan backfired and I just ruined an expensive shirt.

I'm already pissed that I'm soaking wet, and meanwhile, toasty dry YOU ask me something incredulous like above. Really, I find myself wanting to shake people and scream, "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEEEANNN!!!???" on many occasions.

Tactlessness also drives me nuts. If you're going to say something dumb, at least be tactful about it. Then again, that's probably asking too much from someone without a single working brain cell. In Korean, I'd say tact is synonymous to "noonchi." Well, they're slightly different but I won't go into the differences here; take my word for it and consider them one and the same for now. Personally, I like the Korean word better. People without tact or noonchi are in my "top 5 most annoying types of people" list. Okay, I don't really have such a list, but maybe it's about time I made one. It may aide me in recognizing and avoiding this particularly inapt breed of human beings in the future. Actually, I know someone who is quite tactless in everything he says, but for some reason, it works in his favor. At first, I was extremely taken aback by his tactlessness. His random outbursts found me speechless on many accounts. After a while though, it started getting pretty funny and endearing. Now I truly believe his tactlessness makes up most of his charm. I guess there's an exception to every rule, eh?

I could and probably would elaborate more on this altogether fascinating topic, but it is 2:45am and I am getting increasingly frustrated just thinking about all the "you have the right to remain stupid" moments I have endured in my life. Also, I am tired.

You know, maybe it's just me. Maybe I have a problem. Maybe these people are smart and I am the one who is stupid and bitter because I am not as smart. Maybe.

Maybe not.

Cheers,

Cheryl