Social Networking = Popularity Contest?

First things first, I love people (most of the time). I love to meet new people, learn new things, get ideas and thoughts that might have never occurred to me, people watch in crowds, the whole shebang. I enjoy Twitter and Facebook. I like connecting to strangers and maybe make new friends, (can’t have enough of those in this life!). And, secondly-a little disclaimer here- this is NOT directed at any of my current Twitter followers or Facebook friends, just so you know, but to people I've unfollowed or unfriended, because I've kinda had enough! I vent, and that’s how this blog rolls.

So, that being said, am I the only one who has noticed that these sites can occasionally turn into popularity contests? Not so much Twitter and Facebook fan sites; i.e. counting their followers. Fan sites can be informative and fun, so why not? I talkin’ more in the vein of ‘I did that too, only better’, or ‘I’m smarter than you and I can prove it’ one-upmanship. It’s like meeting someone at a party and you begin to tell some little story and they immediately interrupt, telling a similar story of their own, and you know their only purpose is to show you they fit in or are ‘better’ than you.

I’ll willing to admit that I have found myself disappointed when a Twitterer follows someone I also follow but not me. Or, a Facebook 'friend' replies to someone with a more in-depth or interesting answer than I had gotten. Or even ignores me totally. I find myself thinking, why/why not me? Self deprecation can hit us all at one time or another, we are human after all. But, when this happens, I am reminded of something I learned a long time ago, but frequently forget; life is not a popularity contest. (Also reminded of; ‘It’s not personal-it’s business’, ‘Whoever has the most toys at the end of the game, wins’ and ‘It’s not who you know but who you blow’, but maybe those aren’t quite as applicable here.)

So, to all those people who have the urge to one-up somebody, I just want to jump in and say ‘Chill out!’ If you whip out the ‘I’m just as good/better than you’ card, do you really think we all sit back and say: ‘Oh, X is so much smarter than me?’, or ‘I am so jealous of X, it must be great to be them.’? Unfortunately, the answer to that is a resounding NO, your desperation for approval screams off the page. So what if you met So and So, so what if you drive an X, so what if you graduated from X University? For the most part, people aren’t as impressed as you think they are.

And, to all of us who have been one-upped, just a reminder, life is not a popularity contest…Any questions?

Chauvinist or just insecure? So, which guy are you?

It never fails to amaze me when a person of the male persuasion gets all macho. Do you think ½ the population is not worthy of your attention? Word of warning to those ‘guys’ out there who do, are you sure you know exactly who you are dealing with?

I’m sure you’ve noticed, I do not give my real name or show my picture on this blog or on Twitter. It is not because I have anything to be ashamed of. I like fucking with people’s heads. (Yeah, I’m mean that way). Seriously, though, I know the internet, I know what goes out there in the stratosphere, I like to be able to speak my mind but not have it come back and bite me in the ass if I ever need a new job in the future. Just playing it safe; sad to say, but there it is.

But, that being said, it brings me back to the question; do you really know who you are disregarding when you write off women, Mr. Big Shot? I could be your boss, or your boss’s wife. I could be the waitress you see all the time and am willing to spit in your food before I serve you. I could be a cop that pulls you over and bumps a speeding ticket up to reckless driving just because I can. I could be the judge in the courtroom when you go to traffic or divorce court. I could be the doctor in the emergency room when you have to come in at 3 a.m. Are you willing to take that chance?

Maybe you are just insecure. Are you afraid of women, Mr. Macho? Do smart women intimidate you? Do good looking women intimidate you? How about a combination of both? Bet that scares the shit out of you! We see you pander to attractive women, but how do you know I’m not attractive? I have enough confidence in myself to think I am, which is what matters most, so fortunately, I don’t need your validation. (But, you could be missing the chance to pander to me). And, even though I am not going to give you proof, you can take my word for it…I am smart. Actually, very smart. Most of the women I know are smart too. I have an uncanny ability to read people, mostly because I listen, so, I can guarantee, every single woman I follow or who follows me on Twitter is smart. Pay attention, Mr. BMOC, this ½ of the population has things to say that might just impress or teach you. Yeah, some of it is drivel, we do like to have fun, but that does not condone rudeness on your part.

That’s what this comes down to, rudeness. Maybe your momma didn’t do her job raising you, or maybe you didn’t have a momma, but I seriously doubt both of those things. You could excuse yourself as a product of your environment, but in this day and age, that ain’t gonna fly. But it guarantees me one thing; I have no doubt that you aren’t even reading this. Whether you are a chauvinist, insecure, or both, you won’t even recognize this as being directed at you. That’s ok, it’s really written for my own venting purposes. But, on the off chance you are, please remember this, respect is a two way street, Mr. Misogynist. I’m sure you would be surprised if you felt disrespected, but you have no qualms about doing that to ½ the population. We know it, we see it and we have no respect for you because of it...Any questions?