F*CK Politeness?!

I bet you’re wondering where I’m going with this after writing a bit of a ranty post a while back on etiquette?

This pop socket is on my phone and I love what it represents. Yep, let me explain….

I still standby the need for basic etiquette like saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. However, I do not standby political correctness nor the bubble-wrapping of words to avoid hurting people’s oversensitive feelings in today’s world. Words like ‘triggered’, ‘cancel culture’, ‘woke’, and ‘toxicity’ are words that I find to be inappropriately applied to avoid owning how we think and feel about the world to the point that now we are no longer allowed to express our true opinions to one another.

M and I were discussing the recent Oscar event and the presumed source of Mr. Smith’s actions. I’m not going to comment on my opinion about it, but we were talking about how M feels that Mrs. Smith seems to have a ‘toxic’ hold over him; thus, causing him to react as he did. I called BS on that.

First, we know absolutely NOTHING about these people in their true forms in real life. We learn snippets from interviews or the persona that they present to the world. I listened to a number of JPS’s Red Table Talk on Facebook Watch. This is ALL I know for sure. Therefore, it is definitely based on speculation on her possible personality that I (and M) make my comments.

With that disclaimer out of the way, I believe that JPS is a private person and is probably an introvert as well. M states that because she is in the public eye, she cannot be either of those things. I wholeheartedly disagree. He further claims that one should always express their opinions; otherwise, silence is consent. Another BS hand raised!

Now, for my side – it is my blog space, after all! 😜

I choose not to argue with others about my disagreement of their opinion – most of the time. This does not mean that I don’t have my own strong opinions. Anyone who has ever actually stopped to listen to me will realize that I have lots of opinions and they are just as strong as one who shares them all the time. However, I do not feel it worth my time nor energy to try to override others who want to make sure that everyone knows their opinion without bothering to stop and listen to an opposing one.

Furthermore, when I do express an opinion and bother to engage in a “discussion”, I expect to be heard. M referred to my idea of this as me giving a monologue rather than discussing. He might be right on that, BUT, I argue that if I am not allowed to give a monologue, then I am not heard. I prefer to write to express myself because the reader must focus on what I have to say and cannot interrupt me! 😁 As someone with a quiet voice, slow to process the words I want to articulate, and not prone to argument for arguments sake, this is a key element to having a “discussion” with me.

Lastly, if I do argue back, it is not meant to be taken as a dismissal of an opposing opinion. Rather, it is an activity in trying to push my theory/belief in full to find the flaws and holes in it so that I can then go back and reprocess, redefine, and refine what I believe based on new information and input. Arguing does not have to result in a fight. Instead, the old art form of debating is how I see my way of dialoging with the world.

So, in doing discussion and opinion forming in my way, I need to maintain the mantra of F*CK Politeness, because being polite suggests that I agree or that I consent to something which may not actually be the case. Still, know that I will always maintain my ‘please’ and ‘thank you’s’!

~T 🔥🐉♋️