Tag: opinion

Very Boring

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Do I seem interesting?

With the immense time I put in to being an internet addict, probably not. Well, a little lie there, I actually find myself very interesting. I love my patterns of reading, blogging and TV. I say TV, because now my Sky+ is working properly mixed with Sky working on Xbox again, I have started watching a lot of TV. Most of it is The Gilmore Girls, but still, good quality, healthy TV.

The TV shows I like have to have good dialog and well written and developed characters. I like the fact that you can judge a character, because you have come to know their personality. I think it comes from a life a bookworm, where I did nothing but read for days on end. Not much has changed really, accept now, I tend to use writing to express myself more. It seems rather logical putting my loves for reading and writing together, but it didn’t happen that naturally. I liked to do things on my own, and write because I wanted to. When school became about essays and exams, it stopped being about writing for fun. It started to have a purpose. A purpose which was that I was writing for a meaningless grade.

That sounds bad. Grades aren’t meaningless. But I put a lot of love into what I wrote, and I didn’t like that it was graded and treating like a piece of crap, where all the feeling was sucked out of any piece, just so that the flaws (mostly in grammar) could be picked at. It was a bit of a change in things. Writing at school, became less a labour of love, and more a dementor. (5 points for HP reference.) And it made me think, ‘why’. Why did I have to put so much of ‘me’ into things, just for it to be torn to shreds because of my technical ability.

Through writing on my own, on blogs, etc, I have bettered myself in my grammar. I have become a better writer, but that is through reading a lot of novels, and writing a lot of pieces on other sites. Writing blogs has helped me a lot, in being an aide to help me find the words I need to express myself. The fact that I can put my thoughts across, and do it in such a way (I hope) people can pick up on what I am like, and how I feel. And that is a spiritual thing. The fact that you can connect to so many people, where age and country bare no significance.

Some say I am boring, and lead a boring life. I ask them, what do you do that gives you passion? What do you do, that makes you happy to be alive? What do you do to communicate with like-minded individuals? The internet helps me achieve all that and more, people only mock because they don’t know how to do what you do.

Illusions of Grandeur

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

I don’t have an issue with people who have self-belief, I mean, it is that belief that helps a person achieve. So to achieve something, you need to have a little bit of confidence about yourself. I have an issue with people who pull others down, to make themselves look better.

And it happens everywhere. Rather than giving someone kudos for achieving what they want, people feel the need to bring the person down by demeaning themselves to make the achievement seem less worthy. It is just a person’s need to feel superior. It is strange, because most of the time people do it without thinking. Like, it is some natural instinct. Which is not too hard to imagine, when you think that other animals try to make others look weaker, so they can get a mate, etc.  Which makes you wonder, how much of this behaviour is us acting natural.

So whilst I frown about the behaviour of a ‘put-down’, I can only really disagree with people who do it on purpose. Like, they want to make that person miserable. That is something I don’t understand, why would it make someone feel better, to make another person sad? Surely I can’t be the only person who feels like this? I mean, I don’t see where a person can draw the line. If you attack someone because they annoy you for being happy, and it makes you better to change their mood, what are you next going to do to make you feel better? Is making someone sad going to become like a thrill to you? What are you going to stop at to get that thrill?

To be honest, everyone is the same. People have good things happen and bad things. It doesn’t mean you should avenge people who have good things happen to them. Because that feeling of achievement you may get from ‘knocking someone down a peg or two’, will only be short lived, and you will hurt someone else.

So if you catch yourself trying to kill someone’s good time, stop. Because if there is one thing the world doesn’t need is someone trying to spread more negativity.

History: A Person’s Duty To Know

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

I am of the belief that people should go to the effort to understand history of the world, be it from a TV programme or books. It helps a person appreciate where they have come from, and the life that they live. Because without the people before us, the world would be different. And I think that everyone should learn how we got to this stage in civilisation. It really does bring about a perspective on what ever problems a person feels they have, when they watch how difficult people before us had things.

The reason this topic has come into my mind, is because I have been watching programmes on the Berlin Wall. Something which was almost used like a weapon in the Cold War. It is astonishing to think that a city could be split in two, and then a massive wall built around one of the halves. Families were split up, and hundreds of people were killed trying to breach the wall. And what is even more astonishing, is that this wasn’t that long ago. The wall was built in 1961, and started to come down in 1989. Can you imagine being separated from people you love for that long. Berlin has been a united city for only 22 years.

I don’t know about anyone else, but that makes me feel so privileged, and actually makes me feel guilty. People died so that we can experience the freedoms we enjoy so readily. And I feel, that people should at least, learn about such events, to learn where our freedoms have come from. And it does make you feel grateful for what you have in your life.

It doesn’t cost anything to learn, and people should employ the resources we have, to try and learn something everyday.

Opinionative Depressive

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Because I am in severe need from a distraction from my depressive state of mind. The whole ‘jump of a bridge’ scenario seems like an option in my current state.

Nice,  bet you wanted to know that, oh reader. If there is a reader. *I am breaking the forth wall here.* I just feel mentally unable to cope with anything right now. -.-

Whilst I have been online, I haven’t been writing a lot, for the sheer sense, that I have been too down to write or say anything substantial. Well, I probably could have written something, but it would be day-after-day of complaining about my petty existence. And trust me, when I say  that would not make very interesting reading.  I have been complaining, but most of that is over on my Tumblr. Mostly because I can speak my mind, without feeling that people I know are judging me on it. Because that is all Facebook is these days. Blue and white pages of judgement and hatred, tied together with gimmicky games.

A bit severe on Facebook maybe, but right now it is how I feel. Most of you will probably read my negative opinion, and wonder why I don’t just delete my account. Mostly because it is good for contacting people who I don’t hold numbers for, and the like. But then I think, if that person really did give a shit about me, wouldn’t they go to more effort than a friend request?

I am on the fence about what to do with the site. Should I just leave it? I do good at speaking my mind, and am of the stance of when I post something I WILL NOT delete it. Maybe that is stubbornness. But if I cared enough to post something to begin with, even if my mood shifts, it wouldn’t be honest if I deleted it.  And that is what any site should be, an honest interpretation on who you are.

And on that stance, I can’t really think negatively on people who do react to what I say in a bad way. Because they are also just stating what they think and feel. If they regret what they say, then fair enough, but at the time I said what I wanted to, and they said what they wanted to. And as far as that goes, I respect it. But they should also be adult enough to respect what other people say. If you want people to respect and listen to you, then do the same to others.

But that would be wishful thinking, wouldn’t it?

‘Your opinion is wrong.’

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Is the reaction I got from the previous post I did on here. *sigh*

It is opinion, someone’s thoughts an ideas on a situation, which they put into the wilderness to invoke discussion. Yes, discussion, a too-ing an fro-ing of thoughts on the topic in question.  And an important part of discussion, that whilst you should have your beliefs, you also need to accept the other persons opinion and be respectful.

I had 6 death threats, 4 accusations of being racist, and was told I was a member of the Taliban. This is from people I don’t know. Is this the punishment I get from expressing my opinion? It is hard trying to hold back retaliation, because then I would be a hypocrit. Also, I have always been honest when I have written on here, so I have no reason to change.

The fact that so many people wished me death for typing up words unsettles me more that the ‘Bin Laden death party’. Is this what the internet is becoming?  A place where the only safe thing to do is post tripe about ‘celebrities’ or hipster photos. Because if you actually say something of value, you will be opposed and actually regret sharing your thoughts. And that is not what the internet is, or not what it is to me anyway.

But what it does do, as it confirms what I have said before. To make people validate their righteousness, they vilify others. It is human nature that people beat others down, so that they seem better by comparison. It is bad enough that it happens over the internet, but the same behaviour continues in all human existence. I mean, that’s all war is, rather than sitting down and compromising, someone attacks someone else so they retaliate.  Yes, it is more extreme than internet hate, but the basic idea is the same. *shrugs*

I was trying to point out that there are similarities with parties at both sides of any war. But what people focus on, is the differences. And of course differences end up with conflictions of interest, and this ends up in disagreements which may lead to fighting. But if we look at the similarities, that people want freedom, they want to have healthy families, have a good life, there is little to conflict over. And any differences are just opinions, and they should be treated with grace and people should be allowed to live.

“Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric.”-Bertrand Russell

Free Speech Comes At A Cost

~ Sue ~ 1 Comment

Ok, this is a follow-up to blog I did about journalism and the media, a few days ago.

The reason I am back on this topic again is because of a, much publicised, piece on, fashion magazine, Marie-Claire’s website about fat people on TV. Journalist, Maura Kelly, who wrote about whether ‘fatties should get a room’. This is someone who as a journalist, feels that she should be honest.

“I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room.”

Which is brutal, but it’s the truth, to her. She is stating , not what anyone else thinks, but what she thinks. Bear in mind also, that Ms Kelly works for one of the biggest fashion magazines in the world. This is a branch of society where being stick thin is the norm, and any amount of fat is deemed unacceptable. So I would imagine, if you call a size 14, fat, then you would find someone obsese mortifying.

“I think obesity is something that most people have a ton of control over.”

This is correct. A lot of people with weight issues, do have control and do need to take responsibility. People are advised by Doctors to lose weight, and they choose to ignore medical advice. They just point the finger of blame at someone else, a wonderful product of our culture. Also, she is saying that she believes people DO have control over what they eat. And they do, it’s a person’s decision to watch TV, rather than exercise. As someone who suffered because of an eating disorder, she changed her life around, and believes that ANYONE can change things.
We are frequently told that we are so lucky that we have free speech, and that the media is not controlled. But I believe that it never will be free. Someone stating their opinion gets slated. It’s like, ‘as long as you aren’t offending anyone, then you can say what you want’. Well, that’s opinion, it helps you understand another viewpoint, and realise we are not all cut from the same cloth. So all these people, saying that a journalist should be sacked for stating her opinion, are a disgrace. If there were more journalists in the media, who expressed themselves honesty, then the media would become something worth being interested in. But right now, you have to stick to the same rules and have the same thoughts as everyone else. And, to be honest, I hate it. I hate that no matter which newspaper you pick up, it’s all the same neutered ‘opinions’ that just written in a slightly different way.

You can argue all day with who is at fault for the article. Is it the Ms Kelly, for letting out her harsh opinions? Is it the editor, for giving a vulnerable woman such a personal issue to write about? Is it the site itself, for allowing the story to be published in that state? Is it the people who read this and got so ‘mock offended’, and spread their panic across the internet? Or, is just that too many people want to continue to bury their heads in the sand, despite the fact the fact there is truth in the article?

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whose fault it is. And I don’t believe that Ms Kelly should have had to apologise to some overly sensitive people for her thoughts on the obesity issue. If you truly believe something you write, then show some conviction and stand by it, no matter how large the occurring witch-hunt may become.

It does show that there are parts, within our society which need looked at. The fashion industry, it’s unbelievably size-ist, and I don’t think that Ms Kelly’s opinions are the worst out there. But only by confronting the problem, can we see how  bad it really is, and even educate people from an overweight person’s perspective.

But the main disturbing thing, which came out of this article and it’s notoriety, is the pure hatred being shown towards Ms Kelly. This isn’t people who are as self-righteous as they make out. I mean, they were all taking a personal attacks on Ms Kelly, wanting her fired. This is disgusting, and it made me feel ill. At the time I read the article, there was almost 2,000 comments on it, there is probably so many more now. But almost all the comments were negative. Negative because people on the internet have no idea about a journalists expression to be truthful to oneself. Negative, because the internet is full of it. anonymous people saying that Marie Claire is terrible for allowing the piece to be published. But, are the magazine  not brave, by posting such a ‘hot’ issue, it has opened debate, and is allowing people to see something from somebody else’s perspective.

I applaud Marie Claire and Ms Kelly, because you have ‘stuck your neck out with the article’. You have given a sense of depth into a very one-dimensional field, and should be thanked for it. If people are too arrogant to understand journalism and opinions, then I believe they should just disconnect their internet and stick to their bland, opinionless, newspapers.

_________________

For the record, I am termed as overweight. I am a UK  dress size of 20, and although I am happy with me, I am aware I eat too much rubbish, and don’t exercise nearly enough. But, it is my fault, and only I can change this. And when I do, it will be on my terms.

Opinions

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

People seem to get confused on what an opinion is. If you state an opinion, it is your thoughts, who is anyone to tell you whether they are right or wrong.

But also, whilst people have no issues expressing their own opinion, they can’t accept that there is other opinions. For instance, last night I had a converstation with someone about Hannah Montana. Now whilst this tween phenomenon is not to my taste, I can understand why kids may like it. Its a girl who goes to school, who has a double life as a famous pop star. To me, its not much different than seeing Clark Kent’s double life, and wishing that was you. To have a boring normal life, and then be all fantastic and exciting at the same time? I mean every kid has wanted something like that.

Now I’m not saying Hannah Montana is a superhero, but you can see what kids would see in her.

But this girl, kept on saying that the show was terrible, and all her fans would grow up to be whores. I find that a huge stereotype. Its like saying that all kids who listen to rock music are self-harmers. Its not true, and it is there to make people feel better about themselves.

Almost as if that girl needed to validate whý she didn’t like Hannah Montana. Why do people have such a problem in just stating an opinion, without making excuses for themselves.

FREEDOM

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Freedom! What gives you that sense where you feel completely free?

For me, it’s music. It is something that moves me so much. Whether I am listening to Tchaikovsky or N Dubz or Slayer, music is just so expressive.

Me and Gemma were talking about it yesterday. Because music is written from the heart and involves emotions, it easily effects other people emotionally. So because it’s based on emotion, it should also be open to interpretation. Compared to how a person is feeling, or what they have been through, they may think differently about a song. And artists should be able to accept this.

If people expect their work to be accepted on an emotional level, then they should be aware that people may view it differently. But that’s why I love music so much. It is all open to how I feel, not what others say its about.

Throughout history music has been used to voice opinion when people feel like they have no voice. In states which people feel as if their rights have been. taken away, they often rebel through art such as music. It is a way to get their voices heard. And this sense of unity, as the music brings people together, make the opinion louder.

With the UK on the cusp of becoming depressed under Tory rule, there is great expectations that the underground music scene will become more active again. With the unlimited amount of cutbacks getting pushed forward by government, people will feel jaded.

Because you can use music to describe anything, it will always have a sense of freedom, wherever the music itself comes from.

Punk rock is not dead

~ Sue ~ 2 Comments

If you are talking about the 70s and 80s where punk was publicised everywhere, then yeah, punk is no longer at that stage anymore.

The ideal of punk was that people stood up for themselves, that no matter what society may tell you to do, you only do what you want. Its the ethic that it is YOU that can change your life, not putting your life in the hands of other people.

And now that DIY attitude is in the public domain, it will never die. Punk is the kid brought up on classical music, who goes to see Coldplay in concert. Its the man who wears a bright tie, where his work has a strict dress code. Punk is the little girl wanting to be a singer, when her folks want her to be a doctor.

I suppose, it depends on how you look at punk. But, to me, after being a memeber of an active Scottish punk scene for the last 5 years, I can say that it definately isn’t dead. People all too often, seem to think that punk is just about anarchy and sticking it ‘to the man’. So when they don’t see the national media covering punk, they assume its dead.

Punk has ALWAYS been about being true to yourself. And to be honest, I hope that NEVER dies

Ok seriously?????

~ Sue ~ Leave a comment

Cheers weather.

You seem to know I haven’t got a weekend right now, so you have decided to make it the hottest day of the year.

Grrrrr.

I have been doing my Riot Graphics logo all day, well for a couple of hours. I like it 🙂

I can see the ‘R’ being quite brandable, and I like that. I am getting my designs together for shirts as well, so they should be posted up here within the next few days before I send them off.  I have decided I want a few shirts with just my new logo on them, just to so that I can wear them.
Hence the reason, if you know me, this is posted everywhere.

So that I can see what people think. *sigh*

So if you view this blog AT ALL, or see the logo anywhere else, please tell me what you think about it.  I need to gage opinion before i get business cards and stuff printed out. Right, off to try and cool down for a bit, seeing as it is so so uncomfortably hot.

Ciao