Sick Priorities

I'm sick today. For the gazzilionth time this new year, I am sick. I'm not just a little sick, I am sick sick. It's bad. It's a pro-d day today, so I am not actually missing any school. The issue arrises when I come to the realization of the fact that I am sick to the point that I cannot actually enjoy my pro-d day. On this lovely long weekend, I would really like to go out and introduce my friend to bubble tea. I'd like to go get some coffee with my friends. I would kind of like to go to my old school and practice with my panicky partner for an upcoming tournament. Can I do these things? Yes, I can. The problem is, I cannot do them with pleasure, or to the best of my ability. So, I guess in a way, I cannot actually do these things. That is why I will not be doing these things today. Well, not all of them, at least. 

Last night, I felt like I was getting better, so when my girlfriend called me and asked if we were still on for tomorrow, I said sure. Firstly, I really want to get together with her, as I haven't seen her in a while. Secondly, I really wanted to introduce my other friend to the BEST bubble tea in the city. I love going out with these two girls because they're amazing, too. Also, both of these girl's had recently agreed to travel to Victoria with me for 3 nights, just to watch my debate tournament! They seriously deserve me coming out to see them. Another thing is that we agreed to meet relatively close to my place, so I wouldn't be traversing the whole city just to see them (they however, are doing exactly that). So I have decided that because it would unfair for me to cancel a few hours in advance -despite the fact that they could definitely hang out with one another and despite the fact that they wouldn't be at all mad- I will be going to meet them. 

As for the panicky debate partner. He's great! I make fun of him for being a worry-wart, but he really hasn't been all that panicky these last few days - generally, he is though. So I was invited to his school's debate club meeting today, too. They have two sessions, one from 11am and one from 4pm. Both reasonable times, especially the 4pm block, which I'd prefer. However, I will not be able to attend either. Why? Because I woke up too late to attend the early one, and because the early one is also being led by some sex-obsessed cretin, who likes to spread rumours. I wish however, that I would drop this computer right now, go take a shower, put on some normal clothes and go to that practice, so that I can practice with my partner. Sadly, something in my head is telling me that it just isn't that important. I get to be lazy today, right? It's a long weekend, I can prepare my case with my partner some other time online. I'm sick and I don't want to make the relatively long journey over to my old school. Not to mention the fact that I really don't want to wash my hair right now (and I REALLY need to). 

Okay, so why don't I go at 4pm, well because -quite frankly- my friends are more important to me. If I meet them at 2, then I probably won't be able to just talk to them for an hour and then head out to my old school. Also, I think that I need to be at my apartment in order to let my little sister come in from school around 4. Yes, yes, I know, I'm just making up excuses. If I were really sick, I wouldn't be able to go anywhere, and I guess that that's partially true. But think about it, today is Chinese New Year, and the place that has the BEST bubble tea in the city is smack dab in the middle of a Chinese Market Place. That sounds SO interesting and fun! Debate, on the other hand, is starting to feel like a chore for me. I never thought that I'd say it because I was so infatuated with debate when I first started, but it is becoming more and more of a duty, as opposed to a fun time. Even debate with these awesome kids at my awesome old school is starting to feel heavy. As for my new school, the children are rather banal and the coach hates my guts (openly, too), so the lustre of that debate practice had eroded a while ago. In fact it has faded off so much for me that I actually skipped it last time. It's not even a real class! This isn't like when you skip math class or science because you didn't do the homework, or because you just hate the class and are forced to take it. This is like when you have something you love to do, and YOU elect to take it - then you skip it. It makes no sense. There's no homework, no tests - you just skip it. It's terrible. 

Now I will wipe the tears off my face, head for the shower and go meet my friends. We are going to have a good time and learn new things, all about the Lunar New Year. We are going to watch the expression on my friend's face when she tries bubble tea for the first time, and we are going to let loose. I will not think about Debate. 

Lastly, I want to apologize to my remarkable partner for his devotedness and his understanding in all situations. Sorry, I promise to come next Friday, and if you want, meet you over this weekend. You may be the very thing that makes me and Debate's relationship work again. If you are Debate's gift, he made a good choice, a choice which may just make me stay.  

The Girl at the Pool - Part 1

As a swimmer, I get to meet a lot of people who also swim, mostly at my club. These are swimmers of all ages and all types. Since they all swim at the same time, and at roughly the same time, it is easy to determine who is worth your time and who isn't.

Many of the swimmers that I have come across are total stuck up douches, but every so often, you come across someone remarkable. As my little sister is also a swimmer, I get to hear a lot of stories about her friends from the pool and what they do. In a way, my sister's stories let me get to know a person, before actually getting to know them. I learn a lot about each one of her friends and what they do, how funny they are, etc..

One of her friend's, who she mentions most often, I have known for a long time. She is 11 years old, really tall for her age and pretty - in a funky way. She always has a smile and is always talking about stuff. Needless to say, she is my kind of girl. I like people like her.

Ever since I was little, I have had the notion that older people know more than their younger counterparts. Thus, I never would've considered the fact that one day, I'd actually be learning from someone younger than me - but that's exactly what happened.

A few days ago, my little sister came home, and begun divulging a "juicy story" to me. It had to do with the really tall girl. She told me that this girl had sworn during practice, and thus was asked to stay after practice, so that the coach could have a word with her. I was surprised, as this girl really didn't seem like the type who swears. Apparently, some really annoying boy was annoying her, and she said the dreaded words "fuck you" to him. This is no big deal in my age group, but I guess that there are higher standards for younger kids.

Personally, I would have given him more than just a swear word if he had said the things he had said to her to me. I would have punched him in the face - and I'd have every right to do so. He had said that it had slept with the girl's mom. Okay, I mean, I get "mom" jokes, but you can't just go around telling people that you got it on with their mom - especially not out of the blue.

This boy had, according to my sister, been the most annoying living soul ever since he started swimming, with his constant teasing. Anyway, the coach talked to her, and told her all about the negative effects of swearing, and you know, gave her the proverbial "slap on the wrist".

This is always traumatic as a young girl, especially one who isn't used to criticism, so she cried.

What's the point that I'm trying to get at here? Well, I talked to this girl the next time I saw her at the pool. A covenant "shower area" talk. I blatantly asked her about what my sister told me. This girl, being the amazingly wise young girl that she is, admitted. She said that she felt really bad about it. I told her not to worry, and that she's a good kid - that's when she said the stupendous thing. She looked at me and she said "well, it's probably better that I did". Such a simple phrase, but it really got to me. I asked her "why?" And she elaborated. She gave me a very philosophical statement. This really tall girl said "well, you know, if I hadn't said anything, then I just would've kept it inside. And then, one day, I'd just get a gun and kill everyone." Initially, I laughed, and I told her that I totally supported her decision.

That night, I went home contemplating the complexities of life. (I'm trying to say I had nothing to do, so I just thought about whatever I could). Then the thought popped into my mind. What she had said was true entirely. You can't live your whole life only observing injustice, you actually have to voice it  - for your own good. You need to say what's on your mind, otherwise you'll end up doing exactly what she said - grabbing a gun and killing everyone.

I really did think long and hard about this. The degree of political correctness that currently exists in our society. Everyone encourages you to speak your mind, but they don't actually want you to. If your opinion is any different from the social norm, society will eat you up and spit you out. Those people that want you to voice your opinion, only want you to do so if your opinion is the same as their's. That's BS, in my opinion. So I realized that I need to speak up. If I don't, well then I'll probably end up killing either myself, or those around me. I don't want either.
I asked myself: "what is a social injustice that I need to speak up about?" I couldn't really think of anything that was within reach. The typical ideas of world peace and poverty came to mind, but those were just impossible. The next thing that came up was probably the most prominent thing in my life. Debate. I thought about all the injustices that take place in debate. How there are always undeserving winners, and how the tournaments are -for the most part- fixed. I decided to speak up. I decided to say what the majority was thinking, but how? I knew that most of the people in my school agreed that the tournaments were fixed. I knew that this rigging had actually made so many of the debaters in my club fed-up. Some weren't even going to tourneys with the intention of winning, rather just for fun. These debates had crushed the hopes of success of so many children. Somebody needed to say something.

The Girl at the Pool - Prologue

The past few weeks have been absolutely spectacular for me. They have been jam-packed with debates and oh how I adore debates. Oh I hate the antics of debates.

As you may have noticed, I haven't been super active on my blog for the past 20 days. Why? I've been busy writing a post. A post about the debates.

During these eventful debates, I found out a lot of things about society. All of these events played out over the course of 3 days or so, and they were all triggered by a seemingly small event. My initial thought was that I should blog about it, so I did. Before I started, I thought that I would be able to fit these 3 days in one post of my usual length. I know, I know, I have really long usual posts, but they aren't that bad. 

I thought that these 3 days, regardless of how eventful they were, would fit into about 1500 words. I was so wrong. I started writing, and the words, the feelings, couldn't stop. My fingers were on fire, and before I could realize it, I was already at 3000 words. Alright, but at least I was done, right? Wrong. I wasn't even a quarter of the way through. I realized that this was going to be a huge post, but I kept on writing. I just had so much to say.

A week in,  I had 8000 words, and about 10 pages. I still wasn't done, though. Then I encountered a formatting error, and asked my mom about it. To help me, she began scrolling through my post, and noticed that there didn't seem to be an end. Then she asked me, "Nat, are you writing a novel? You can't post this. Nobody has time to read a novel, people read posts. If you really want to do this, then post it in parts." At first, I thought that she was wrong, and I kept on writing. Then when I got to 10000 words, I realized that I was going to keep going, and no one would have a whole day to spare to read my post - not even those who the post actually pertains to. So I made the decision, and I agreed with mom, who was right - as usual. 

I broke my silence with posting a post about posers, and writing a new post about people that take my food. Then I proceeded to divide my enormous post. Once that was all done and I had my parts, I needed a time frame. I decided I'd post about one or two parts of my enormous post per week. So that is what I'll be doing.

In between, I will most likely do what I always do, and post a few critiques on society. For the most part however , I will be talking about these few days of debate and the things that I learned. I figured that an introduction, or prologue, would be a necessary accompaniment my first blog series: The Girl at the Pool.

A story of about 4 days, four of the most eventful days of my short life. I am ever so grateful for these days, for they have taught me so much. I have been faced with criticism, cowardliness, anger and despise, which have all come together to help my find out what I want to be. Some people may feel that I am too young to understand things clearly - that I am too bold. Some people may think that I am suffering from a deep and terrible form of teen angst, but I don't think so. I am fed up with being constantly asked to censor myself, I am sick of seeing adolescent children being too scared to speak their minds. I am sick of seeing people exploiting others, I am sick of corruption and of the double standards that are all put forth in this place. I want it to stop.

I want to initiate some freedom. I hope that this post inspires someone to take a stand, and to be strong enough to face the consequences, all in the name of doing what's right. I understand if I fail, though. Perhaps society has killed your soul so much, and perhaps it has forced you to be a puppet, who's only service is to play the role society wants you to. Perhaps, I am dumb for hoping, regardless, I will hope. Speaking your mind is not against the law, you aren't going to jail for it, so relax. Nothing can happen to you, nothing that you can't fight. 

One girl at the pool set me on fire (figuratively). One statement I made, in which I exercised my right to free speech, set off a chain of events. One guy, who is too scared to speak his mind, shows glimmers of hope. One woman, who likes to preach, but doesn't know how to act herself seems to lose. One double standard setting coach stoops to the level of stammering out of a room. One good friend tries her best to seem good on both sides. One principal makes statements equivalent to those of Elizabeth Gilbert. And one girl fighting to be free. All of these characters play a part in this story that I have written - a journal of sorts.

The first part will be coming out tomorrow, and I hope that you enjoy it.  

Hobos

Since I've been busy writing a novel, which I will be posting in the near future, I haven't really had much time to post some short critiques recently. I figured I'd break my "silence" with a short post about something that has been bothering me for a long time. It once again has to do with some of the culture in my current school. Perhaps this culture is prevalent in other schools as well, but I do not know, and thus will not speak for those. My problem is simple - it has to do with my lunch.

I have a lovely mother. She is a talented cook, and she always finds the time to make the other members of my family lunch. So everyday, before I leave for school, my mom hands me my lunch. Everyday it is something different. Generally, it is healthy and made from some good-quality food. There is a snack, a sandwich and a treat. Most of the time, all the food groups are represented - for these reasons, I am ever so grateful to my mom for making me lunch. This sounds great, right? What in the world could I complain about now? Well, what I will be complaining about will be the problems that I have to deal with at school because of my lunch.

What is the issue that I encounter due to my lunch at school? People take it. Annoying little twerps steal my lunch. Actually, it's not stealing, it's called "begging". There are two girls in particular, who behave like hobos around my food. When I take out my lunch, they flock to it.

The most repeat offender is a chubby girl, with the world's highest voice. She comes up to me, and with her shrill, shrill voice and her batting eyelashes asks me for my lunch. Sadly, she doesn't just straight up ask me "can I have your lunch?" She asks me in an extremely -for lack of a better word- whore-ish way. She says "whatcha got there?" Then I tell her. Then she basically begins touching my food, levitating her finger an inch above it, and asks "can I have some?"

Look, in my head I say something along the lines of "no you cannot have some, bitch! This is my lunch, it's not my fault that your parents don't care enough to actually give you lunch money, or make you a lunch. Go get your own lunch or beg someone else." But in reality, my parents taught me to give to the less-fortunate, so I always let her have some. She isn't really less-fortunate, but she acts that way. Anyways, I give her part of my lunch, and after her shameless begging, she proceeds to shamelessly devour it. She doesn't eat it like a human, she eats it the way a hyena would rip and tear the carcass of a zebra. Her manner of eating reminds me a lot of that of a person who has just come home after being lost in the woods for days, and hasn't eaten and is on the brink of death.

Is this girl going to die if she doesn't take bites the size of a lumberjack's? Is she going to go into some state of shock if she doesn't put the entire sandwich in her mouth within one second of me permitting her poor soul to eat it? No, plain and simple, no. She is going to be fine, but she acts as if she isn't. That is the annoying part. What's more, is that this isn't a occasional thing, this is an everyday thing. Is this fair to me? Should I be giving some girl, who isn't my friend food? Should I be giving a girl who immediately leaves after eating my food, my food? I don't think so. I get nothing from that except knowing that I helped a person. At the same time, I'm jeopardizing my mental sanity by doing that, so I recently decided that I would no longer give her my food.

The other girl is different. She does this thing where she puts her face so close to my food that it appears as if she is going to make out with it. Her face is so close, and she widens her eyes so wide, and she stalks my food. Also, totally inappropriate. What's worse about this girl is that she has her own food, but she wants mine too. Since I dislike her more, I never give her my food.

One fine day, the first girl from this story came up to me. She asked me for my food. I knew that as soon as I gave it to her, she would leave me, as if I were a disposable napkin. I wasn't a napkin, nor did I deserve to be treated like one. I didn't want to give her my food. She did her usual thing of batting eyelashes and whatever else, but I said no. She made a pouty face and pretended to cry, but I didn't budge. Then she looked up and uttered the word "please". It was still a no, and I proceeded to explain why. 

"[Insert name here], every single lunch you take my food, that isn't okay. You're not my friend, you just use me to eat food. As soon as I give you food, you leave me. You don't really say hi to me in the halls, all you do is ask for food. I give it to you because I feel so sorry for you. I feel as if you're a hobo with nothing, but at the same time, I know that you aren't. You're just too lazy to make yourself lunch in the morning, and you thus have to exploit yourself by begging for food. It's not nice, and it isn't respectful, not to me, or to yourself. Just stop. I'm not going to give you food anymore. Simply put, I feel like you are a leech, who sucks my blood and then leaves in search of new prey."

Her reaction to my explanation only served as proof as to why she is so shameless. She simply looked at the ground, batting her eyelashes again, and said "sorry, so can I have some?"

What the fuck? Did she not hear me? I just went all life-coach/motivational speaker on her, and clearly stated that I didn't want to give her my food, but she asked for it again. I realized that it would be pointless to argue with her, for she was too dumb. So I told her once again, "no, you may not have some of my lunch". She walked away.

The next day, I discussed the issue with my friend, who also said that she feels bad for the girl and thus, gives her food. Then it happened. My other friend came screaming down the hall: 

"[Insert name here] has a lunch!"The girl had come to school with a lunch and had actually said hi to me when she saw me. Quite an improvement, if I do say so myself.

People. Some of them are just so shameless and so annoying. But, with enough backbone, and enough confidence, they can stop being so annoying. Put them in their place and tell them what you feel, since everyone else is too busy being "fake nice", your honesty will come as a breath of fresh air. You'll change them for the better.

Posers

Do you know a poser? You probably do, there are some in almost every setting in society. They are those annoying people that pretend to be something that they aren't. The posers sub-breed that I will be discussing today is the sub-breed that likes to pretend they have just walked out of a Tupac video. Generally, they try and imitate the mannerisms and physical appearance of people they consider to be from "the hood". I don't want to sound racist, but in most cases these are people who aren't black, trying to imitate the stereotypical black gang member.

Alright, so now that we've gotten the explanation out of the way, let's begin on why I find them annoying. I dislike posers, because I dislike people who try really hard to look "cool". I also dislike them because they are a type of valley girl. Lastly, I dislike them because they are not comfortable in their own skin.

Today, after being put into a group for a project with a poser, I felt inclined to write this post as a rant. Mostly about that one person, but as a rant in general, with examples from my vast experience with posers.

Alright, how is a poser similar to a valley girl? Well, it's very simple really. Valley girls are those annoying girls, who try and imitate pop culture figures, and in the process, grossly exaggerate those figures mannerisms. Posers are the same, only they aren't necessarily imitating pop culture figures. So hopefully you are now able to see the striking similarity between a poser and a valley girl.

Now let's talk about this guy, who decided to join my group today. First of all, I want to note that he walked from the other side of the room, where he and his friends sit, to come to my group. He could have stayed on the other side, but no, he came to my group. Surprising, considering that he is creeped out by me. I'm assuming that he did it because he knew that I would do all the work and that he could play on his phone. So this poser, and my friend started talking and snap chatting and whatever else partially retarded children do. (Not that my friend is partially retarded, she just hates doing work and talking about literature, so she leaves that to me.) Anyway, this poser guy was sitting there, and then begun asking me some questions. I didn't really listen to him, but it was a question that he has been asking me for a long time, and I never want to answer it, but he is persistent. I managed to hush him and he gave up for the rest of the day. Now he turned on his phone again. He began scrolling through his Facebook Newsfeed. It was so hilarious that I actually was unable to hold back the giggles. Maybe I'm sexist and this should be fine for guys as well as girls, but I just don't think so. His Facebook Newsfeed was overflowing with pictures and posts about Air Jordan shoes. I'm sorry, I just don't get it! I rarely see girls with that many posts on their feed about shoes, but guys? Come on, give me a break! To me, this was hilarious, and as I said, I was unable to hold back laughs. He turned around, and I guess that he thought that I was laughing at something the teacher said, because he just looked back to the front of the class. He even complimented my lovely polka-dot socks, before turning all the way back around.

Now, let me get to what makes this dude a poser. It's the outfit. His outfits are consistently changing, but never by much. He always has some sort of "bling-age", whether it be a gold chain around his neck, or a big ring on his finger. He usually wears a baggy white shirt or some kind of Adidas track jacket, and on the bottom - baggy jeans. I appreciate the fact that his jeans are actually around his waist as opposed to his knees. This is a welcome change, since most male posers these days wear their jeans around their knees. I think that the whole "pants around the knees" thing has actually become the boy's version of cleavage. Know what I mean? Girls pull their shirts down in order to show off their generally tiny breasts, boys pull their pants down in order to show off their generally stupid looking boxers. I guess it's only fair.

Now I'm off topic again. Okay, so what else makes him a poser, apart from the hilarious outfit - his behavior. Everything from the way he walks, to the way he talks is a calculated move, done with the intent to seem as "black" as possible. He walks with so much "swagger", oh wait! Never mind, it's only swagger if you're actually cool, not if you're trying to have swagger. He talks using a swear word in every sentence, and of course, he always greets people with the word "yo". Ain't life grand? Of course, he is an active user of social media, and a big fan of rap music - especially Kanye West.

So this guy, with a relatively heavy Asian accent, thinks that he was born and raised in the "hood". He thinks that Tupac is his best friend (regardless of the fact that he's dead). And saddest of all, he thinks that he is actually more cool pretending to be, then actually being himself.

He thinks that being someone else is as simple as copying them. Their walk, their talk, their look - but it isn't. You can tell who actually tell if a certain look suits someone or not. Not everybody looks awesome when dressed like Biggie. Why? Because I can picture Biggie and Tupac holding up guns and snorting cocaine, but can I imagine my class poser doing that - no! In fact, I'd venture to say that he'd run at the sight of a gun. I don't think that he could do anything that would even remotely qualify as living "thug life". I'm pretty sure that the most "bad-ass" thing that he's ever done was not hand in an assignment, though he claims that he once beat up some kid.

So this poor, little, rich kid is dissatisfied with himslef and he tries to be some one he's not. Really, I think that he's a big softie and that he's actually very nice and funny, but his poser-ness is so repulsive that I can't actually look past it.

So please poser, if you read this, please don't be afraid. You're a good person deep down, you have no need to hide in Biggie's shadow. Show people who you really are, and you'll make real friends, not just those that like you for your gangsta-ness, yo. Thanks for reading!

Over-Sensitivity

Today is Christmas Eve for me. It is a time to spend with family. I'm supposed to be relaxed and have a good time performing all the traditions that are associated with the Serbian Orthodox Christmas. What am I doing instead? Blogging. Why am I blogging? Do I have anything to gain from it and couldn't it wait a few days, until all my festivities are over? In most cases, yes. However, when I see something as appalling as I did today, blogging about it, unfortunately, cannot wait.

The thing that I am referring to is this article that I saw today when I opened Yahoo! Mail to check my email. The article, written by Caitlin McCormack is on Yahoo!'s home page. It is like a giant eye sore of the face of Yahoo!. Let me make myself perfectly clear, it is not so much Yahoo!'s article that I am annoyed with; rather society's reaction. Yahoo! has made it's job to post/re-post the news. In general, they post -in my opinion- banal articles about pop-culture, i.e. the things that most of the people in North America care about. So, if we look at Yahoo!'s track record, we can assume that they would post an article explaining something that has caused quite a large public up-roar. That is exactly why I am appalled. If I had seen this exact article on my friend's blog, I would've laughed and brushed it off as a "one-off". The sad part is that I saw this article on one of the most visited websites in the world. Due to so many people complaining, Yahoo! felt inclined to post about this article, and put it on their homepage.

So what was the article about? The article was about -if you haven't read it from the link I provided already- a new shirt from Urban Outfitters, which had the word "depression" written over it in a bunch of different font sizes. It talked about how people had criticized Urban Outfitters, how their was a social outcry -once again- over the message that the shirt contained. Sorry, I may be the most insensitive person in the world, but I don't see what was wrong with the shirt. In fact, I saw something wrong with those people that were complaining. By complaining, they were putting down the artist's work, and they were trying to peer pressure people out of buying the shirt. In a way, they were saying something along the lines of, "if you buy that shirt, you are being a bad human being - someone with no ethics." Was this right on their part? No, in my opinion it was not. They may talk about how their statement is them expressing their opinion, them using their right to free speech - but is it really? In one way, yes, but in another it is that person making a contradictory statement. They are giving themselves the right to expression of opinion and to free speech, but at the same time, they are putting down another person who expressed him/herself.

So, what do I want to discuss? I want to discuss the oversensitivity of people in today's society. Why did these people all find this shirt so horribly offensive? Was is because they were/are all clinically depressed? Probably not. Was it because they just hated Urban Outfitters? Maybe, but probably not. (For the record, I own a few garments from Urban Outfitters. None are so controversial, but they are nice and I really like them.) So why did the public find this shirt -along with a flurry of other Urban Outfitters- so offensive? Because they are, quite frankly, too sensitive. In fact, I am trying to hold my tongue to not say that a lot of the these people are simply brainwashed. They are a brainwashed to believe that if something is not "politically correct" according to their neighbours standards, that then that thing is wrong and deserves to be publicly shamed, flogged and exterminated.

These people don't realize that by all going out to insult the same thing, they are simply demonstrating their brainwashed-ness. They cannot think for themselves, they cannot tell right from wrong for themselves - all they can do is listen and mindlessly nod their heads in agreement. Now, I am getting off track and thinking of things that are unnecessary. Let me get back on track to the topic of oversensitivity.

Let's assume that these people who scrutinize every little thing that is done, these people who consider themselves God, these people that think that they need to be the ones who regulate what can be shown to the public and what can't, aren't brainwashed. Let's assume that these people simply have their own opinion about what's right and what's wrong. Why do they find something like this one word SO offensive? Why do they see the people who made this shirt as antagonists? Why are they willing to spend such a large amount of time on expressing outrage against an issue that does not affect them? I believe that it is because they have nothing better to do with their lives, and because they are raised through the media and through society to be way too oversensitive. This is the only explanation that I come up with.

As for why they paint the creators of the shirt as antagonists, it is probably because they are too envious that these people have the boldness to write that on a shirt. They know that they cannot do what the creators of the shirt have done, and they thus think that they should shoot down those peoples' ideas. All of these folks think that they have earned the right to play God. They think that they should be able to express their opinion and shoot down anybody that proposes any idea that opposes theirs. These people need to be shown that they haven't earned the right to criticize their fellow man so closely. These people need to stop being so hypocritical.

Most of all, these people need to take a look around them, and stop being so sensitive to every little issue, especially those that don't affect them personally. Just chill. Stop freaking out at one word that it written on a shirt. If the same shirt was put on sale to the public by the Mental Health Association, and if it was said that 30% of proceeds will go to benefit patients of depression - I guarantee you that people would praise the shirt. Why are these people so easily swayed by a brand name? Why do they wait for every opportunity to jump and attack a person, who simply wants to demonstrate artistic freedom? Because they are simply bad people, or at least stupid people.

I have so much more to say, but by now I really should be getting back to the festivities. Thanks for listening to this rant!

N.B. Urban Outfitters was also criticized at one point for blasphemy and stereotyping. In the near future, I will be posting about how these issues of stereotyping and blasphemy were grossly exaggerated.

Incompetence

As many of my readers know, I am a debater. I love debate and it is pretty much the only passion that I have. It gives me motivation to go to school and to actually do something with my life, but that's beside the point. The issue that I will be writing about today, is one of great annoyance to me. It is about the sheer incompetence of people, but not just any people, people who are supposed to be competent in their respective areas of work. I will be using a recent example from my debating life to portray the issue of incompetence, for it struck a chord with me.

Before I go into detail about that, it is important that I explain the circumstances: When I was in grade 8, I was in the debate club at my school. It was, for lack of a better word, good. I had many friends and a sublime coach. In fact, the coach at that school had taught me everything I know about debate in that one year. She was amazing. She organized all the tournaments, and just really cared about our success in debate. Anyways, I transfered schools in grade 9 because the curriculum at my grade 8 school was not up to my parents standards. I transferred to the highest ranked public school in all of the province. It also was said to have a superior debate team. They had achievements to show for it, too. Sadly however, this new school's reign of superiority would end the very year that I show up. Why? Because the school was raking up achievements from two senior students alone. When these senior students left, the achievements and ability to debate, apparently left with them.

I was now stuck in a school, which I had initially thought would have so much to teach me about debate, that had not very many spectacular debaters. So quickly, I became presented, by both fellow debaters and teachers, as "one of the star debaters on the team". Don't get me wrong, it was a title I had long wanted, but not one that I had ever expected to be fathomable. I thought that because I had come from a school that wasn't as great in the debate rankings, that I would have a hard time keeping up with the amazing debating that was supposedly happening in this school. Honestly, I didn't. I even began questioning how in the world they got any debating done, because they didn't have an awesome coach like I had in my old school, they had no coach. The system of coaching at this new school relied, and still relies on, older students with more experience coaching younger students with less experience. This system is simply bound to fail. Just because a student has debated longer, does not mean that they are better than a younger student. Honestly, experience doesn't mean much. You may have gone to a bunch of debates because your parents forced you, and you could have been tuned out for most of the debate. Also, there is a sad reality and it is that, quite frankly, you may just not be that good at debate.

So now, at this new school, I am the star debater. The club expects that I offer some sort of help to younger students, and I do. In fact, I wrote a whole 8 page/3000 word (shown below on my first post) guide on how to debate cross examination style. It sounds like the good life, right? I don't mind the pressure that I have when I go to tournaments - I love the pressure. I want to win and I strongly believe that I could win, on one condition.  A good partner. Sadly, debate requires you to put your trust into a partner. I prefer to do things myself, so that I can control everything, but in debate, I can't. I have to put my shot at a win in the hands of some other kid. Even if I debate fantastically, and get great scores, it doesn't matter. If my partner screws up, it screws me up. Quite a problem for a control freak like myself, right? Wrong. I like to control things, but I am willing to put my trust into a person who earns it. The issue is that, with all these massively important tournaments coming up, there is no partner at my new school that is up to par with me. Thus, I cannot put my trust into anybody. If I want to continue going to tournaments, I have to.

So, in grade 9, I sort of gave up on winning. I told the senior students (who are also the coaches) that I wanted to debate, but I didn't care who my partner was. I payed for that statement because I didn't win much. I got third place at this one tournament, and I was satisfied.

Anyway, now in grade 10, I have decided that enough is enough. It is the last year that I can compete as a junior, and I want to make it count. I want to win something, and I cannot do that with a okay-ish partner. This year, a miracle happened. I was at a big tournament with a nice partner. Seriously, she was awesome. She has a ways to go in debate, but she is a good person. Regardless, during this big tournament, I got to reconnect with some of the debaters from my old school. After talking a bit with them, I realized that their team is still improving, and I was quite frankly envious.

Once that debate was over, I took the initiative and messaged one of the debaters from my old school, who I had talked with. I asked him if he would be willing to be my partner for a big upcoming debate. He told me that he had wanted to ask me the same thing, and so our partnership began! I was really excited, and I finally felt like I could achieve something in debate. The issue is that we would have to be a hybrid team.

Hybrid teams are allowed, but frowned upon. People don't like the idea that you may form a "power team", if you become a hybrid team. Now, my new partner -being the squeamish type that he is- was worried about whether or not we'd be allowed to go as a hybrid team. Hybrid teams had been formed before, so there was no reason that we wouldn't be allowed to go as a hybrid team. Sadly, one tournament organizer -who, quite frankly, had no clue what she was talking about- had tried to tell my partner that hybrid teams weren't allowed. When my partner informed me of this, I told him to use his logic and question why previous teams were allowed to go as hybrids, if we aren't. After much repetition, he believed me, but asked me for proof. Since the tournament organizer had said that hybrids weren't allowed, everyone -including both of our coaches- had believed her. It was now up to me to prove her wrong.

I did this with minimal effort. I simply looked up the the rules of the Debate Society of BC, and there it was. Under section 6.1, there was a rule that clearly stated that hybrid teams are allowed, if permitted by the President and the Regional Coordinator. Regardless, I was appalled by the incompetence of my debating peers. Anyway, now that I had proved that, I requested from the tournament organizer that our team be allowed to compete as a hybrid. She gladly complied, and my partner and I thought that we were on our way to success. We had another small task ahead of us: it was to get permission to compete as a team from the president, in the Regional tournament.

Being the lazy person I am, I requested that my partner do the dirty work. In other words, I asked him to write the letter to President. I however, had missed a small detail. I had forgotten that my partner was/is probably the nicest guy in the world. He gladly accepted the chore, and wrote the nicest request letter in the whole world. It was too kind for the type of woman that this President was. She responded back, telling him that the answer was no, due to the concern of power teams. She also said that the only time a hybrid team can be approved is when one student does not have a debate club at their school. My partner was very sad and genuinely apologized to me, thinking that it was his fault. I told him not to worry and that I'd sort it out. We set up a date to meet, and we wrote a new letter. In this one, we provided proof of precedent and explained that the rule of her association is open to interpretation. She never replied.

Well, I guess she did. Only, she replied after the registration deadline for the tournament. At this point, we had already registered as separate teams and and no chance of going to the tournament. She also did not respond as to why other teams in the past were allowed to compete as hybrids. She basically avoided all the tricky questions. For that, I have a very clear goal set out. Since the tournament that she is organizing is on January 18th, I have decided that I will talk to her face to face. My goal is no longer to become a hybrid team, rather to shame her, for she was a liar and a coward.

I already have in mind what I will say. I have not let my friend from my old school know, as I am sure that he'd be opposed to the idea. He is too nice, and I'm assuming, does not think that she deserves this. I am not on to turn the other cheek. I will have her reprimanded for preventing me from doing something that would almost ensure winning for me, and so that she never has the opportunity to do such a thing again.

Though I had originally intended this post to be about the incompetence and fear that people have about looking into a rule. It turned into a rant about my being prevented from attending a tournament in the fashion I wish. I hope that no one minded too much. Thanks for listening! 

Typicality

Walk into the open concept classroom. Glance through the enormous windows and feast your eyes on the half wilderness, half industrialized view. The tall evergreen trees and the modern university facilities contrast each other in a far from perfect way. It is rather disgusting, but I attempt to block out the man made objects and focus purely on the small patch of forest. My attempt fails after my perfect view becomes blocked by the most boring woman in the world. Everything about her is boring. Her hair is typical, her eyes are typical, her bone structure is typical, everything else is too. She isn't especially skinny, nor is she especially fat. She is in between. Her makeup is done in a very normal way. Nothing about her stands out, nothing about her is even remotely special, so why is she blocking my view? Why am I unable to disregard her plainness? I fell into a deep pondering over the issue while she began speaking. I was tuned out for the most part, but I had mastered the art of listening while thinking. Not a very useful skill, but useful enough that every so often, when I am called out in class and asked to answer a question, I can. Once again, something interrupted my thinking; it was my peer. It's the tiny Asian girl who sits beside me. She is as annoying as they come. She hates her own culture and she is way too jumpy - a valley girl of sorts. She shows me her phone, a picture of me is on it. She took the photo just a few minutes ago. It is a picture of me doing my thinking. It has a few likes, and there is a comment from a boy who used to go to school with me. The comment says "dayuuummmm, she a hottie :0 say hi to her for me". "God, what an annoying douche", I thought to myself. Then, one of the many voices in my head asked me, "Who, the Asian girl or the guy who commented?" "Both" I responded to the voice. Why were these people so annoying? I didn't know.

Now that this little ball of annoyance had disturbed my peace, I began to look around the classroom, in search of non-annoying creatures. Surprisingly, the only people who I didn't consider annoying were those that I didn't know. In fact, even some of the anonymous beings were annoying. There was something repulsive about their physical appearance. One of them of course, was this new teacher.

As I said, she was the world's most typical woman. I had a little day dream: In some random factory, miles and miles away, there is a conveyor belt. On this conveyor belt, millions of females, just like my new teacher, are rolled down, packed and exported.

Why did I hate this teacher who didn't stand out? I thought about the subject again.

Anyway, I don't want to keep boring you with this story, but I'd like to sum up why I hated her. I hated her because of her plainness. I hated her because there was nothing that she could do wrong. You can't do wrong if you're perfectly identical to society's norms, in every single way. Yes, hate is a strong word, but I did hate her. She was so annoying. Her boringness was annoying. I hated the fact that, for the rest of the school year, I'd have to come to this soulless android's class, every second day.