Donald Trump...
I know folks, y'all must be fed up of hearing about him... You already heard it all and made up your mind about it, right?
But You haven't heard MY opinion of him! (Big smiley face)
Be relieved though, this text isn't about Trump and I'm in no position of talking about politic; I am way too unqualified and honestly uneducated on the subject (and also, uninterested)... but the truth is, I'm still not over the fact that he got elected as the president of the United states (for God's sake!).
And let me explain you why...
[...If you are even slightly interested in hearing what I think of mister Donald-king-of-the-world and his wise words, I invite you to keep reading...
But If you really don't want to hear about it, you have the option of skipping to the second part of the text (Which is the main subject of this post)... just after the other yet prettier picture of him.]
I started writing a text about acceptance just before the last american’s election results; I had no intention to talk about the candidates and their campaign nor sharing my political views. I just wanted to share my strong conviction that the world would be a better living place if we would accept differences more strenuously. By accepting differences, we respect each other’s heritage and beliefs. We see people as self-growing identities and we advocate self-expression.
Who America has elected last November is a person who openly promoted racism and sexism in his campaign and seemed to show a lack of the values I was going to talk about in this post a priori .
I do not wish to talk shit about him personally, but like a lot of americans and foreigners who are concerned about where this world is going, I AM UPSET (still).
I saw this whole campaign as a social experiment (and entertainment, I must admit);
We could almost read in the republican candidate’s head: ‘Let me see how far I can go’ … He was pushing the limits, it was almost like a test. A ridiculous test.
He made a lot of people hate him, and a lot more love him. And trust me, I was asking myself why repeatedly, over and over. And I still am.
But now that the show is over, it leaves me to think and understand… what upsets me the most is not what comes out of his mouth, but the repercussions his words might have on people, supporters or not. By having elected such a president at the head of a strong country like the USA, the message passes that it’s OK to be intolerant, it’s OK to be irrational and to show such hostility, it’s OK to be racist, selfish and narcissist. It’s OK to use scandal in order to denigrate someone. It’s OK to be sexist and call other people names. It’s OK to be ignorant and narrow-minded.
Except it’s not OK. This propaganda goes against the progress we have made so far as a society and what the human rights activists have done for us. And this is what makes me sad. We are regressing.
That been said. Enough Trump talking .
Let’s talk about the initial subject of this post: Differences.
I am from a small town in the country side of Quebec and like any other small town, people are doing their own shit and they don’t care much about what’s out there; AKA bigger, louder, vivider shit.
What they do care about though, is what everybody else in town is doing…. So if you’re not sure what you are doing with your life, you can just ask around…people knows.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the country side… its tranquility, its genuinity, its smell…
But holy shyte, people are judgmental and get into your business faster than Star magazine.
I remember hearing often how people in Montreal (the big city) are snob and that nobody would help you if you fall in the street with the content of your purse all over the sidewalk. The truth is, not only they would help you back up, they would also help you pick up every single tampons you dropped, and your pride too. The reason why Montreal (or any big city) has this reputation where I’m from is only because people in Montreal don’t have their nose in other people’s shit… and they don’t get that. It’s not called being snob folks, it’s called minding his own fucking business.
Also, in villages, everyone seems to follow a dress code…I mean, I understand that the shopping is pretty limited over there, but I think people’s mind also is. As soon as you wear something clearly different that anyone else, villagers will start to stare and talk…(and poke you with their pitchfork and burn you at the stake).
They never saw a six feet tall chick wearing six inches heels and a bird nest on her hat before, that’s for sure. Therefore, God knows I couldn’t wait to GTFO of this town… Not only because I was concerned by what people may think back then, but also because I wanted to see diversity… Average Joes and Janes of Shawinigan never had any of my interest. Sorry home town… I’m not dissing or rejecting my roots… But I guarantee you that I don’t belong there. Ever.
Variety of colours is a gift to humanity…And colourful people are a blessing. Without them, there wouldn’t be so much beautiful diversity in art or music… there wouldn’t be revolutions, there wouldn’t be changes… We need that variety of characters and ideas… People who dare. People who step up. People who start shit up so things change. People who aren’t afraid to give more than they get back.
And all this take place in a world of differences.
Because what is life without differences? An empty vessel. An odorless field of faded flowers. A black and white commercial of tasteless crackers. A beethoven music video on mute. A sardine tin can…You get the point…
Non-conformity should be embraced instead of suffering oppression… And this is why I love big cities such as NYC or LA. You can do whatever you want, dress up however you like and nobody will give a flying fuck. They see enough crazy people to not be impressed by your brief fart of originality.
I remember a night in particular, nearly 4 years ago (before the big wave of hipsterism), me and my other tall ass girlfriend went out on a Tuesday night in Soho with black veils covering our face….We acted so normally about it that everyone else did as well. We didn’t do it for attention…. we did it only because we saw those amazing head pieces sold by a crafty woman in the street and they were worth wearing and rocking. So we rock the shit out of them. In NYC, you don’t need an event to dress like Lady Gaga…. In fact, you shouldn’t need an event, ever. Make life your event!
Yes, people will look at you…
Yes, people will talk…
but it doesn’t really matter.
If you dig the hat, wear it… and if you wanna put peacock feathers on it because peacock feathers makes you happy, well, do it!
I will never say it enough….. You gotta be yourself!
But sometimes, you might feel like you don’t fit it, but trust me, it’s totally Ok….
“Never forget that only dead fish swim with the stream”
-Malcolm Muggeridge