Friday, 4 December 2009

Manners

People have them, people should have them, people say they have; people don't always have them.

I hate it when people don't have manners.

The other day I went to the post office to collect a package, it was raining outside, there was a huge queue inside, a woman opened the door to come in, she had a pram with her child in it, and was having difficulty opening the door and pushing the pram inside, everyone looked, no one cared.
So I went to hold the door open for her so she could come in. Everyone looked, and the woman said thank you, and told her son to say thank you to the nice lady. I told her it was fine.
But seriously, why didn't anyone else want to do anything?

I think it is human nature to want to feel superior, that we are better than others, but this bothers me. A lot!

I was in a pub with friends and they were all eating. Someone who worked there (not a waitress cause it's a pub), came over to clear away empty plates and glasses. I moved out the way, helped hand her a couple of glasses and said thank you. Other people just completely ignored her, as if she was a nobody. They didn't look at her, they didn't stop what they were doing to let her pick up things, didn't say thank you; just sat there talking.
I'm sorry but I find this HORRIBLE. The woman is simply doing her job, she is not a nobody, she is not worth less than others. A simple thank you and a smile I'm sure she would appreciate, is that so hard?

We are all people, yes we want to be the best, but it doesn't mean that others are worth less than us. It's what we want, we don't want to admit it, but it is.
Can't we care for others, realise that we are all people, and deserve respect. A thank you, a smile, a helping hand, is that really so hard?

Thursday, 5 November 2009

Prejudice

Judging people, without knowing them.
You'd say that's a bad thing?

Well, it's human nature. We ALL do it, and probably without thinking about it.

But still, these prejudices, I do not like them.
I wish I could say I do not judge people, but I do. I try not to.

They can be small or big prejudices. Some of which you may think are "normal", which is what is most worrying.

  • Fat people eat a lot.
  • Jewish people have weird beards and hats.
  • Black people will try to rob you.
  • Skinny people are anorexic.
  • Blondes are stupid.
  • Being clever means you're a geek/nerd.
  • Having sex is one of the most important things.
  • Seeing a therapist means you're insane.
  • Old people are smelly and stupid.
  • Young people are stupid and superficial.

These are just 10 that I could things of off the top of my head. I know the list goes on and on and on.
And how many of those are true?
N-O-N-E

You may say to yourself "but I know a stupid blonde, I know a crazy person who sees a therapist"

Yes, you will obviously know someone who fits into each category. But the point is that it's not because one person fits a category, that everyone does.
For example, say you know one young person who is stupid and superficial, that does not mean that EVERY young person is stupid and superficial.
This is the big problem.

We all know someone who fits into a category, and this progresses to us expecting such things.
This means that whenever we are introduced to someone, we judge them, categorize them.


I see a therapist. I am not crazy.
I am fat. I do not eat a lot.
I am young. I am not stupid or superficial.


We are all people. We all have feelings. We all have qualities and flaws. Not everyone can like us.
But, being disliked because of someone judging you for something which is basically rumour, is pathetic.
So pathetic.

It makes me lose hope in the human race.

Why can't people just get to know others, instead of judging them and distancing themselves.


Prejudices are the chains forged by ignorance to keep men apart.

Countess of (Marguerite Gardiner) Blessington

Money. This evil thing.

I actually should be getting ready to go to the library before uni.. So this may be a bit rushed

After reading my friend's blog a while back, she mentioned MSF and IMC, it got me angry.
Not because of what was mentioned, but because of money.
Yes, MONEY.

That HORRIBLE word.
I hate it, I really do.
(well, actually I love having money, but it's more the concept of money and what it makes people do/not do)

Money is an evil thing.
All is does is create conflict, divides people, makes people rich and powerful whilst making others poor and insignificant.

I'm sick and tired of this whole idea of the more money you have the better you are, and if you have less than a certain amount you qualify as scum.
I admit that sometimes I follow society; not so much with the idea of the more money the better, but more I feel uncomfortable around homeless people.

But the main thing that bothers me with money is that the people who have money, do nothing or very little with it.
I mean, there are people who have loads of money, and use it for personal benefit, which is fair enough, it is their money, but I think that if you have the ability to help others, you should. So when people with lots of money solely use it for themselves, it gets me angry.

There are people out there who NEED it.

It reminds me of a scene in Hancock, where there is a meeting between rich people from pharmaceutical companies, and this one person wants them to give one of their medicines, for free, to people in Africa who can't afford it.
And these men look stunned,
"Did you say for free?"

As if giving something, to people who really need it, without getting paid, is a completely alien concept which would kill them.
It angers me that people don't give more often, that money is all they live by.

You don't realise it, but pretty much everything in everyday life is controlled by money.
How much you spend on food. How long you leave your lights on because of bills. How you travel because of the cost of a ticket. What clothes you wear because of laundry and paying for the water and the washing powder. Or what to buy because it'll cost x and it might be cheaper next week. Or if you can go out with friends, because you'll need to spend x.

It really frustrates me that we are all so restricted, because of money.
People think money=happiness. IT DOES NOT!

Yes I have money, well, my mother does, compared to people here at uni with me, I'm comfortable as they say. So when my friends need money, they want to go out and spend time with friends, but have only £10 for the next week, I will buy them drinks. If they need money to buy books, or clothes, or a present or anything really, I will lend them the money.
And everyone seems so surprised by this.
"You're lending them money? But they might not pay you back!"

and, so what?

Am I going to die, starve, fail uni or anything bad, because I've lent my friend £20?
No, I won't, and in the process I have made someone smile if just for a moment, does that not matter?

It gets me so angry, so disappointed, so sad for people.
We are losing important parts of ourselves because of money. It can control our friendships, our family, our "label" in society.
It makes people restrict themselves, be mean, hate others, causes conflicts, and then it can fail and cause chaos (eg bankruptcies/recession).

Remember when the petrol prices went up? It caused such an uproar. All people saw was the price increase, they didn't think about WHY it went up, or WHERE it came from, or WHO was responsible, all they thought was "it's gone up, I have to spend more money"

I find it unbelievable that people allow money to rule their world. That bits of paper, coins, and imaginary money (when you go to the bank, there is no actual hard money there, when you check your bank account, they are just numbers on a screen...)
can cause so much pain, so many conflicts and debates and just... be such an important part in everything, when it really shouldn't be.

And a quote I found

"He does not possess wealth; it possesses him."

Benjamin Franklin

People can be mean

Relationships, be they friendships, or romantic, are uneven.

Right now, I'm talking about friendships.
In the relationship, there is always someone who likes the person more than the other.
You compare it in percentage, kind of like 40%/60%.

We expect more from others, because we would be willing to do that much more for them.

People are selfish, inconsiderate, caring, compassionate; all in different amounts.
Some people are more selfish than others, whilst some are more caring and giving than others.
It's how the world works.
It still sucks.

People do things, say things, without thinking, and don't realise how it may or may not affect other people.
Saying something in a harsh voice may upset someone. Saying something with no emotion may upset someone. Saying something happily may upset someone.
It's so easy to upset people, and we don't even think about it.

We all do and say things which affect people. Sometimes it's people we know, and sometimes it's people we don't know, like a person on the street or in a shop.

I think people should seriously look at themselves, try to put themselves on the receiving end of what they say, and reconsider how they act and/or what they say.

It can be something small, or something big, which upsets someone.

People can be nice, but they can be mean.
I feel that as a race, we don't care much about upsetting people, as long as we get what we want.
I do not understand this. And I cannot accept this.

So people, think about others.

Racism

Race, racism, hate... such a big topic.

I do not understand racism. And most of the time, I do not accept it.
I may be with someone who expresses racist opinions/thoughts, and just go along with it, because sometimes, arguing and trying to reason with someone is so hard.

I cannot grasp how a person can hate someone merely on their skin colour, on something they did not choose, something completely natural.

Racism, by its simplest definition, is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. People with racist beliefs might hate certain groups of people according to their racial groups


My brother is racist. He doesn't like black people ( which he refers to as niggers and/or monkeys) and he doesn't like asian people.
I don't understand why he feels this way. I've tried talking to him, explaining that they are human beings, like him and I. Sometimes he does end up being hypocritical; for example, a black actor whom he likes, but he tries to find an excuse like "he doesn't look black".

People like him, racists, who hate others just because they look different. It doesn't make sense to me. To me, people are people. We all have the same things (body wise). We all have skin, organs, hair, voices etc.. so how can pigmentation, something natural, cause such boundaries?!

It's not as if black people or asian people were somehow less capable or more capable or whatnot. We all have different languages and ways of thinking, but it doesn't make us better or worse, more important or less important than others. They are just differences.

Here at uni, on my course, we do anthropology, and in the practicals we examine skeletons. Last year we had to examine the skull in order to identify which race/ethnicity the person was.
It was extremely difficulty to distinguish between one or the other, because they are so similar, the differences are so minimal.
On a purely anatomical level, humans are the same with only slight variations when it comes to gender and ethnicity, which aren't always distinguishable.
On a genetic level, our differences are caused by single gene differences, sometimes bigger differences, and mutations.
On a physical level (as in the parts we can see), humans are pretty much the same, with again, slight variations, like height, weight, hair colour, hair texture etc.

We are all just bones, organs, tendons, muscles in a bag of skin. The fact that the skin varies in colour ( such a trivial thing in my mind ) causes hatred and segregation, astounds me. In a very, very bad way.

Most people (I think?) know (scientists say, being a science student, I believe this) that human life originated in Africa, and in such the first humans were Black. The black pigmentation is caused be melanin, the more you have of it, the darker your skin is. It protects from the sun. Which is why black people don't get as easily sunburned, whereas for example, fair skinned people from Scandinavia, who do not have much sun, get sunburned easily.
This is also why when you go on holiday, spend your time in the sun, you tan, and get darker.
And yet most people seem to enjoy tanning, looking darker. So, the natural born tanned people if you want, are hated?
How does that make any sense?

People are just people. Like you and I.
We are all part of the human race, we're all people, we differ on the outside, due mostly to things we do not control.

So, if we are all so similar, why do some people hate others because of :
  • a) something they cannot control, and
  • b) something which is natural?

I don't understand it. I can't.

Wednesday, 4 November 2009

The start

So, the beginning of my new blog.

Like every other person, I have opinions, thoughts, views, about typical things, about everyday things, about trivial things.
Some of them are very important to me, some aren't as important, but are my views nonetheless.
Some of them you may disagree with, others you may agree, some you may not care about.

Either way, here I will tell you what I think about certain things.

I may post more than once a day, but I will use one post for one topic; if I have a lot to say about a topic, I may use two posts.

If there is anything you want me to discuss, please feel free to message me or comment.