(no subject)
I have a question and a slight rant for you. If you don't care to read, just don't, but this may be slightly long...
First: Why do we care what people, or society in general, think?
Now for the rant: I was on a roll cleaning and working on stuff for college when at about 10:30 pm my mom comes in and asks me to come with her to drop of a check at Grandma's and some mail at the mailbox. I ask why because I didn't really want to be pulled away and she tells me it's because she's got rollers in her hair. Well, we ended up arguing about this in the car on the way over. I just can't understand why it matters that at almost 11 at night on a Sunday you can't run out to drop off a check really quickly with rollers in your hair. She kept telling me it was because it was tacky and no one did it anymore. I told her that I saw people come out of the dressers with rollers in their hair to get money from the bank or get food or something and no one called them tacky as far as I could tell. She said she just didn't want to and that it would perpertrate the 'Aunt Jemima' idea. She said it was "o.k." to do that in the 70's but then people stopped because it wasn't fashionable. (Was it ever supposed to be fashionable or just practical?)
I just want to understand why we care so much what people think. Another situation like this happened a few days ago. I saw Gabriela, ex-WIS student, on my way back from running errands. I was dressed in a white shirt, some orange pedal pushers and flip flops. She was dressed in a tight tank top, those sporty pants with lots of pockets, with her hair in a ponytail through the back of her cap. (She was doing the "swish of her hips" cute walk to top it off.) First I thought, "Wait, I know her. That's Gabriela. [Mind you I only ever saw her from behind]" My second thought was: "She better not turn around and see me dressed all super casual like this." Then I stopped and said, "Wait, why do I care what she thinks?"
Is it just acceptance that we ever want? Is that why we care what people think so much? Why does society rule our every little move? Maybe I'm naïve, but I don't see what the big deal is. Why can't you run out in rollers to run one quick errand so late at night that there are only about 2 people out? Who cares? Do they think any less of you, being a successful doctor, a single mother and a good person, because you are doing your hair? Are they supposed to imagine that you never do your hair? Let me delve deeper now.... With all of the accomplishments that African Americans have made over these years, especially those since the civil rights movement, will going out one night in rollers undo all of that hard work?
A more humorous side is that I was watching Family Guy last night on Adult Swim ('North by North Quahog'). A new luxury hotel was opening and on the news there was an asian reporter, Tricia Takanawa (obviously quite successful). She reported: "I am standing outside the Park Barrington Hotel, a new luxury hotel opening in New York. They are so much of a luxury hotel that asian people are not allowed inside." But this rant serves to make someone think and hopefully stop caring what other people think.
Don't let them judge you because you can upstage them any day.
[End of Rant]
First: Why do we care what people, or society in general, think?
Now for the rant: I was on a roll cleaning and working on stuff for college when at about 10:30 pm my mom comes in and asks me to come with her to drop of a check at Grandma's and some mail at the mailbox. I ask why because I didn't really want to be pulled away and she tells me it's because she's got rollers in her hair. Well, we ended up arguing about this in the car on the way over. I just can't understand why it matters that at almost 11 at night on a Sunday you can't run out to drop off a check really quickly with rollers in your hair. She kept telling me it was because it was tacky and no one did it anymore. I told her that I saw people come out of the dressers with rollers in their hair to get money from the bank or get food or something and no one called them tacky as far as I could tell. She said she just didn't want to and that it would perpertrate the 'Aunt Jemima' idea. She said it was "o.k." to do that in the 70's but then people stopped because it wasn't fashionable. (Was it ever supposed to be fashionable or just practical?)
I just want to understand why we care so much what people think. Another situation like this happened a few days ago. I saw Gabriela, ex-WIS student, on my way back from running errands. I was dressed in a white shirt, some orange pedal pushers and flip flops. She was dressed in a tight tank top, those sporty pants with lots of pockets, with her hair in a ponytail through the back of her cap. (She was doing the "swish of her hips" cute walk to top it off.) First I thought, "Wait, I know her. That's Gabriela. [Mind you I only ever saw her from behind]" My second thought was: "She better not turn around and see me dressed all super casual like this." Then I stopped and said, "Wait, why do I care what she thinks?"
Is it just acceptance that we ever want? Is that why we care what people think so much? Why does society rule our every little move? Maybe I'm naïve, but I don't see what the big deal is. Why can't you run out in rollers to run one quick errand so late at night that there are only about 2 people out? Who cares? Do they think any less of you, being a successful doctor, a single mother and a good person, because you are doing your hair? Are they supposed to imagine that you never do your hair? Let me delve deeper now.... With all of the accomplishments that African Americans have made over these years, especially those since the civil rights movement, will going out one night in rollers undo all of that hard work?
A more humorous side is that I was watching Family Guy last night on Adult Swim ('North by North Quahog'). A new luxury hotel was opening and on the news there was an asian reporter, Tricia Takanawa (obviously quite successful). She reported: "I am standing outside the Park Barrington Hotel, a new luxury hotel opening in New York. They are so much of a luxury hotel that asian people are not allowed inside." But this rant serves to make someone think and hopefully stop caring what other people think.
Don't let them judge you because you can upstage them any day.
[End of Rant]