March 2, 2012

  • topanga and donna moss.

    Look, I'm not a perfect guy - far from it, in fact. I can be a total coward, I can come off as obscenely arrogant, and I've got an internal judgmental streak that I'm still struggling to shut down permanently. I've got my flaws, and they aren't hard to spot (greasy hair and pointy nose notwithstanding). 

    But I like to think I've become comfortable with the concept of who I "am" (whatever that really means), and with that realization comes a certain comfort in knowing that simple things don't have to be complicated. Shouldn't that seem inherent? Simple things aren't complicated - that sounds like basic logic. But think about it. It's simple to know how to treat people with respect. Specifically, it's simple to know how to treat women with respect. Don't demean them, talk down to them, or take your anger out on them. Treat them as moral and intellectual equals, because they are. It frustrates me to even type that sentence, because I fail to comprehend the alternative perspective. Occasional parking jokes aside (guilty as charged), the women in my life are freaking incredible. They astound me with their principle, intelligence, and fundamental goodness that gives me a constant barometer for how well I'm handling my challenges. They are each deeply imperfect in varying ways, and yet that simply enhances my appreciation for their ability to embrace and flaunt their flaws in a way that demonstrates not fearlessness, but the ability to wear fear on their shoulders like a badge of honor. 

    See my point? As a young man who does his best to be a decent guy, and looks forward to eventually finding the right match for my strange brand of non-humor and occasional spouts of social ineptitude, I just don't understand how to act any other way towards the brilliant women I'm so privileged to call friend. Please don't take this as ego-pumping, because the ultimate point has no relation to me. Keep your hands and your insults off women, fellow testicular comrades, unless you're embracing them or insulting their love of Twilight (every rule has exceptions). In all seriousness, get rid of whatever mental or social stereotypes that seem to communicate that treating women as second-class citizens of a patriarchal world is acceptable - this isn't like kicking an addiction or curing a disease. It's literally just a decision. Use your breath for decency and praise; it's the only part that isn't a waste.