Would You Just Go on and Die Already?!

I'm talking about reality shows. For the last few years, I have seen smart sitcoms and dramas slowly drop out of the spotlight in order to make room for the dumb, mindless entertainment we call reality television. Every week, millions of Americans tune into these shows depicting so-called "real" events. In actuality, what they get is bits and pieces out of thousands of hours of filming. Nothing they watch is "real." It's shaped by the producers, directors, and other powers that be. Yet, no one really seems to care. They're too engrossed in watching the lives of others. And the phenomenon seems to be spreading faster than a fungus. My fav example: That disaster of a show on BET called College Hill, hailed as the first all-black reality show (Wouldn't MLK be proud?). They're even on Cartoon Network!! Let me repeat that: Cartoon Network!! Aren't they supposed to show...ummm...cartoons?! No, now they've even gotten in on it. They have two so far: The Othersiders, which features kids looking paranormal activity and crap, and Survive This, where teens are forced to survive in the wilderness due to "real" crisis situations. In the first episode, the crisis was the event of their school bus crashing in the wilderness, which I can totally understand because stuff like that happens everyday. *Rolls eyes*

What happened to the Golden Age of actors and actresses reading scripts, memorizing lines, and evoking feelings and emotion?? Matter of fact, why the hell is that considered the Golden Age?? That's damn sad. But I won't say there isn't hope. The recent tongue lashing of Speidi by Al Roker restores my belief that, one day, Americans will get over it already. They'll quit pining over fake celebrities and fake shows and return to...well...reality. I'm not holding my breath though.

Don't Let Other People Steal Your Energy!

Don't you hate when you're having a Sun-is-shining-I-feel-like-I-can-conquer-the-world or a Man-I-feel-so-relaxed-I'm-just-gonna-take-it-easy kind of day and someone calls or approaches you with nothing but complete and utter BS? And for some reason, after you've interacted with that person, your high is just GONE WITH THE WIND!! Well, next time that person calls or approaches you, just say these kind words: "Sorry, but I'm feeling too good to deal with your crap right now. Why don't you come back and see me when I'm having a bad day?" Okay reality check! I would never actually do that, but I'm sure it would feel damn good. Instead, I just cut the convo short, try my best to forget about what that person said, and go on about my lovely day. I refuse to let you steal my energy!

Back to Blogging...

It's been SSSSOOOOOO long!! I was so distracted by school and other obligations that I almost forgot I even had this blog. Well, I think it's time to get back into it. I've been so through so much since the last time I blogged. Most importantly, I realized that the graduate sociology program at Vandy just wasn't my cup of tea. I basically drove myself crazy trying to fit into the "scholarly academic researcher" mold before I realized that it's definitely not for me. There would times when I was so angry and frustrated that I would just sit and cry. Other days, I would experience serious bouts of anxiety. Yes, it was just that serious for me. I kept trying to figure out why I wasn't doing as well as everyone else and why they seemed so well adjusted and content with the way things were. For the life of me, I couldn't understand why I was so unhappy. The definitive turning point was went I finally went to see a counselor and she asked when was the last time I was happy. Honestly, I had no idea. I knew then that something had to be done. I continued seeing a counselor and over the next few months, we got to the root of my unhappiness...and realized that I needed to get the hell out of dodge! I discovered that my happiness comes from doing work, no matter how big or small, that directly benefits others. I also realized that I really like to get into things because I learn by doing. At Vandy, I didn't feel like I was DOING anyhting! Sitting around a classroom analyzing and theorizing about social issues or discussing "scholarly" research just doesn't do anything for me. Actually, I take that back...IT PISSES ME OFF!! There are real problems out there and we could use our so-called extensive knowledge to help solve them. But nnnnnooooo! We have to use our knowledge to help advance the scholarly community by writing books and research articles about how Marx's theory of rebellion can explain the rise of the Ku Klux Klan. Oh yeah, that's REAL helpful!

*Sigh* Okay, enough of that rant. In a nutshell, I feel like I have learned and grown so much. I have a better idea of what I want out of life and even though I'm still trying to figure out the next step, I feel I'm going in the right direction. It may take a while, but I'll get there :-)