Saturday, September 9, 2017

I Don't Care What You Think - It's Quackery

by Kris Pitcher

Historically, there have always been polarizing opposing social views. The beauty, and the curse, of current times is the unrelenting access to share passive aggressive views digitally. It's a revolutionary time for anyone with a polarizing view to share it, along with anecdotal information to back it up as their "truth".

This gets people really riled up. Me? I don't care what you think. And this comes from a good place, a nice place. I simply don't put energy there. I started to think about that...at 3:33 am, when I couldn't sleep. Why is it, that I don't care what you think?

I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, a fairly liberal region. My family was a blend of religions, which meant occasional holiday services, or going to church with grandparents. Translation: we were not religious. My neighborhood was diverse and had a lot of kids. I grew up with all kinds of kids, they all just seemed like "kids", not kids defined by race, religion, or orientation.

I was also a child of the '70's and '80's. This means...we played outside, we feared our parents, we learned to socialize, we had to solve conflicts face-to-face, and we dialed people on the telephone...and spoke directly to them.

My point is to illustrate my foundation of inclusion. I feel like - you're entitled to your opinion, I'm not likely to change it, especially if you aren't interested in truths and facts...so "eff" it. Basically.

To me, it seems a terrible waste of energy, and frankly embarrassing, to make broad social statements based on hearsay, legend, false and untrue information, or flat out lies. It's embarrassing because factual information is so readily available and accessible on the same piece of equipment used to post the nonsense.

Snake oil has been selling like hot cakes since 1712, quackery is nothing new. People are still lined up around the block to get it. There's a sucker to buy into anything you want to sell them, including inaccurate information. Why would I waste energy on that?

Truth be told, I don't care. When I say this comes from a "good" place it's because I'm busy doing something. I'm busy making my own impact where I can. I choose to engage in solution, and I suggest you do the same. Together, we just might create a better place. For everyone.