Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Being Cool Sucks (a.k.a. Unplugged Part 2)

My username on Twitter may be @sarahdateechur, but this blog isn't for my students.  Maybe I should change it to @sarahdahuman instead.  

When I was a kid, people used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up.  Pretty standard.  However, instead of saying "a ballerina," or "a princess," like most other girls my age, I'd reply, "I want to be Sarah."

My parents instilled in me at a very early age that what you do doesn't define who you are.  It's time for a reteaching moment, because Sarah da Teechur is starting to get all up in Sarah da Human's shizznit.  Oh well.

Anywhooooo, all that being said, let's move on to reason number two why I'm going unplugged.  It all boils down to one word: maturity.

Screeeeeeeeeech...stop the press...throw it in reverse...I'm not saying that it's immature to be on social networks like Facebook.  No, what I'm saying is that my motivations were highly immature.

When I was growing up, I never quite fit in for one reason or another.  As I got into my unbelievably-even-more-awkward teenage years, being an outcast grew old.  My elementary school friends were starting to abandon me for the "cool kids."  These cliques were comprised of Saved by the Bell rejects...and girls with long, fake hair...who wouldn't yell inside jokes you shared in fourth grade across a crowded cafeteria.  

Ok, I get how that last part could be a little embarrassing.

Anyway, this story has the potential to get really long and convoluted, so let me get back to the point.  In middle and high school, I wanted what everybody wants...popularity.  I mean, who didn't want to be homecoming queen?  Probably the captain of the football team.  Ba-doom-crash.

Well, the more I tried to be popular, the more annoying I became.  It got to the point where I lied about fake boyfriends, in hopes of getting some attention...then when everybody wanted to meet him, I said he got shot.

So the story goes on, yadda yadda yadda, high school was hell, blah blah blah.  Fast forward.  It's now 10 or so years later.  Actually a little less, if you want to be technical.  Something called Facebook comes along and completely takes over the world!  Wow!!!!  Myspace was okay, but everybody and their mom is on this Face-thing.  

Me:  Wow, look at all these people from high school.  Cool!  Let me send him a request and see if he remembers me.  Hmmm...what about this chick that sat in front of me in physics?  And that dude I had a crush on?  And...

Fast forward a year or so...

Me:  Whoa, I have like 300 people on my friends list!!! These people aren't the same d-bags they were in high school.  Some of them are actually cool!

Another year later...

Me:  1000 friends!  All my friends are on it, and I made friends with their friends, and even some of THEIR friends.  Look at me...look how many friends I have...I'm finally cool!

Another year...

Me:  Every day, somebody's having some kind of event...well, I wouldn't want to NOT show up...I mean, now that they like me and all.  I can't jeopardize my newfound coolness.

A few years later...(present day)

Me:  I'm tired of socializing.  Being cool sucks.

And that, my friends, is reason number two why I'm going unplugged.  I love my friends, but having too many acquaintances might do more harm than good.  I'll revisit this concept in the third chapter of "Unplugged."

Moral:  Use responsibly.

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