Something Like a Chained Dog...

Something Like a Chained Dog...

I used to really enjoy Facebook. It was really cool to connect with old friends, network with folks, share interesting tidbits I pick up around the net, play my games and use as a platform my two cents. Yeah, it was all good until everybody and their mother joined and lowered the expectation of social networking intelligence. I still play my games and share what I believe to be useful, but I’ve limited my interaction with your Facebook family, because I’m finding it increasingly difficult to disguise my disgust.

Understand this is not a rant about Facebook, social networks are just a byproduct of what disturbs me and the vehicle by which it is on full display. I could’ve used my encounters with folks in Walmart or the supermarket parking lot to enforce my point, but with damn near one billion users, Facebook happens to be an easy target for the ignorance I encounter on a daily basis. I’ve touched on this a few times in the past, but lately it seems like I’m surrounded by people who aren’t smarter than 5^th graders.

I’ve met people at their level so often that it’s hard for them to distinguish that I’m cut from an extraordinarily different cloth. I believe it’s hard for them to separate the Teef they know from who Teef really is. Case in point, if we met in a bar and our relationship was confined to that bar, I probably talked to you about shit you talk about in a bar. You know, dumb shit, ignant shit, nigga shit. That is, unless you showed there was more to you or we ran into each other in another setting. Other than that, I kept it right where we were. Contrary to popular belief, part of my job description as a man is not to be an adult learning center, it is not my concern if you have been Ray Charles to world surrounding you and you’re stuck in neutral while that world keeps on keepin’ on.

Now, I am gonna keep helping these babies, because they have been failed by many of the adults in their lives and someone has to help them navigate the world to a point where they can on their own. I don’t look after fools, that’s His job. The problem with Facebook is that many folks find themselves out of their league and whether it’s foolish pride or damage to the frontal lobe, they haven’t learned to stay in their lane. It usually shows itself in an inane comment on something I post, as a result of the author lacking the critical thinking skills to read behind the words or connect the dots because their frame of reference is limited. I generally don’t respond to the ridiculousness, but lately the stupidity really makes my blood boil, which is sad, because I’ve been working on my patience with nonsensical people.

“Until the End of Time” by Justin Timberlake is a great song, one of my favorites in recent years.  I especially enjoy the line, “I’m sick and tired of trying to save the world/I just wanna spend my time with you girl”, I believe it to be a testament of the love he’s singing about. To appropriate that to my life, there are moments when these misguided youths, unemployment, bad Hip-Hop and poor representations of Black women via Reality TV don’t matter and I just want be with my lady. I’m not on a crusade to save the world, but I was listening when Marvin said save the babies, so I’m able to draw a parallel to that moment.

But some folks couldn’t connect the dots if they were numbered, so I get grammatically incorrect comments and messages that read, “Noone asked you to save the world!” and I’m stuck with the dumb face. Once again, I generally let it slide because I know folks tend to transpose their issues onto others, but share your misery with the miserable. Way too many people are working out their esteem issues, along with relationship, emotional, mommy and daddy issues, F’d up children, dead-end jobs and a myriad of other ailments on Facebook…do that shit when you’re alone!

I suppose I shouldn’t have close to 1,400 Facebook connections, but I’ve made a lot of stops through my first 33 and a third and connected with plenty of good people. However, the ride is over for a few and I’m gonna play this nice guy for the next 25 days, but once 20-12 hits…don’t spit at people over your head, you’re gonna get it in your face!