UnlikeableNugget

There seems to be an implicit agreement that we can talk about things that aren’t okay, as long as we frame it positively. So we can talk about what we humans do to the earth, as long as we put a optimistic spin to it. As long as we say that everything will be all right in the end, so sleep tight.

To be honest, I have a hard time doing that. When I look around me, I see a lot of things that I don’t think are okay… at all. People consuming unscrupulously. It seems to be all about me, me, me and the gimme gimme. And there is no excuse, because anyone who reads newspapers, watches the news, or otherwise keeps his or her eyes even slightly open, knows what’s going on. As I write this, I notice that I have the tendency to immediately add: ‘Fortunately, there are also people who try to do things differently.’ Although that’s true, it’s also beside the point. It’s about The Herd. The people queuing in front of shops selling all the junk we don’t need; the people who definitely don’t want to know how their pork chops lived and died. Apparently the soft, positive approach doesn’t reach them.

If I want to be able to say what needs to be said, I have to first accept that people may think I’m unsympathetic because of it. Unlikeable even. For me that’s hard. I am a bit of a wimp and actually pretty sweet. That’s why I have to give myself permission to be considered unlikeable. Consider it done, Emma. You have my permission to be okay with not everyone liking you. Now please go ahead and say what’s on your mind before you go mental…