Who Do You Think You Are?

Why don't we stand up and say something when someone does or says something stupid? People say dumb things and we just turn our heads and give an excuse for their bad behavior. They should be able to back up what they say with facts or say nothing at all.

If we question someone we run the risk of them or someone else saying "who do you think you are?" First of all, that question is a bullying tactict to get me to saying nothing. Second of all, I don't have to be "someone" in order to take a stand against something I think is stupid.

We've been bullied into submission and are afraid to say anything because we don't want to be labeled. We're nice people and others are mean when they say "who do you think you are?" Because that question causes us to express how we really feel only in the safety of our homes.

If we dare stand up in public we run the risk of getting smeared. Look at Joe the plumber. He questioned Obama when he was running for president. Joe was a guy with an opinion who asked a question. The media didn't like what he said and dug up all kinds of "dirt" to discredit him. We don't say things in public because we don't want to be treated like Joe.

The only people who don't get smeared by the media are people on reality TV. We think the things they say are shocking but really they are just honest. We wish we could be like those people and think they're "important." Really they are just people followed around by people with cameras. I think of The Real Housewives and, even though I think they could say things more nicely, have to give them credit for speaking their minds. (It's too bad that the show gives the impression that you have to have money in order to be honest.)

We don't have to be "someone" to express our opinion. We just need to be able to back up our opinions with facts. We need to stand up to bullies. They aren't the majority. They just aren't afraid to say things. You know what they say: "The squeeky wheel gets the grease."

We have free speech in America. It's a gift that we need not forget. If someone says something in another country, like China or Pakistan, they are beaten or put in prison. We are like people in other countries when we are intimidated and afraid to say what we think.

Thank goodness for the US Constitution. I'm grateful for the freedom we have. We need to say our opinions and express ourselves. We need to not be afraid to debate and discuss issues.

Bullies

It seems like when a person disagrees with someone else sometimes they use bulling or intimidation tactics to get the other person to conform to their point of view.

The Govenor of Wisconsin said he wanted to eliminate union government employees from being able to bargain for their benefits and he wanted to pay them less so he wouldn't have to lay them off. He said it would save the state lots of money and allow them to balance the budget because government union workers get paid a lot of money due to what the unions negotiate. The unions didn't want to make any changes or have their methods questioned so union workers protested, said mean things about the bill and the Govenor and called him names.

This guy at FedEx parked in-between two handicap spaces, which isn't a parking space, and he didn't have a handicap thing on his car. Then was really loud and obnoxious inside the store. I think he was loud and obnoxious so people wouldn't call him on his bad parking behavior. The other people in the room didn't say anything to him (including me). No one said "you parked in the wrong spot" or "you're talking too loud" even though I'm sure some people noticed. Some people acted friendly toward him but probably thought things like you're obnoxious or a jerk, I know I thought those things. Sometime people do things that are wrong then are loud so others won't point out their behavior. Others are civil and "nice" and let those with bad behavior slip by because they think it's rude to say something and it's not nice to point out when a person does something wrong. Guess what? This loud and obnoxious form of bullying usually works.

If a person stands up for something and someone doesn't like it sometimes the first thing they do is say things to discredit them. I see this happen in the media all the time. If the media doesn't like something a person says or does, they dig up all kinds of dirt from their past and broadcast it to the world. What's the difference between their behavior and that of a journalist who reports things in a trashy gossip newspaper? Just because a person works for credible media like The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, or CNN doesn't mean that what they say isn't gossip. It's another form of bullying.

People are always going to disagree but where is the respect?