Just Naysaying.

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I'm totally used to naysayers. From as far back as I can remember, people have been going against whatever I believed in. I've been made fun of, I've been laughed at, I've gotten all kinds of comments, I've gotten into so many arguments, I've fought fiercely for my beliefs.

Yes, I'm talking about the Backstreet Boys. They ARE REAL MUSICIANS, OKAY?

In the past few weeks that I've been helping out my friend Sharifa with the Earth Hour event in Jeddah, I came across the naysayers again. It's been a while; I had to get reacquainted with dealing with them.

There were two kinds of people we had to deal with.

1. The genuinely curious. People who really didn't think Earth Hour was good for anything maybe because they didn't know much about it, or they had misconceptions, or they didn't believe it would work, or whatever other reason. Yes, they might have been harsh with their questions and comments, but one could tell that these people were really looking for answers.

How could I tell, you ask? Because they didn't feel the need to resort to personal attacks with their arguments. They spoke their mind and then they listened to what we had to say. We disagreed on many occasions, but we continued the discussion. That was the goal of this whole event. To start discussions, to make people think. Not to start calling other people names.

That leads us to the second kind.

2. The fuckface.

Seriously. I can respect someone's opinion and choice not to participate in the event. If someone didn't want to turn their lights off or show their support for the cause, I'm not gonna be all pissed off and fidgety with anger. They have the right to do whatever they want.

But this guy doesn't stop at NOT SUPPORTING the cause (which, again, is fine with me). He starts ATTACKING the cause. Seriously, where does all this anger come from? What's with the personal attacks? I especially love the double standards.

Arguments like "Everyone's gonna die anyway, why bother with this Earth Hour shit? You should be helping HUMANS, not EARTH." And then for good measure, throws in: "you stupid, self-righteous, hippie idiots."

Erm. Self-righteous? Really?

Stupid? Really?

Reminds me of that conversation.

- "This is garbage, GARBAGE!"
- "Well, coming from trash, that's good praise indeed."

**

I know, I know, I'm stooping down to his level by letting him get to me. Plus, I got so affected that I actually dedicated a whole post to him. But COME ON.

Also, it's not like I'm calling him names. His first name IS Fuckface.

Comments

  1. frogmanMarch 31, 2010 at 1:25 PM

    I recently started this new thing, where I just end a conversation abruptly when I realize that it is going to be fruitless due to the stupidity of the person I'm conversing with.

    So, do you think the event was a success this year? Is there anything you would do differently next year?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousApril 3, 2010 at 12:47 AM

    Oh darling!!!

    My heart goes out to you- screw fuckface- it hurts when a person is not only dumb but ugly- thats why fuckface attacked Earthhour-- i hope he/ she has a power shortage as they use their electric razor...

    Fuckface indeed!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AliaApril 4, 2010 at 4:17 PM

    ...but, don't you agree that our fuckedfacedness could possibly be a tiny tad bit RIGHT?

    ReplyDelete
  4. BabyPinkApril 5, 2010 at 1:45 AM

    Pekhasiya-siya oto a manosiya! Pero saken na melagid kami ago giyanan a miyaona-ona mag-comment. Igira a miyagedam aken a da bo songwan o bityara na penggenek ako baden. Hehe:)

    ReplyDelete
  5. nessreenApril 5, 2010 at 7:25 AM

    FROGMAN: Yes, indeed, sometimes, it's best not to answer people like that, because the truth is, they're NOT looking for answers.

    I think the event was an absolute success. People measure its success by how many people participated/turned off their lights, but our main goal was to get people talking about, or at the very least, even THINK about it. Yes, ALL the naysayers helped the cause. For that, we thank them, too. This is exactly what we wanted, to have people react, to think about where they stand.

    HNING: No matter how right (or wrong) any fuckface can possibly be doesn't mean they earned the right to personally attack any one person's opinion, just because (and ESPECIALLY because) it's not the same as theirs. We respect anyone and everyone who DIDN'T turn off their lights on Earth Hour. We didn't set out to MAKE people turn off their lights. We set out to get people to start being AWARE of the problem, and to start discussing what solutions would work, and what ones wouldn't. So yes, if you really think that the solution to this problem is not turning off the lights for one hour, but something else, PERFECT. We will have raised awareness. It still doesn't mean you can call me stupid. (You know, even if maybe I am. :P)

    DAEDUL: Haha yes, I just remembered our discussion in the smoking room concerning this. Good times.

    BABYPINK: Ei mataan. Adn a manga tao a dadn a galbuk iran o di kapamawal, na so pn so da pakaid iyan a kapamawal. Paka-utg!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AliaApril 6, 2010 at 11:34 AM

    Is that why you're addressing this with anger, because a tiny tad bit of you actually agrees with Fuckface?

    I know, I'm out of place; playing the devil's advocate of wrathful shit and all. But you, being angry and calling by first names, you know, made you too tempting a target to provoke. *slurps*

    ReplyDelete

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