Ever wake up early to go to work, and then realize you forgot that you had an outpatient dental procedure scheduled? And then you face up to this unexpected tooth pulling and can't let it go for the rest of the day?
That was my day today.
Except the tooth pulling is a metaphor for something that happened with a lady.
Now, I had written a full blog post earlier, but I did it while I was extremely angry. And although that is entertaining, its not something I want to put out into the world.
Lucky for me, and for anyone who actually reads this ridiculous blog, I did an hour of CrossFit and an hour of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu before coming home to write this. Nothing settles the soul like being too exhausted to breathe, or choking people.
So with that, we'll discuss things that piss me off:
On Football:
Its part of the American culture. People judge NFL players when most fans couldn't do what they do. Period. They couldn't actually coach. I'm not talking about critiquing a simple issue like Pete Carroll not running the ball with Lynch at the end of the Super Bowl, or "hey, maybe NFL players should stop beating up their families." I'm talking about when a guy who has never done anything of note in his life (lets be honest, on this one, its usually the guys) or has never put anything on the line when it comes to life in general will sit and critique someone like Eddie Lacy for getting out of shape. I should add, that Eddie Lacy may have looked out of shape last season, but guess what!? He's an NFL Running Back! In all of the places in the world, how many people do you think can claim that? He still played 15 games and had an average yards per attempt of 4.1. (Most experts consider above 3.0 good.)
On MMA:
The UFC is getting more and more popular in the United States. If you go out to a bar and watch the fights, (because screw Pay-Per View, I like Pay Per Drink), or hop on the inter webs for three seconds you get a flood of comments and posts in which every person acts like they're a ninja/mma fighting/special forces operative. Most people have never trained martial arts, and for people to judge without that experience simply makes anything they say suspect at best.
What do you say to an MMA Fighter? I don't know, acknowledge that you respect what they do. I'm a Jiu Jitsu white belt, I've competed in a few tournaments. I can tell you two things: training is different and harder than anything I have ever willing submitted myself to (pun intended), and that I have no clue what an MMA fight would be like. Its one thing when you are going for submissions grappling, its hard to remember submissions when your heart rate goes up in the heat of the moment, but when you add in getting punched in the face? Forget it.
On Comedy:
Most comedy audiences see people who have been at it for at least ten years when they watch television. And they think that this entitles them to comment on a comedian's set after the show. Follow your mom's advice (as long as she didn't suck at life) and, "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" (Your Mom, 6). Comedy is a complex beast. There is no equation for how to be a good comedian, except to perform thousands of times, and be true to yourself. (And some people would tell me I am wrong here).
Every comedian bombs. If he or she says otherwise, it's all lies. Some comedians set themselves up to bomb in order to see if they can work their way out of it. This is kind of like letting a rolling partner get you in a disadvantaged position, or position in which you are uncomfortable and then trying to get out of it. It makes you better at what you're doing, and also "builds character" (Your Dad, 7).
Rich, what's your point knucklehead?
All of these places people feel entitled to criticize the professionals have one thing in common, they don't respect the difficulty of what the professionals are doing. It doesn't occur the spectator that the pro has worked on those skills for years in order to make it look as easy as it does. If you don't believe me, go watch a D2 college football game, an amateur MMA fight or jiu jitsu competition, and an open mic. Then compare the people who are working on their skills to the pros, and learn respect.
The better way to learn respect, and quit criticizing crap you can't do. Follow some great advice, and "Just Do It" (Nike 1).
PS: I hate MLA almost as much as I hate people who criticize stuff they refuse to try.
PPS: Found this article, thought it was pertinent to the discussion even though its about war, and not about the above topics: http://alumni.berkeley.edu/california-magazine/spring-2016-war-stories/did-you-kill-anybody-i-just-didnt-say-anything-because
