All-inclusive! For a limited time only! Join me today, on Love Bytes Reviews, and learn how you can get your very own, one-hundred-percent-free vacation of a lifetime!
How’s that for some click-bait for you?
In all honesty, I really do want to give you a free vacation. This one’s going to be short, there won’t be any sand and surf or fancy drinks with little umbrellas. It’s just going to be a few moments of clear thought, a chance to mentally flip through some memories, and a quiet, peaceful place to think.
A mental vacation, if you will. I think we could all use that right now.
See, here’s the thing. I swore up and down there would be no writing about Orlando from me this month. As a Canadian, I can do nothing to sway the U.S. government on their rules and regulations regarding guns. As a person who didn’t lose a friend, family member, lover, or acquaintance in that awful siege, I have nothing to offer except my support and sympathy. And man, oh man, have I gotten tired of the blog posts and the commentary on the Orlando shooting.
Hold on. Give me a second before you press the “X” in disgust.
I’m not tired of reading posts about Orlando because I’m sick of the fact that we’re talking about it. Christ, no. Hell, no. That is absolutely not the reason I’m annoyed. Talking about it is exactly what we need to do. We need to talk about the people whose lives were cut short, the hole that’s been left in the lives of the people who remain, and what can be done educationally and legislatively to stop this kind of hell from happening again. What we don’t need are the trampoline posts. That’s what I’m sick to death of reading.
You know the ones… the instant jumping on with a “wasn’t this thing awful and horrible, and here, let me tell you how this relates to me and what I do for a living, and won’t you go buy my book because of it?” posts. Boing!
The posts where we get a quick recap of the atrocity, then the writer jumps into the body of their post and every damn sentence starts with “I” as if this somehow has anything to do with them. Boing!
Here’s an “I” sentence for you: I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR ISSUES RIGHT NOW.
Have a couple more: I don’t care how difficult your life was. I don’t care how hard you’ve had to struggle.
These ones don’t start with “I” but they’ll work too: Stop using someone else’s tragedy as your own platform. Stop jumping on the sympathy bandwagon in an effort to promote yourself!
We can get back to caring about everybody else’s problems in a little while. For now, let’s focus on them, shall we? The victims. The victims’ families. The officers that had to go in there and deal with the mess that used to be young, beautiful people. Can we do that? Wouldn’t that be cool? If you’re going to post about Orlando, could you please stop with the “I” and the “me” and the promo for one damn minute and let the victims have a voice through your own?
I just… don’t even know anymore.
So, yeah. If you’re in the same mindset, then come with me. Let’s take a vacation away from this promo masquerading as sympathy, from this self-absorption and this “but what about meeeeee??” crap. Let’s close our eyes and picture someplace beautiful—a beach, a country cottage, the deck of a boat—and let’s think about the people who aren’t going to be able to do any of that anymore.
I’ll bring the booze if you bring the cookies.
Thanks for reading, peace out,
AF Henley <3
Henley has been proudly publishing with Less Than Three Press since 2012, and has been writing like mad ever since.
For more information please stop by for a visit at afhenley.com.
That’s an effective click-bait, I applaude you for that. I couldn’t comment on the Orlando issue other than showing sympathy from afar. All I’m saying is: we need to take time off from all the ugliness of the world that happened more frequent these days. I’ll join you on that vacation, it can be a mass virtual one (so we go as a group) and breathe fresh air of sanity before stepping back to the real world.
*HUGS* (because we all need a hug)
Thank you very much for the compliment and the hug. Thanks even more for reading and stopping to leave a comment. <3
A Free Vacation, he says, and I fell for it, in every wrong sense possible! Obviously what I thought “free” meant and what you posted was probably completely intentional on confusing me. Evile, I say (yet I utterly love you for it). 😛
I stopped reading the news about 2 months back. Aside from the front page of every location posting about the presidential election, I’m weary of too much being taken and twisted for specific agendas – personal or political, doesn’t matter. Just tired of it. Lately it’s all about the music and the words for me, and I think that is a good summary of how much the world is hurting right now. It doesn’t matter how heartfelt the words people say/write may be, they seem to fall short of what it is the victims and their families must be feeling.
I’ll bring some booze too, along with the cookies. Thank you very much for your thoughts! <3
You’re very welcome, thank you for sharing some back! And I don’t blame you for not focussing on the news right now at all. <3
Chocolate chip or snickerdoodles? There are these delicious cake cookies but if you saw the amount of crisco bricks I have to use I think you’d say no to those. And of course Chocolate Oatmeal cookies.
I’m not much of a baker but I know a few good recipes.
Like Wynter I wondered if this was a word play, or just click bait. I knew it wasn’t like an actual vacation offer, but I did have to see what you were on about.
Excellent post, you cut to the heart of the matter quickly and said your peace. Thank you, sir.
You’re welcome! Thank you for reading and sharing it with me. <3
“Let the victims have a voice through your own” – well said.
Thank you. We need more posts like that.
Thank you very much. I appreciate the support. <3
Congratulations for this post, buddy!
I can not agree more with every word you wrote. Someone voicing his feelings in regard to that matter was long overdue and I agree with Witchy. We need more posts like that!
Those who complain about their issues should feel lucky. They are still alive to complain which means they still have the chance to make changes.
Other than the poor souls who will never have that chance anymore.
Thank you very much for these refreshing words.
<3
Oh,I will bring the cocktails and the nachos!
You are always way too kind, my friend. Thank you very much for that. <3
Thank you for the post…margaritas on me! Let’s add our voices.
You’re welcome! Thank you for reading. Cheers! 😀
*raises a glass* I just won a wonderful wine basket I’d love to share
Congratulations! And thank you very much for reading and commenting. <3