Pay careful attention to the kinds of extra things people do “for” you. If someone gets you little surprise gifts but consistently doesn’t do the things you explicitly ask for, take note of that.
I’ve had friends, family members, and partners who would get me little surprises, try to engage me in conversation about the things they think I like, or done otherwise evidently “considerate” things, but consistently did not do the things I explicitly asked of them. If I ask you to clean up after yourself in a common area and you get me a cupcake instead, you’re not actually doing anything nice for me. You’ve elected to do a different thing that is easier for you. What’s insidious is that it is difficult to address this without looking ungrateful. These people are doing things for their own satisfaction, not for your well-being.
At the end of the day, interpersonal relationships are about collaborating and observing what others have asked you to help them with. You don’t pass a class by only doing extra credit, but never turning in homework. You can’t survive on cupcakes alone. Relationships cannot thrive on empty niceties.
hozier: so yeah im releasing a new album this year and one of the songs is about falling in love at the end of the world and it’s heavily influenced by the current political climate and it’s called “wasteland, baby!” and i hope you like it 🙂
me, through tears: fucking superb you funky little dryad
in the 1960s, america would have been all to happy to extend civil rights to blacks if only they weren’t all just a bunch of lawless looters and rioters.
good thing we’ve grown as a society since then!
in the 1960s, america would have gladly listened to civil rights leaders – if only they weren’t all just stoking so much darn violence all the time!
good thing mlk’s image has been rehabilitated and black leaders are taken seriously now!
in the 1960s, the value of human life was placed above that of inert property – if only those uppity blacks would just take our word for it
thankfully the value of black life is recognized today!
in the 1960s, america really wanted to give black protestors the benefit of the doubt – if only they weren’t just so darn complicit in their own oppression
thank god those antiquated views are all behind us now!
in the 1960s, jobs, education and housing were ripe for the picking for minorities – they just insisted on wasting all that energy on aimless protests instead!
thank heavens we actually listen to their grievances now instead of just telling them to sit down and shut up!
in conclusion, everything would be fine if they had just stayed in the back of the bus instead of getting out and rocking it
(huge thanks to Rebel Blob for digging all these old cartoons up!)
Me 