Don't Be Yourself, Be What They Want You To Be

In case you didn't see it, just before Oshkosh I wrote about why I don’t like driving to airshows.  The post upset quite a few people and I’m not really sure why?  Maybe nobody made it to the last two lines?  

What did I say that got people worked up?  It was this - to me it personally doesn't feel as though I am participating unless I fly.  I also made it clear it was a personal observation and even noted that most people I know feel otherwise.  Yet, my lack of understanding as to why someone would get so excited watching other people do something seems to have stirred many who read it.

This time it only took a definition.

Admittedly, I knew this would happen.  It always happens.  That’s why I attempted to point out that I knew some would take it wrong and that it wasn’t meant that way.  It was merely a look inward toward what makes me tick; how I see things so differently than the masses.  And perhaps that is why people became upset.  How dare I not march in step, glassy-eyed into the night?

Or maybe people felt some kind of unnecessary guilt?  Reading back over it I see where one who only attends could read it and feel a little excess self-awareness of never participating.  It’s also possible that some people are sensitive about not being able to fly or that their contribution to the effort isn’t appreciated.  Yet, I even pointed out that if I am actively participating in putting on a show, I don’t feel this way; a nod to those who participate in many other fashions.  But again, I never said “attending” was bad.  After all, that’s the purpose of shows, to draw attendees.  Attending just isn’t something that satisfies me.

Ultimately though, I guess it comes down to a society built of metal so thin the slightest bump leaves a dent.  Such a group of people rarely make it past life’s first sentence, often reading it wrong.  Most others go straight through the weeds until they hit the first thorn, then turn.  As for those who so much as attempt to practice observation or introspection, only punishment awaits.

Say something and you’re bad for suggesting.  Don’t say enough and you’re bad for not warning.  Say too much and you’re self-absorbed.  Say nothing at all and you’re aloof.  Watch others say what everyone wants to hear and suffer a front row view of The Pied Piper at work.

Lesson Learned From This Post:  This is why politicians come in two forms; those who tell people what they want to hear, and those who don’t get elected.