House of the Chakram

I could never be a celebrity...

...I would just shrivel up and die, I think. Why, you ask?

Well, as I mentioned in a previous post, I'm preparing to step up as Princess through my hobby, the SCA. And, I'm learning that everything I say or type could possibly be misconstrued (intentionally or not), misinterpreted, or somehow used against me or used to hurt someone else.

So apparently I'm going to have to start censoring myself, and expressing only the most benign, boring, and non-offensive ideas. Otherwise, someone might take offense, choose to interpret what I say as some sort of personal attack when it wasn't one, or use my words to maliciously attack me or my friends for no other reason than they are a malicious twit.

When I sat down and thought about this, it made me mad. Why should I censor myself (not that any of my ideas or statements are really inflammatory in the first place - I'm a pretty boring person) just IN CASE any of the above might happen?

Then I realized that's probably what a lot of people in the public eye, especially politicians, go through every day of their lives. Constantly having to evaluate every word that comes out of their mouth, or someone somewhere with nothing better to do might choose to misconstrue it or simply belittle it. Dan Quayle is a perfect case in point...though many things were an "open mouth, remove all doubt" thing with him, every one of his statements were analyzed and critiqued and criticized by some group or another and turned around to make him (or people connected with him) look bad.

I HATE the thought that I'm going to have to live in fear of what I MIGHT say. I HATE that I'm going to have to second-guess every FREAKING word that comes out of my mouth or out of my fingers (via email). I'm a nice person. I don't say things to hurt people or piss them off. Why can't people just GET that and be done with it? Why are there people out there with hidden agendas that I have to beware of?

Really I guess what it all comes down to is my disillusionment. Deep down, ever since I can remember, I've had this illusion that all people were basically good. Ok, maybe not serial killers or people like Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer, but MOST people. And being thrust into "the spotlight" like this has tarnished that illusion. And that pisses me off.

So you celebrities, politicians, and other people in the public eye out there...well...I have had a little taste of what you live with every day, and frankly...you can have it.

/sigh

posted by Michelle @ 5:14 AM