Think/Explain vs. Post/Apologize

The Gonzo Journals

January 11th, 2023

I want to start off by saying I absolutely hate the term “creepypasta”. I know it has something to do with lame-ass horror in the newer generation’s internet age, but I don’t care. It’s a dumb word and I get physically ill whenever I see it. Screw your scary spaghetti. Moving on…

Also, stop putting Pearl and X on the same line of your ‘best horror of 2022’ list. They’re not the same movie. Hell, they’re not even the same genre! One is a period piece, the other is a character piece. Stop cheating so you can put that overrated Barbarian movie on there. You’ll never feel like one of the cool kids.

Also also, stop flying off the handle at your fellow authors just because they don’t like the same stuff you do. Not everyone is the same, thankfully, and it’s all right for another person to enjoy their own stuff. Not everyone is going to cream over the same media because…

ART IS SUBJECTIVE.

I spent over a decade of my life knee deep in the fine art industry and, contrary to popular belief, films and books are art. Directors and authors are artists. All art is supposed to trigger a personal feeling within the individual, leaving interpretation and enjoyment up to a unique experience. Why do you think there’s so much random shit in the museum? It’s the same reason there’s millions of books and films on Amazon. Choice, my friends. Personal choice.

This new social media ‘post and then apologize’ tactic is not friendly. It shouldn’t even be acceptable, especially to people who do it over and over and over again. All anyone must do is browse your accounts and recognize the pattern. Artists are supposed to be professionals and it’s high fucking time we began acting like it again.

The problem is that society sees the artists following as ‘the talent’ rather than the art itself. Nowadays, you can suck balls as an artist and still be on the up and up if you’ve managed to dupe some poor fuckers into believing you’re worth a damn. It’s everywhere you look, from Facebook to Tik Tok, and it signifies the downfall of expressionist separation from boring, normal society. Recording a YouTube video of yourself farting into a phone at Wal-Mart is not art, no matter how many dumb bastards laughed at it. Funny? Maybe. Art? Nope.

I guess my greatest problem with the whole ‘post and forgive’ tactic is that I come from a generation and a place who remembers what it’s like to get punched in the nose for random bullshit. Now, the most vocal among our society hide behind the safety of their keyboards and can get away with being the most insulting pricks this side of the world wide web. I saw this rise in cowardice during the Trump administration (follow the leader) and it hasn’t slowed down yet. Actually, it’s gotten much worse, spreading from Presidential ignorance to Congressional fault without skipping a beat.

Think before you speak, my friends. There are some of us in life who have a character flaw which renders them unable to forgive. I’ve been living with it all my life. I’m still pissed off at this chick for kicking me in the balls in the second grade. Sure, we’re friends on social media, but I remember that grinding, dull pain in my gut to this very day. What happens when one of your fans or a fellow author fails to forgive you for a ‘you’re stupid for thinking Stephen King doesn’t give good head’ rant?

Do you think they’ll keep their disdain for you a secret?

If you’ve noticed, my first two paragraphs of this blog are contradictory to the lesson I’m attempting to teach. I just kinda sneaked it in there. Did you catch it? Do you forgive me? I personally don’t care because I stand behind my convictions one hundred percent. Always.

Be honest or shut up. No one likes flip floppers.

Peace…