Who Writes This Stuff?

Lately I've been seeing a lot of...oh, lets say, strange posts on facebook. Many of them are from the "status of the moment" sites. The ones in which you can select from pre-written posts. A lot of those posts are funny, clever little sayings that are kind of fun. Others, well, they just reflect badly on the poster.

I saw this one today posted by someone and it is completely out of character for her. I know her as a pleasant, fun, sweet woman with a beautiful voice. This post is just not her and, I suspect, she was just having a rough day. I don't think she wrote this and I hope no one else re-posts it.

Alert - the grammar police are helping me write this blog. We all make mistakes and we all abuse the exclamation mark (!) and the ellipsis (...). But when the tone of the post is so self-centered and anti-social, its hard to ignore the punctuational abuse. If you abuse poor helpless punctuation marks like that, how do you treat human beings? (I've been known to abuse both myself.......... So sue me!!!)

A HANDFUL!! Unfortunately most women won't repost this. I'm strong willed, independent, a bit outspoken and I tell it like it is. I make mistakes, I am sometimes out of control & at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst... then you sure as heck don't deserve me at my best. If you're a HANDFUL, repost! I......... dare you! I'll be looking for the ladies who repost!

Nothing about this post says anything positive about the poster; it just sounds...well, mean and self-centered. Lets take a closer look.

"A HANDFUL!!" OK, one exclamation mark will do and you don't need to shout at me. I can hear you. Small children are a handful, and a wonderful handful at that, grown women should not be.

"Unfortunately most women won't repost this." Thank the Lord for that; who would want to? Oh, and its "re-post". Did you not see the red underline below the word? It signifies a misspelling; right click and fix it.

"I'm strong willed, independent, a bit outspoken and I tell it like it is." So you're stubborn, too good to ask for help when you need it, and rude. Nice, lets be friends.

"I make mistakes," But do you learn from them? Oh, and that's a comma splice. Look it up: Comma Splice.

"I am sometimes out of control & at times hard to handle." Sounds like a substance abuse issue.

"But if you can't handle me at my worst... then you sure as heck don't deserve me at my best." You have a "best"? I haven't heard anything good yet.

"If you're a HANDFUL, repost! I......... dare you!" Would you stop shouting at me, I just want to review my facebook news feed. I seriously doubt I would do anything you dare me to do - it could involve the police and fire departments. Oh, and the ellipsis has three periods. More doesn't make it better.

"I'll be looking for the ladies who repost!" Keep looking. Good luck with that.

So by now you are thinking, "What.......a bitch!!" Yes, OK, I'll give you that. I could have been a little more gentle. But, think of this. Every time something like that appears it reinforces the negative stereotype of women. A stereotype that, while I didn't create it and don't live according to it, I'm measured against. Men are afraid of me because of things like that. Really? Me?

I grew up in a time in which I was told, "You can do anything. The barriers are coming down. You just need to work hard at it, keep going, stay focused, etc." I know what the poster was trying to say, and its a noble thought, but choose your words more carefully.

So how would I say it? How about this:

I'm a strong, independent woman who isn't afraid to ask for help. I don't always say the right thing and, sometimes, you may not like what I have to say. I make mistakes, but I try to learn from them. I sometimes get angry or sad, but I try not to take it out on those I love. But if you can't accept me when I fail, then you don't need me when I succeed. If you're a strong woman re-post this. I'll be looking for all the women who do!