Some questions do not have answers

Words

Sometimes I wonder why people insult other people. Do they do it out of the fun of seeing the other person get hurt or do they do it so that they can feel better about themselves? That by putting other people down they can feel that they are superior?

There's the insult that does two things - "Why, my daughter-in-law with two kids is thinner than you". In other words, not only are you fat, my daughter-in-law is thin. Effectively putting you down but at the same time impressing upon you that they're up there. Then there's the plain to the point insult, "You're such a materialistic bitch." And lastly, there's the type of insult that is laced with supposed kindness and jest. Perhaps this is the most venomous - " Omg, so-and-so told me you lost weight! I don't see that...you're like a whale now. *chuckle* Nah, I'm just joking...you're fine...but you're a bit on the plump side, no?"

There's like this constant appraisal going on - how thin are you, how much have you been spending and your current state of loneliness/togetherness. The more you spend, the more you're seen as the girl who is materialistic and shallow. The more you eat, the fatter you get - poor girl is born with a low metabolism rate and an eating disorder.

I used to get so upset over stuff like that. Now I think that as long as I am happy with my life, maybe what people think doesn't matter. Maybe I enjoy shopping - is that a crime? Does that make me a bad person? Does that mean that I am incapable of being somebody worth something? Maybe I love eating - does that mean that I should give it all up to fit into a size 6 Bettina Liano?

The harder you try to please people, the more depressed you get. Nobody is perfect.

posted by Evelyn at 3:07 AM