And now I'm tired. The youthful rebel is no more. Odyssey is a perfect fit for those who are looking for a sandbox, a place to take risks as a creator, a place to dare. It's a great place to start a portfolio. It'll be a great resume padder. That is, if you can keep your mouth shut about certain social aspects and present yourself in a package worthy of endorsement. If not, then you stand the chance of having your work read by potential employers or co-workers who might misinterpret your work, perhaps mistake your comedy for offense.
The truth about this article, this post, this blog—yes let's call it that—the lamentable truth about this blog is that fewer than most have the discipline to sit there and finish reading it. And it's not just because I wrote it. Did you read the full agreement before clicking "I Accept" on whatever internet-provided convenience you most recently used? Probably not.
I'm writing this instead of making a video because I believe my videos, quite frankly, suck. I don't have the means to create quality ones that meet my standards, and until then, I won't create many, if any.
If you want to progress, it's going to take a lot more than rioting and crying.
If you want to "Make America Great Again," it's going to take more than casting a vote for a celebrity with a spray tan.
If you want the bullshit to end, it's going to take more than being indifferent.
And that's the first thing I want to apologize for—my assumption that most of mankind doesn't have what it takes. It compels me to point out flaws in reasoning and attempt to force someone to see that they're wrong by their own definition. I'm sorry, I'm sorry because I'm not right, either.
Word efficiency isn't exactly my strongest suit, so I've narrowed it down to three instances that should express what it is I feel the need to say. You see, I otherwise wouldn't have bothered, I would have assumed that no one would get it, no one would understand. That's a rather poor way to view the world, so I apologize.
Dear Facebook friends, lend me your monitors. You've called me a Hillary supporter, you've called me a Trump supporter, and plenty of colorful language in between. Believe whatever you want, I will not apologize for challenging your beliefs, but I will apologize for attempting to prove you wrong for having them.
If you're trying to imagine what those conversations might have looked like, they had a similar pattern to the following scenario.
It was the first time I had ever really held a conversation in this GroupMe full of people I'd never met or interacted with before and I was a royal douche. You see, there was a discussion of sorts regarding an article published by OnWard State back in September, titled The Best Reactions From Sorority Bid Day 2016. A few members of Greek life were expressing their feelings about the article, claiming it offended them. I was confused by this because I held the position that getting offended by comedy is nonsensical. In response I was told by a sister who read the article that she knew for a fact the article had been written with the intent to belittle Greek life.
I had three big issues with this claim, the first is that it is simply untrue, one cannot claim to know authorial intent over any work, ever, unless that person is the author of the piece. That is an irrefutable fact, and if you happen to guess correctly that's all it was, a guess. If you believe you can actually know authorial intent then you may be one of the few people on this planet blessed enough to own one of Schrödinger's cats. Secondly, the girls in the video are laughing and seem to understand the comical element at hand. Thirdly, the article was published under the Tomfoolery section of Onward State. Of course, by the time I had made that point I had been so much of an asswipe no one gave it any credence.
You see, I was insensitive to their offense because I saw them as being wrong. In my defense, I had suggested they make a video in response, teasing the stereotypical journalist. I was told that this would be even more offensive than the original video. It reminded me so much of an episode of "Rick and Morty," the one where they visit the female-dominated planet, and Rick figures out that he and Summer are going to be crushed by a boulder, and she finally admits he was right and calls him an asshole.
Anyway, the point is, I'm sorry. I have a difficult time empathizing with those who put an emotional response ahead of a logical response and it can make me come off as abrasive. So, to the writer of this response piece I say, firstly, I understand your frustration. Secondly, I see that you've analyzed the original article, and noticed the word "deeper" used multiple times—all I ask is that you consider the author saying this in a "Saturday Night Live" tone, and less like that of an inspiring English professor.
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And now I'm tired. The youthful rebel is no more. Odyssey is a perfect fit for those who are looking for a sandbox, a place to take risks as a creator, a place to dare. It's a great place to start a portfolio. It'll be a great resume padder. That is, if you can keep your mouth shut about certain social aspects and present yourself in a package worthy of endorsement. If not, then you stand the chance of having your work read by potential employers or co-workers who might mistake your comedy for offense. (Yes, this paragraph is in here twice, because even though I'm sorry, I still don't expect many readers, if any, to get this far.)
This isn't something you worry about as an undergrad. You also don't worry about how much money you probably won't make creating for Odyssey. It's hypocritical of me to only do things for money—but when my voice is being suppressed, even on a platform for my generation that encourages me to speak my mind, then what other motivation is there?
If you're like me you know there's that one other motivator. That presence in your head, yelling at you to 'get it out'. You have to give the world a message but you're not exactly sure what that message is yet. That's fine, keep going. If you can't keep going for yourself, keep going for people like me, the one's who have lost hope in the world's ability to sincerely listen to our message.
