Inquiring Minds Want to Know: Why the Raging Optimist?
Welcome, racefans.
This being the very first blog I have created, I feel introductions are in order; I'm sure you are all dying to know - who are you, oh Raging One, and from where did this somewhat silly yet confrontational moniker evolve?
Well, as any lady is taught (and yes, I will reveal that much about myself right off the bat), one should never give away too much about one's self at the beginning of any relationship - so I shall not ruin the air of mystery and intrigue in this burgeoning interconnection. But here are a few bits of background about yours truly on which you can chew: I was once a creative writing undergrad at a small, New England college for punk rockers and rich filmmakers' kids - I falling into the former category, though later on wishing I had been from the latter - and was under the youth-induced impression that I would become a famous, published novelist and a household name by the age of 24. Suffice to say, this did not happen, and I - like many clueless, arrogant young adults coming of age in the 1980's and early 1990's - ended up yet another frustrated artiest who had never been taught how to hold down a real job while trying to pursue the literary holy grail.
Some of you will be disappointed to learn that I all but gave up my dream of becoming a more fun-loving, female version of any one of my favorite novelists (who were all suspiciously males, but that's a topic for another day) however, I have never lost that desire to open my trap. I am one of those unfortunate souls who seem to have been bred specifically to comment on, complain about, or critique life and everything in it. On my bad days, this ever-running dialogue might spew forth in some particularly un-PC-like remark (which, where I live, might have something to do with bad hip hop and $1000 rims). On my better days - I might entertainingly elucidate on the things I have seen, heard, or experienced in my life with the sincere hope that my doing so will somehow touch, inspire or educate my fellow women/men.
And this is where the Raging Optimist thing comes in.
When I was younger, everyone assumed I was a pessimist - in fact, this is what my high school classmates named me in the "Superlatives" section of our graduating yearbook; "Class Pessimist." I always accepted that tag with mixed emotions - on the one hand, I was proud that I had made a big enough stink, writing in our high school newspaper about the things that appalled me, that everyone knew who I was, and at least gave me recognition for something more serious than being the "Best Kisser." On the other, I carried this burden - of people assuming I was a cynical mistanthrope who would never be satisfied with anything this world had to offer - with me for years .
I don't know how it happened - maybe around the time I stopped wearing black and listening to aggresssive, hardcore punk - but it suddenly dawned on me that I wasn't, actually, a pessimist at all. I didn't believe that people and the world sucked, and I actually had a tendency to romanticize things, and to focus on the good (sometimes blindly, to my detrement). I realized that though I spoke out about things that I thought were unfair, harsh, or stupid, the inspiration for doing so came not from the desire to prove that once again, everything in this world was doomed, but to whine in a fit of disapointment: "Why do people allow themselves to behave like such schmucks, and to settle for so much less?!"
I have come to realize that people (myself included) get themselves into trouble over and over again because they assume the worst about other people - about life - and make moves based on pre-determined, negative assumptions. And most people (myself included again) are also very, very lazy - if we think we can take a shortcut to getting something we really want, we will - even if it hurts ourselves or others. It's a sad thing to witness - someone having a kneejerk, negative response to a situation that could so easily go the other way, had they only chosen to proceed openly, logically, earnestly and without preconceived notions. Corny as it might sound, I honestly believe there is always a bright side - if you look for it, and choose to pursue it. I believe that everyone should aspire to be nice, kind, helpful and empathetic, not to mention honest, logical and diligent.
But.
As fervently as I believe that everyone is capable of "rising above," and that the world really doesn't have to be such a horrible place, I know the converts are few and far between, and we are all subject to human foibles. I am hopeful that both I and the world around me will grow to be better than what we are today, but I am deeply disappointed when people seem to be dooming us all in the opposite direction. And because of that disappointment - I get pissed off. Whether it's over minute infractions like the ghetto drycleaning shop that always lies to me about the return date for my clothes, or larger violations like the test prep company I've been working for who seems to want to brainwash our nation's children, I feel obligated to once again offer opinions and occasional bon mots about these and other transgressions.
It is with great pleasure, ladies and gentlemen, that I shall hereon in share the thoughts and misadventures of...
The Raging Optimist.
This being the very first blog I have created, I feel introductions are in order; I'm sure you are all dying to know - who are you, oh Raging One, and from where did this somewhat silly yet confrontational moniker evolve?
Well, as any lady is taught (and yes, I will reveal that much about myself right off the bat), one should never give away too much about one's self at the beginning of any relationship - so I shall not ruin the air of mystery and intrigue in this burgeoning interconnection. But here are a few bits of background about yours truly on which you can chew: I was once a creative writing undergrad at a small, New England college for punk rockers and rich filmmakers' kids - I falling into the former category, though later on wishing I had been from the latter - and was under the youth-induced impression that I would become a famous, published novelist and a household name by the age of 24. Suffice to say, this did not happen, and I - like many clueless, arrogant young adults coming of age in the 1980's and early 1990's - ended up yet another frustrated artiest who had never been taught how to hold down a real job while trying to pursue the literary holy grail.
Some of you will be disappointed to learn that I all but gave up my dream of becoming a more fun-loving, female version of any one of my favorite novelists (who were all suspiciously males, but that's a topic for another day) however, I have never lost that desire to open my trap. I am one of those unfortunate souls who seem to have been bred specifically to comment on, complain about, or critique life and everything in it. On my bad days, this ever-running dialogue might spew forth in some particularly un-PC-like remark (which, where I live, might have something to do with bad hip hop and $1000 rims). On my better days - I might entertainingly elucidate on the things I have seen, heard, or experienced in my life with the sincere hope that my doing so will somehow touch, inspire or educate my fellow women/men.
And this is where the Raging Optimist thing comes in.
When I was younger, everyone assumed I was a pessimist - in fact, this is what my high school classmates named me in the "Superlatives" section of our graduating yearbook; "Class Pessimist." I always accepted that tag with mixed emotions - on the one hand, I was proud that I had made a big enough stink, writing in our high school newspaper about the things that appalled me, that everyone knew who I was, and at least gave me recognition for something more serious than being the "Best Kisser." On the other, I carried this burden - of people assuming I was a cynical mistanthrope who would never be satisfied with anything this world had to offer - with me for years .
I don't know how it happened - maybe around the time I stopped wearing black and listening to aggresssive, hardcore punk - but it suddenly dawned on me that I wasn't, actually, a pessimist at all. I didn't believe that people and the world sucked, and I actually had a tendency to romanticize things, and to focus on the good (sometimes blindly, to my detrement). I realized that though I spoke out about things that I thought were unfair, harsh, or stupid, the inspiration for doing so came not from the desire to prove that once again, everything in this world was doomed, but to whine in a fit of disapointment: "Why do people allow themselves to behave like such schmucks, and to settle for so much less?!"
I have come to realize that people (myself included) get themselves into trouble over and over again because they assume the worst about other people - about life - and make moves based on pre-determined, negative assumptions. And most people (myself included again) are also very, very lazy - if we think we can take a shortcut to getting something we really want, we will - even if it hurts ourselves or others. It's a sad thing to witness - someone having a kneejerk, negative response to a situation that could so easily go the other way, had they only chosen to proceed openly, logically, earnestly and without preconceived notions. Corny as it might sound, I honestly believe there is always a bright side - if you look for it, and choose to pursue it. I believe that everyone should aspire to be nice, kind, helpful and empathetic, not to mention honest, logical and diligent.
But.
As fervently as I believe that everyone is capable of "rising above," and that the world really doesn't have to be such a horrible place, I know the converts are few and far between, and we are all subject to human foibles. I am hopeful that both I and the world around me will grow to be better than what we are today, but I am deeply disappointed when people seem to be dooming us all in the opposite direction. And because of that disappointment - I get pissed off. Whether it's over minute infractions like the ghetto drycleaning shop that always lies to me about the return date for my clothes, or larger violations like the test prep company I've been working for who seems to want to brainwash our nation's children, I feel obligated to once again offer opinions and occasional bon mots about these and other transgressions.
It is with great pleasure, ladies and gentlemen, that I shall hereon in share the thoughts and misadventures of...
The Raging Optimist.
posted by The Raging Optimist at 10:46 PM
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