I hate introductions. Particularly when they're significant in length. A few pages, I can handle reading that. I'm sure it was riveting to the middle aged man who wrote it, but sometimes his opinion is just...entirely too boring, too conceited for me to deal with. I'd rather just read the rest of the book, please.
I hate tortellini. It doesn't matter what the filling is, what sauce you try to disguise it in. I hate it. The texture, the taste, the shape of it is entirely unpleasant because all I can think of is tasting it on the way back up, combined with cherry, anti-nausea medicine that I'd choked down only minutes prior.
I hate my stepfather. I hate the things he says.
I hate when people smoke while they're walking. I hate smoking in general, but it's especially rude when you're walking in front of other people, not caring what toxins you're making them breathe in or if they have a severe reaction to accidentally breathing it in. I've had to duck off to the side and throw up because I wasn't expecting someone to be smoking on the pathway.
I hate em dashes. I'd prefer real punctuation.
I hate acephobia. I hate it the most from the LGBTQA+ community, and I hate it the most when people don't realize that they're being horrible about it. I hate being told that I'll "find the right person" that I "must be boring" or that I "must have been sexually abused as a child". I hate it when people claim that acephobia doesn't exist while hating on asexual people.
I hate that so many people think that women's bodies are public forum. I hate that people assume the motives of women and girls because of how they dress or act. I hate that I am expected to take up less space or cower in a man's presence and I hate that I am supposed to smile because my anger, my hated, makes me ugly in their eyes. I hate that I can't go through my life without being subjected to the whims of men, but men can go through their lives without thinking about a woman's existence as a person.
I hate that I'm so hateful.
A really strong response here, Bailey. And plenty of potential for expanded essaying, especially on acephobia.
ReplyDeleteAt the end, you take a Hazlittian turn, by the way. Excellent.
As for the second to last sentence, I'd be interested to have you make that into a scene. That's, of course, not everyone's experience, but it is an incredibly important experience to acknowledge and investigate. I think an audience would love to understand better what you mean.
Have you read work by Laura Mulvey?
As for your opening. I wonder if you're letting the length of something and the identity of the author disqualify it. Seems you could offer more specific commentary that would help me understand. Then again, this is a rant assignment, so let loose, I guess.
Just know that I hate the word "boring" as a response to art as much as you hate em-dashes!
Good work.
DW
You're going to get tired of me saying this, eventually, but: Passion is awesome. People with passion are more interesting and interestED, and that is so SO important. And a rant is all about someone's passion. I think you've conveyed that well here.
ReplyDeleteI think all of these paragraphs could be expanded into their own essays, but collecting them here is powerful. I especially love the one line paras. They are emphasized by their economy of words, and this somehow makes them more poignant.
Well done! Thanks so much for letting me see this.