When I was in high school, I never was deep in to current trends. But I remember them. Tight rolled jeans. MC Hammer pants. Carpenter jeans. White washed jeans. Sebagos. The running man dance. When I was even younger, it was neon fat-rat shoe laces. Michael Jackson jacket. Parachute pants. I’ve seen a great deal of trends come and go. Fashion trends. Dance trends. Food trends. Vocabulary trends. But lately, I’m seeing trends that I’ve never seen nor heard of before.
I expect that when someone is unhappy with a spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, best friend, they attempt to resolve the conflict by any means necessary. If it still cannot be resolved, they exit the relationship. That seems to be the way that is handled. Obviously, I think people bail way too quickly on relationships. They’re never easy. You’re taking two sets of opinions, habits, and desires and crashing them together and expecting everything to be rainbows and glitter farts. What could possibly go wrong with a head-on collision of opinions and ideas?
So then I ask, if you hate where you live, why don’t you leave that area? Let’s use an example. Joe is from Mt Juliet, TN. He has been born and raised there. Joe has risen to public prominence. He’s locally famous. He then begins to disagree with the way Mt. Juliet is handling their city finances, their city laws, and their public policy. After attempting to address these concerns, he realizes he is in the extreme minority on these issues. That the vast majority of the city loves the way it is being managed. The local high school football team happens to be very good. They love their city as well. So they put the city seal on their football cleats. By now, you know where I’m headed. Joe says that he is offended by the city seal of Mt. Juliet. The city that he was born in. The city that he was raised in. The city that afforded him to rise to the position of public prominence. And because he got upset at the city, he’s decided that the city offends him to the point of protest. Any symbol of it offends him. After winning a prestigious award, the Mayor of Mt. Juliet invites him to city hall to help celebrate his award . He declines in protest. But he doesn’t move. He continues to live there. That’s the part that baffles me. I’m thinking, find a city that does things the way you like and move there. Problem solved.
If I hated my country so bad that anything that resembled my country; the anthem, the flag, was so offensive, I think I would find a country I do like and move there. But that would make too much sense. We have to complicate it. Joe just stays in Mt. Juliet. Realizes his public prominence has run its course, so he stirs up controversy to keep himself in the spotlight. But this may not be the worst part.
The worst part is that this has become a trend. Instead of just fashion, dance, food, and slang words, we’re now inserting a trend of despising where you live, but not leaving. Add to that, this trend of athletes deciding not to go to the White House after being invited for accomplishing something great. Three things strike me about that. 1- Since when did it become cool to be rude? I’ll just have to not be cool. 2- I’m guessing these athletes think so highly of themselves that they think anyone cares whether or not they go to the White House. Like it’s some cool, public statement to disrespect the leader of the free world. Yay to you. We still don’t care. And 3- If the worst president of all time were to invite me to the White House, I would gladly accept. For a few reasons. Regardless of what I think about who is in presidency, the privilege I’ve had to grow up in this country makes me love and appreciate the country itself. It would be an honor, regardless of who is in that office. But why the allegiance to my country, or any area?
When football was started in America, It was a combination of rugby and “association football”; later shortened to “assoc”, then shortened to “soc”, then referred to as soccer. People in America loved both sports but wanted their own game. A game that represented what happened in the Revolutionary war. Their territory was to be defended, as it was against England. There was a pride in their geographical area. Thus began the game of football and the rivals between geographical areas. There was a sense of belonging. A sense of pride in your area. When I hear someone say Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee, Hermitage, Saints, Tigers, Titans, Gallatin, these are all words that represent an area to me. A territory I identify with. Unfortunately, those of you band wagon Patriots, Warriors, Yankees and Bama fans that aren’t from there and have never stepped foot in those areas before don’t have a clue as to what i’m talking about. But it’s real, there are actually people in this country that pull for the team that represents the area they are from, regardless if they’re any good. I know, weird.
When the attacks on 9/11/01 took place, all of the sudden, we were all Americans. When helping someone, no one stopped to make sure their politics lined up. No one stopped to ask if they were Christian, gay, republican, democrat, pro-life…nope! They just helped… because they were Americans! Yet now, we find ourselves witnessing trends where it’s not cool to be proud of where you’re from. It’s looked down on if you are patriotic. Maybe we should start some new trends.
How about we try this trend. How about it becomes trendy to secretly buy someone’s gas when you stop to get yours. How about if it becomes trendy to refuse to only listen to people who agree with you and pay close attention to those who have a conflicting opinion and explore the possibility that there are some valid points in there. What if we make it a trend to have coffee regularly with someone you don’t agree with. Maybe it can be a trend to search and find the GOOD in people, instead of the opposite.
The only way these actions become trendy is if we do them. “Faith by itself, if it does not have works (actions), is dead.” James 2:17. Can we agree to meet and talk with people who see life differently than us? Can we attempt to see the humanity in those who believe a different way works? I’m not saying we agree. I’m only say we listen with the goal of trying to see their point of view. For me, I’m trying to understand kids theses days. I don’t want to be so stuck in being right or proper that I fail to see life from their perspective. I won’t be doing the running man, or sporting a mullet, but I will see someone Hit The Woah and say “BET!”
Stay Classy GP!
Grainger