Positively Scarred

Tonight is one of those “stay indoors, chat on IRC all night” kind of nights. I don’t have a desire to go outdoors; I even broke vaguely made plans just because I really don’t feel like getting dressed or brushing my hair. Whatever.

Anyway, for those of you who don’t know what IRC is, click HERE. I’ll wait for you to be finished before moving on…

…Finished? Good. So I’m chatting on IRC tonight and I suppose I was being especially snarky because I was questioned about why I was making comments and that some of them weren’t needed. After which, I put out a disclaimer that I have no filter tonight and apologized if I offend(ed) anyone. Then, someone else (who, at one point, lived in the same city I live in now) explained that it’s a cultural thing.

And I suppose he’s right and it is a cultural thing. Where I live in Central California it is natural to “talk shit” or “cap on” your friends. It’s what I’ve known. Yeah, you’re cool, and we’re friends, but you can’t take offense when I make a snarky comment because that’s what I know, it’s what I’ve been around.

I remember even as a pre-teen and teenager, that’s what my friends and I did. Yes, we had fun, we did activities together, we were normal kids… But we joked with each other so much and took jabs at each other. Things like “yo mama” jokes between friends were/are the norm. The way I premise it when I meet someone new is, “If I make fun of you, it means I like you. If you take offense to it, please let me know because that is not my intention.”

Am I mad I got called out in a chat room? Yes and no. No because, really, it’s the internet and majority of things on the internet should not be taken to heart. Yes because obviously there are still people I have chatted with for years who still don’t get my humor, sarcasm, or snark.

Being ruthlessly mean to one another and making fun of people is very much a cultural thing for me. Sometimes I have a hard time remembering that other people didn’t grow up culturally equivalent to how I did. I forget there are differences between someone who grew up in Central California compared to someone who grew up in Florida or England or anywhere else on this planet. Every place has it’s own unique culture.

Don’t get me wrong, people in this area are still pretty rad and for the most part we’re pretty polite. If you come to visit, I will gladly buy you a cup of coffee and sit and listen to your stories and be friendly, but I will probably throw some snarky ass comments your way, so you just better be prepared.

And before anyone else says it, yes, I know, this isn’t strictly a Central California thing. But compared to a lot of other places, we’re pretty full of sarcasm and shit talking. Those of you who live in Central California and think I’m full of shit: Look around you, listen to how you talk to people. If you really aren’t full of sass and attitude then you’re what we call a variable (if you grew up here) or you’re a transplant and should probably head back to Canada or wherever the fuck you came from.