Okay, when I started this thing yesterday, I thought I was going to be keeping track of what I discovered in my new ventures into religion. Before I get to that, though, I need to vent about this Royal Wedding stuff that's happening. I am one of those people that is actually pretty excited about it. My mom is DVRing it for me, since it's on so early local time, and I'll admit that I'm disappointed that I can't watch it live. Besides the fact that I have this ridiculous obsession with celebrities (I'm not really sure why), I think it's pretty cool to watch a royal wedding. We don't have royalty here in the U.S. (the closest we have is the President), so I find it pretty fascinating to get a glimpse inside that world, even just for a few hours. Also, I love love! I love watching people be in love and fall in love and share their love and I'm probably one of very few people that loves weddings! (I actually enjoy the ceremonies more than the receptions....backwards, I know). And I get that it's publicized more than it should be and that people are tired of hearing about it, but really...isn't it just nice to see some good news? People are so worried about whether Obama's birth certificate is authentic (now that they can stop obsessing over him releasing it in the first place), or how high gas prices are, or how high the national deficit is...and the growing number of troops still being killed over seas. And by no means, am I implying that these issues are not important. The point is simply that they're sad...and it's terrifying for many people to think about them and it's depressing to realize what shambles this world is in at the moment. Seeing two people share their love with the entire world is a nice break from the doom and gloom of every day life. For a few hours, we can forget all of that, and forget about those bills piling up that we can't pay or that family member that needs some extra special attention at the moment and just focus on someone else's happiness.
That being said, I realize I'm a bit of a hypocrite. A few years ago, I posted a status on Facebook sharing my frustrations with the overwhelming number of Phillies updates. During the baseball season, whenever I sign on to Facebook I get a play-by-play of every single game from at least four different people. When I posted my status, I expected to get some sort of backlash...mostly jokes about my poor team spirit; however, it escalated into something I never expected and wouldn't admit to until now. During that attack (that's what I'll call it and that's what I'll stick to, because, well...that's what it was), I was accused of being negative among many other things that I'd rather not stir up again. I argued that the attention and the obsession with sports was only good if the sports team in question was winning and got the response that it was good for the city and it was something that made people feel good. Until now, I wouldn't admit that was true. Yes, it's good for the city; however, I'll maintain my argument that this is only true when the team is winning. I can make a comparison to the Royal Wedding, though, in that it's something for people to look forward to. It gives people a means of forgetting their troubles and the troubles of the world for a few hours a day. There are those that take it too seriously, as there always are, and those are the ones that have ruined sports for me forever. On the flip side, while I can make the comparison and admit that sports (like the Royal Wedding) is a means of escape, the wedding is a one time event. William and Kate are only getting married once...the Phillies play for nine months of the year (if you count Spring Training), every year. Talk about obsessing and over-publicizing!!! So, I will admit that my eyes have been opened and I see how I am slightly hypocritical, but in my sports rants, I never once insulted a sports fan or player. Calling the Royal family "monarchial parasites" and insulting those that plan on watching the wedding is extremely uncalled for. I'm all for sharing your opinions, and even for a little bit of criticism, but insults are unnecessary (especially when you don't personally know the people you're talking about). What amuses me the most is that the people I have seen the most complaints and insults from are the ones that obsess over sports to a rather tragic level...taking it personally when they lose, or when someone else says they'll lose; calling them "my" team; watching the games while at work and cheering loudly enough to be distracting (at work!!!!!!), etc. I wish I could say that this realization would make me more accepting of sports, but it won't, for several reasons: 1) as mentioned before, baseball is nine months long (and when it's not baseball season, it's basketball, or football, or hockey, etc); 2) also as mentioned, sports fans are the biggest hypocrites of them all. It's okay to obsess over something, as long as it's sports-related and in your own hometown and 3) sports fans are just vicious. No insult is good enough to express their hatred for the opposing team and anyone that doesn't like the home team should be banished from the town.
So, I might keep the rants to a minimum from now on, simply because I understand now what it's like to be on the other side of it, but I will still maintain that the Royal Wedding is a moment of celebration. It's the ray of sunshine in the dark cloud surrounding the world. It's been something to look forward to and when it's over, it will be over and we'll move on with our lives and in a matter of days it will be forgotten about. We've all got our guilty (or not so guilty) pleasures, everyone has something they use as an escape, something that helps them forget, and who are we to tell them that it's not okay? So, watch your sports, or your reality tv or some random person's wedding, and as long as you're smiling at the end of it (and not insulting anyone in the process), then good for you!!!!
You're the greatest!
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