Complaining about Complaining

Our society is becoming one that is full of sarcastic comments and negative connotations in regards to others and their choice to voice their opinions on other subjects. People are complaining about people complaining…

I recall an acquaintance of mine posting a Facebook status last year in response to someone else’s Facebook status. The ever elusive sub-status (on Twitter this is called a sub-tweet) about why were they complaining about someone complaining on their status.

This is how it went:

• Girl complains about promotional statuses all over her news feed and the bar/clubbing life. 
• Another girl posts a status in response to initial complaint about why would someone complain about a problem that’s not theirs and that it isn’t their life.
• My acquaintance simply states, “Why is everyone complaining about complaining? Isn’t that counterproductive?”

This is a trend everywhere. People complaining about others complaining. Negativity begets negativity thus causing a downward spiral of snarky comments and sardonic answers. Everyone is out to cut someone deep in their souls.

So why do it? Why even bring the attention to yourself in regards to someone complaining about something that bothers them? I don’t know. I’m really asking you. I mean, yes, it is true that someone will complain about mindless drivel that may not concern you, but don’t you have the option to continue to scroll down your timeline, news feed, recent activity? Why dwell on something that doesn’t concern you and then complain about it? Does it really bother you that someone didn’t like that show last night? Or they complained about their hair or something trivial like that? Did you expect literary gold smelted onto your timeline from their fingertips? Don’t care about that boyfriend they are with that they just broke up with a week ago but got back together last night and had to remind everyone that they’re going at it again? Oh, that girl is dating, yet again, another guy from the club? Well, maybe you should re-evaluate who you are. If you can be so judgmental then you should probably end the friendship somehow.

Parents post things online about their children, but it bothers you because, why? It’s a wonderful thing! Maybe you just don’t want it all over your news feed or timeline. Whatever the case may be, why does it bother you, or affect you, so much? Just keep scrolling past it. Or delete, block, and stop following them. You obviously aren’t really friends with them if you don’t take any interest in their life in all aspects or are willing to complain about the parts that don’t necessarily appeal to you.

Complaining about complaining only makes you look like a dick. You clog up the news feed with the same thing someone else just said, which causes more people to chime in on negativity. It’s amazing how a negative status, talking smack about someone else, or a situation, can get more people to chime in than something that contains a lot of positivity or solutions to other things. It is just a sign of the times, I suppose. Kindness is mistaken for weakness. Sarcasm is the normal tone of society now, so no one knows if anyone means what they say anymore. I guess it is what we deal with.

And that is my complaint about people complaining about others complaints. Seems a bit redundant don’t you think? Live and let live. If you don’t like it, keep scrolling. If you have nothing nice to say about it, then keep scrolling. Offer support. Post something positive. Be a decent human being.

I mean, didn’t your mom always tell you, “If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all”? I guess that might be too hard for most people nowadays. The world would be pretty quiet.