Pet Peeves

I love the Wikipedia description of a pet peeve. “…a minor annoyance that an individual identifies as particularly annoying to them, to a greater degree than others may find it.” Wanna know one of my biggest pet peeves? People sharing their pet peeves on the Internet. Meta right?

Lately, I have read so many blog posts, Facebook status updates and Tweets where the author complains about some trending meme, lexicon or colloquialism. Most of the time, I see the point – people say and do some rather annoying things on the Internet. But, when you use your platform to complain it really irks me.

First of all, these rants rarely acknowledge the truth that this is something you find annoying “to a greater degree than others may find it.” Instead, you sound like the self-appointed arbitrator of what is and is not acceptable to say or do on the Internet. I know you’re not as arrogant as this makes you appear.

Additionally, it feels like bullying to me. It’s intimidation. If I read your rant and see something I’ve recently said or done, how exactly do you want me to feel? Stupid? Inferior? Less than?

Finally, it closes doors you may very well benefit from walking through. When I was in high school, I spent some time volunteering in an “Adopt a Grandparent” program at the nursing home where my mom worked. My adopted grandmother was a woman named Ethel. After our first meeting, I complained to my mom, “I absolutely can not stand the way Ethel smacks her lips when she talks.” My mom ignored the comment and asked what we talked about. I confessed that I didn’t hear most of what Ethel said, as I was so focused on her annoying habit. I think of my Mom’s reply all the time. “You get to choose what you focus on in life – choose wisely.”

When you broadcast your complaints about the minor, annoying things people do, you may alienate some pretty amazing people.

I really hope I’ve made my point gracefully. This is something minor, that bothers me. If you are tempted to feel belittled or scorned by my words, remember…with this post, I’m doing the very thing I’m complaining about.