I'm referring to how we ALL acted in school. And how utterly awful it is when you see someone who's still clinging to the ignorance of youth like it's some life raft in the turbulent waters of adult responsibility. Fucking AYE!
It all began on Friday night.
My finances being what they are (Sidebar: Damn me for leaving that corporate job, my mental health is amazing now but I'm suffering from Empty Pockets Syndrome) I don't engage in social events that actually cost money- very much. But my best friend only has a birthday once a year (thank God!) and, pursuant to our tradition, I take her out for a night on the town to celebrate her newly advanced aging status, I found myself flitting to and fro, hither and yon, uh yeah, bar hopping.
Her birthday being around Christmas, every year we run into people we've known over the course of time who have come back to the Ye Old Hometown to spend the holidays with their families. This year was no different. We saw so many people we went to school with, so many folks that we haven't seen once since highschool graduation back in 1996. And, like the years past, we had a good time talking about old times and how stupid and petty we all were once upon a high school dreary.
It's truly amazing how much time can heal old wounds. That bitch, you know, the one that wrote the nasty note and called me a slut in the cafeteria that day? She's actually pretty damn nice and I didn't know it, but she's being published in the same poetry anthology as I am. Go figger. And that cute but-oh-so-shy kid, the one who would never, ever talk to me or look me in the eye when I was speaking to him? Well, my friend, he's talkative now, turns out he's working at an Indie label, producing a band I LOVE! And he admits that he had a crush on me, too, but was just too shy to do anything about it. It's pretty freeking cool.
My friend and I head to the local country bar. It's fun watching the line dancers and they play good ol rock and roll, too. The two of us belt out some Seager, Skynard, and a bit o' Garth Brooks. We're drunk and it's fun. Tee hee.
But hey!!! Isn't that? Yes, it's Miss Popularity! You know, she was the Student Council President, Homecoming Queen, was the captain on the girls track team and editor for the school newspaper. She was so GOODY GOODY. She acted like she was better than everyone else. Well, turns out she's back in town after a nervous breakdown from the stress of corporate life. I share some tips with her, because, I was just there and I know all about that kind of stress.
I'm starting to think that perhaps I was just an asshole, and that things in high school couldn't have been that shitty because these people are all decent. There is no way we were all as ignorant, materialistic and just plain AWFUL as I remember. Shit, everyone I used to know (and dislike) has turned out to be someone I could sit down and enjoy a beer with.
Until HE steps up. Yeah, this was a guy I used to party with on occasion. Not really a friend, per se, but certainly someone I certainly felt more optimistic about chatting with than I had the other three. Let's call him, um, Gus. He speaks:
"Hey, Annette!"
"Hey, Gus! How you been?" I smile, pat at a chair next to me and my friend.
"Let me tell you girl, this is NOT the place I usually hang out. I swear this is the first time I've ever been in here. It's fucking dorky, look at all the geeks." He takes his seat and flips off the people line dancing in front of us.
Actual words, I promise you. I immediately begin to doubt this encounter. Here I am, 22, two college degrees and one dependant under my belt yet feeling pretty green and unsure of myself, and he's still talking about dorks and geeks. He points to a guy in cowboy boots and Wrangler jeans, who's doing a pretty good job of two-stepping on the dance floor.
"Look at that asshole! He's wearing Wranglers. Can you believe it? Nobody wears Wranglers."
Whoa. I haven't picked on someone for their clothing taste in, let me see, oh nigh on five years. It sounds alien to me, like the words dork and geek. I swallow hard, getting ready to signal my girl so we can leave if he suddenly morphs in a Klan biggot or Jesse Healms. I point to his finger, where a small gold band winks under the colored lights.
"Yeah, I married Randie, that bitch. She never lets me outta the fucking house though." His eyes are embedded in my tits and I note he hasn't looked at my face since he sat down. "So, who're you fuckin' these days?"
Then it all comes back to in a flash! Oh yes, I remember my brother telling me about this phenomenon. It's called The Ignorance of Youth. The way big brother explained it, all teenagers are assholes, because their youth and total lack of knowledge rears it's ugly, ignorant head and forces those poor, hormonally driven maniacs to behave like slobs.
It's completely unavoidable and everyone must go through it at their own personal pain and expense. The good thing is that, eventually, 98.675% of people grow out of it. They grow up, go to school, nurture careers and families and have adult relationships that are positive and rewarding. But that still leaves 1.325% of teens to become fuckheads like Gus, who continue to determine a person's worth on the merit of his/her clothing and social status. Yes, there are still those people who are quick to tell you that NORMALLY they wouldnt be seen DEAD at a place like this, as if it's going to up their rate of approcal in your eyes. Today's lesson on the Ignorance of Youth theory? PRAY YOU'RE NOT A GUS!
