Negative Nancy

Poor Nancy. I don't know anyone with that name, but that's probably cause everyone just assumes she'll be a Debbie Downer. Get it? Cause I don't know anyone named Debbie either... funny...?

Regardless, there is a ton of negativity happening on my Facebook newsfeed and I'm kinda sick of it.

"But Emily," you say, "Your complaints of negativity are also fairly negative, and I'm pretty sure a couple of your blog posts have been significantly more whiny than uplifting". Fair point, friend. Touche. I know that it makes me a hypocrite to complain about complainers, but I'm not blowing up your Facebook newsfeed on a daily basis with information that's irrelevant to my life about how shitty yours is because you have a cold. 

Life is shitty sometimes. Everyone knows that. 
Anyone who says otherwise is either super drugged up or lacking some of their mental faculties. 

But you- with your constant complaints about schoolwork being overwhelming, and your unfortunate allergy symptoms- you're bringing everyone who sees your whiny status DOWN. They're having a perfectly decent day, and then:

BAM!

This beaut of a status:

"When I get emotional, I get cold, when I'm cold, I get the shivers, which makes my shingles worse (don't ask me why, cus idk). -rough night for various reasons..."

This particular Facebook-er has a pretty consistent habit of incredibly depressing statuses. If the writer is reading this, know that you have been stricken from my newsfeed for your status that make me want to smack you and ask you the following:

Are you trying to make people feel sorry for you?

Are you trying to bring everyone down to your emotional level?

Is there a reason you needed to broadcast this rather than texting your mom so she can say, "Oh poor baby" at which point you can cry a little bit to yourself and then get on with your life?

Maybe your thought process is, "I'm just being honest about what's happening in my life right now". To which I would counter,

REALLY??

Is that the ONLY thing that's going on in your life right now?

Is today actually the worst day of your life because you woke up late and forgot to finish that term paper?

It makes me feel like this:

My one suggestion to you is that you consider this: Emotion is contagious. Empathy is what makes humanity incredibly and wonderfully humane. Your statuses are going out and contaminating the bright, emotional palettes of others with nasty shit-colors. Don't be the smallpox of the emotional world. Be that awesome kind of radioactivity that makes people into superheroes so they can join the Avengers.

I want to know about your life. I want to know what beauty you saw in the world today, and what struggles you've overcome, and if you need help overcoming a struggle I'd be glad to help you out. But if your cry for help is your Facebook status, know that  you won't be taken seriously. It's Facebook, where people post Instagram-ed photos of their Starbucks cups.

And I will disable any notifications from you. :D