Petty Praise

In our society, we have placed value on and devoted time to spend on social media. Some people use it to vent, some use it to post their greatest accomplishments, and some use it to as a platform. Most will argue that social media is destroying our society and culture. Who is to say that both sides are right or wrong?? However, you must admit that social media has good and bad times; can be laziness or productive on them. The choice and how you use it is up to you.


Through my recent observations and analyzing the latest forms of social media entertainment, I have found that memes have become more and more popular. Anyone can create a meme! Once again, can be seen as good AND bad. HOWEVER, the creation of memes is only one of various examples of pettiness being displayed on our Timelines. What do you mean, Ayana? Glad you ask!


Since when did being petty become popular?? These memes, tweets, posts, etc. are, indeed, popular but does no one realize that we, as a society, have taken cyber bullying to a WHOLE new level. There are multiple tweets and now SHIRTS stating how fun and right it is to be petty or a petty person. Is this something we value? Is this something we should be proud of? To take celebrity's lives and pictures and make a mockery and joke out of them. The more and more I see and analyze these memes and statements like "I'm petty period", the more I tend to be disappointed and appalled by our generation within society. Now, I am not perfect and will admit that I have probably shared or retweeted and mostly laughed at the entertainment going down my TL but at the same time, I'm not a saint. I do not believe it is right to bully and that pettiness should be something to be proud to be.

Claiming pettiness isn't prettiness.

Here's the definition of petty (adj.): Of little importance; trivial. Of secondary or lesser importance, rank, or scale; minor.

Once again, we have taken this adjective and turned it into a verb and even noun (taking y'all back to English class). Urban Dictionary defines it perfectly as "someone who wants to get a reaction out of someone else" or "taken something and blowing it out of proportion". Someone, who I am sure claims pettiness, stated that "the act of keeping it too real while others find it offensive".

 


We are above that! We are greater than petty talk or labels. We should believe that EVERYONE is of importance and treat them as such. I guess no one believes in "treat others the way you want to be treated," instead "treat people how they treat you". Either way, you look at it, if the shoe was on the other foot, no one wants to be cyber bullied. Look at the consequences of your actions and evaluate yourself, your words, and especially what you put out there. A perfect example of this is Kehlani's suicide attempt. The people bullied her, called her names, etc. for at least 24 hours before she tried to take her life. Even then, people STILL make a mockery of it and talked negatively about her. Have we not learned from that?

I guess we, as a society or generation, will not learn unless it's personal... unless it's someone you know or even YOU! You have to be careful what you say and do. Also how it affects other people. Let's aim to be proactive instead of reactive. We must think more, not only about ourselves but how we are affecting other people by the labels and adjectives we use such as calling ourselves petty. So is claiming "petty" is supposed to be cool? Nah, I don't think so. Evaluate that word, the labels, and connotations of the word's meaning before you claim it to be "cool". Who wants to be friends or give trusted information to a petty person?? Our society who never lets down their guard and cannot admit to its flaws. Now that's petty!