You're Not Inferior

19:29:00



I'm a typical millennial pop culture enthusiast. I enjoy Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Nicki Minaj was my most streamed artist of 2015 and I know every tattoo Harry Styles has in chronological order. I don't enjoy maths, computers or anime. I love Lena Dunham and real life and stay as far away as possible from intergalactic space Odessys. These interests don't mean that I'm intellectually inferior to those who hate every Kardashian, thinks boyband pop is the thing of the devil and enjoys reading manga, contradictory to some beliefs. 

So story time; I have quite an over bearing father, the "whatever I say is right" type. Growing up I never argued and took what he says as bible. But in the last few years I've noticed he actually isn't always right. When I corrected him I was met with "stop contradicting, have some respect." Sometimes he was right. Age brings with it a level of intelligence an 18 year old can only look forward to. But others he was wrong. I was correcting, not contradicting. I've since stopped pointing out everything, I choose my battles. After all he is my father and I can at least allow him to think he's the smarter one. 

However of late I've been made to feel inferior countless times. Most people I spend time with don't share the same interests as me and 90% of them are wonderful. When I try to join in on a topic I have no interest in and therefor have no knowledge of they smile, and tell me what's what, nicely. Then there's the 10%. This group of people's most common phrases include:
"But Nicki Minaj is so fake, how can you respect that?"
"Beyoncé isn't even a feminist, did you listen to If I Were A Boy?"
"Harry Styles looks like a rat." 
SHUT UP. WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! 
You don't like them? Fair enough, your opinion is your opinion. But don't lecture and criticise me when I tell you my interests. If I'm expected to listen to you talk about the latest version of Android or look at photos of your desktop layout then you can shut up and listen to me speak about the changes Nicki Minaj has made to thousands of women's lives. If you roll your eyes when I say Beyoncé's new song is so incredible then, you'd think, I could roll my eyes when someone spouts off about the latest Sword Art Online graphic novel. WRONG. I'm usually told "you just dont get it" and their soliloquy about the emotional and creative depth of a graphic novel begins. 

This behaviour is usually accompanied by something that I'm starting to fight back against. Contradicting me on topics they know nothing about. Yesterday I had a conversation with someone about Romeo and Juliet. He went on about how crap it was, how the plot was atrocious and how there is no depth to the play. This person had never read or watched Romeo and Juliet. I, on the other hand, had studied it. I know that play in and out purely because it's the only Shakespeare I loved. I argued it out on a very quiet bus until he retreated. The same person also said Beyonce discriminates against men. Needless to say I disregarded that statement as just plain ignorant. Which is what most of these people are. I swear if one more tracksuit bottomed boy who knows nothing about female empowerment, tells me Nicki Minaj is a slut I'm going to scream so loud in his face he won't be able to hear his ignorant statements ever again.

I'm being honest when I say I'm made to feel inferior on a daily basis. In the last few months I've started to fight back against everyone who feels they are superior because they believe they are more intellectual. I've began to act the same way as them about topics I'm passionate about. Usually it doesn't go down well. Just because I stalk Kylie Jenners Instagram doesn't mean I can't shut you up by telling you what feminism actually is and why arrogant and ignorant boys who think they're superior are the reason it exists. 

If you are one of these people, please stop and listen to yourself. You mightn't be doing it intentionally but you are still doing it. So stop. And if you are the one being made to feel inferior, fight back. Tell them to shut up and tell them why they're wrong. They fucking deserve it. 


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