Throwing the Baby out with the Bathwater

It's one of those Old School sayings and likely associated with the Deep South, that has those that don't grace either region - Old School Sayings or the South - either scratching their head and looking at you weird when you say it or Google-ing the number for the local CPS when they hear it.

It comes from an era when people who used to take a bath or wash their babies in a #2 washtub - as my Daddy would describe it.

When people got done with the bath, the dirty water was thrown out.

"Throwing the Baby out with the Bathwater" literally means discarding or getting rid of a situation or a person with a lot or preponderance of good attributes or potential because of a few undesirable traits or perhaps - for the purpose of this blog post - a few socially unacceptable characteristics, practices or non-majority minded "dirt".

It seems to me in today's society and culture, the definition and characteristics of this "dirt" have grown, mainly because of the narrowing boundaries of acceptable behavior and / or personality traits.

I've used the term "Cookie Cutter" society before but it really has meaning and application for the theme of this post.

Possessing any practices, personality traits or exhibiting any perturbations in Society's "Six Sigma" data set literally serves you up as a data outlier that sets off alarms, isolation and quarantining from the masses.

What am I talking about here?

Ok - fine - let me give you a few examples:

1. Based on my experiences - if you consistently voice an informed, data-based opinion on any "controversial" subject matter that offers a differing or opposing opinion to the "huddled masses", you will soon find yourself lying in a pool of water in the dirt off the front porch. Pick your poison - global warming vs long term temperature cycles of the earth, the historical cycle of war and peace, organic vs inorganic food, gun control vs mass shootings, illegal immigrants vs the rising cost of health insurance, vegan vs meat eater, blah blah blah and waaa waaa waaa... if you cry in the wrong direction, you will find yourself lying in that puddle of dirty water.
2. If you speak or express yourself in a confident, emotive way with greater than normal volume or use your hands when you talk or don't talk in a monotone "lecture" mode of verbal expression (that frankly puts me to sleep when I hear it done to me), you will be labeled with some sort of psychiatric disorder or "EQ deficiency" - man if that ain't a "If you can name it You can Tame it" label, I don't know what is - and moved quickly to the "Do Not Talk To" list.
3. God forbid you cuss or use any course language in any conversation - that's a No-No in today's fucking "proper" society - OOPS!
4. Even worse - don't ever get mad or say or do anything in anger.  You could save 100 old ladies, kids and dogs from burning buildings but Goddammit if you get mad one time, you just wiped out all those merit badges.  My Daddy used to call this the "Atta Boy - Ah Shit" ratio.  You do 500 things right and people pat you on the back and say "Atta Boy" - good job - way to go but you fuck up one time - that's an "Ah Shit" and that wipes out those 500 Atta Boys. Getting mad about anything and expressing it in any way in today's society is one of those "Ah Shits".
5. If you express yourself in any way that draws public attention such as having an extremely fit, lean and muscular body or wearing clothes, colors or accessories that buck or challenge the local trend, watch out - you're either gay or have some self esteem issues or some other psychological or societal fit deficiency or anomaly - funny how envy and jealousy often seems to be the precursor for criticism and pre-conceived and unsubstantiated and isolation-generating biases.
6. Oh and here's a sure fire Zinger that'll get you a flick of Society's Middle Finger - text more than 3 thoughts in a row to someone.  You are quickly labeled "Married to your Phone" or "Have nothing better to do".  And here's 2 middle fingers right back at ya World on that one.

I've been thrown out with the Bathwater so many times over what I consider such stupid shit that it boggles my mind.

My value system and I mean what I value in people - Intelligence, Communication, Loyalty, Trust, Tolerance, Open-mindedness, Absence of Confirmation Bias, Work Ethic, Respect for Data-based Information and Due Diligence, Having a variety of interests and the Energy, Passion and Self-Discipline to Pursue Excellence in them, Expression of and Conviction to Ideas and Principles, Priority of Good Health and Fitness just to name a few - is so skewed from what Society, Community, Culture and Individuals around me value that....

I have voluntarily thrown myself out with the Bathwater.

For the most part, I have voluntarily removed myself from dealing with this World and the Self-Serving Attitudes and Cookie Cutter judgments that seem to be at the core of its population and structure.

I have become somewhat of an Outcast - by the way I've been treated - especially here in Santa Fe.

Am I crying about this? Do I want anybody's sympathy or "understanding"?

Fuck No - as far as I'm concerned - it's their fucking loss.

It's historically my preferred comfort zone to be removed from the World - I've always been a Party of One anyway -

https://willsonwheels.blogspot.com/2017/12/william-party-of-one.html

And before all you self-appointed psychiatrists / counselors / social workers out there feed me the line - 

"Well - you just need to recognize your deficiencies and weaknesses and work on changing them so you fit in better - you know it will help you in the long run."

Let me just follow that little piece of unsolicited shit advice with these 2 ass-wipe responses:

1. A Leopard can't change his spots. He can roll in the mud and cover his spots but then he's just a Dirty Leopard. 
2. As far as I can tell from my perspective looking back at the World - the World is pretty fucked up and I'm a pretty good guy.  On about 95% of the issues and daily machinations of Life - I got it right and those looking at me with the raised eyebrows and the "Exit Here" signs in their hands have got it wrong - https://willsonwheels.blogspot.com/2017/01/worshiping-at-altar-of-william.html

So - what that leaves me with is the conclusion that it isn't me that needs to change.

It's the World around Me that needs to change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBIxScJ5rlY

Suck on that Little Lollipop World.