Wes says:

Which entry do you mean?

Liz says:

To hell with the dominant society's protocol. Society sucks. Don't ever judge yourself by the dominant society. Carve out your own little world. Only venture out of it to earn enough to maintain your sanity.

Becky says:

I was thinking the same thing as NJWT. Plus, you write very well and are very artistic, and where would society be without those skills? And, are there any famous artists that would be considered "normal" by society's standards?

Wes says:

Actually, I think it's pretty interesting that advice to folks in this kind of a mood generally consists of "don't let other people define your worth; all that matters is that you're satisfied with yourself" or something along those lines. But really, if you never met a single person who thought you were worth a damn, all of your conviction in your own self-worth wouldn't change a thing -- and you'd probably soon begin to suspect that you were mistaken. Isn't "everyone can't be wrong" another popular saying?

Wes says:

And yet people are always trying to dissuade me from going home...

Wes says:

Well the abs are obviously meaningless -- I've never known anyone to be kinder or more attracted to me based on my physique (though people have probably been more fearful of me because of it). The Yale degree also doesn't mean anything -- I know plenty of people with them, very few of whom I respect. Moreover, my degree apparently isn't worth the paper it's printed on, let alone the $140K my education cost. And when people cite other things -- frex, my supposed "talents" -- I tend to disbelieve them. These are vague and insubstantial praises.

As far as communicating a feeling that another human being matters goes, I don't know how that works. I assume it would be an unspoken thing, communicated by gesture, touch -- I don't know. I just know that even on the extremely rare occasions that find me in the company of people who call themselves my friends, though I might smile and laugh, I don't get the impression that they think very much of me at all.

I don't get that impression from anyone, really.

NJWT says:

But I don't think society values any inert factors. It's how you play the game - it's more useful to look like you have certian qualities than to have them.

You once said on TAB's blog that you'd rather be taken advantage of than play the game (I don't remember the context exactly. Probably something to do with paying for dates;) But, here, you're claiming failure at a game that you once claimed to have no interest in playing.

Remember, 'society' is an amorphous term. What did they tell you at Chippendales when you applied to be a dancer? Oh. You didn't go there? Why are you claiming that abs aren't valuable?
I'll tell you why. Because you are indeed using your own measuring stick.
Have you applied for graduate school?

What I'm saying is that society doesn't value any static factors. It's what you do with them, and then only a section of society values it. That being said, I think you're suffering more from not knowing what path to take than from having no tools.
Which seems a little less hopeless, no?

I think your brainstorming a game plan is a good start.

and also, don't think I don't know where you're coming from - I think my blog entry this week comes from a similar place.

Becky says:

Alright Wes, point taken. From now on, instead of telling you what you're worth and how talented you are, I'll just say "stop getting pissed off over cheetos and figure out what the hell you want to do with yourself."

Omni says:

I'd like to point to your intelligence, but we al know that society doesn't actually value that; your hot bod, though, puts you well up up there, I'd say. 🙂

After all the fuss about wanting to email me, how come you haven't written me back? Are you perhaps taking more nudie pics for me?

Wes says:

Thanks, Becky. I agree that that would probably be an interesting project -- maybe I'll try my hand at illustrating the poem if/when I post it on Scary-Crayon. Off the top of my head, though, I think I'd be more inclined to try and apply a photograph to it!