You guys. I’m concerned.
I love Starbucks. I order vodka sodas all the time. I really enjoy Taylor Swift…..who LITERALLY just came on Pandora as I typed her name. (Now I’m really concerned.)
Clearly…I’m a basic bitch.
First off, shout to the Chicago film extras for introducing this concept to me. We were all sitting in holding one day talking about the “17 Fall Activities All Basic Girls Love.” God knows what I would have wrote about this week otherwise. At this particular moment in time, however, I was confused. As far as I knew, Buzzfeed had merely taken a group of people, picked a topic they liked, and made fun of it. After doing my homework, I realized there was a bit more to it than this. For anyone who has been living in the same box as I, feel free to catch up on “being basic” here.
While this term has been around for a while, it gained some popularity last March. College Humor came out with a short where a doctor diagnoses a young girl with being a “basic bitch.” Shortly after, Buzzfeed posted a very popular quiz asking “How Basic Are You?” (If you’re in the mood to answer over a hundred questions on whether or not you enjoy particular drinks or celebrities, give it a shot.)
This was followed by a series of other Buzzfeed posts. Some titles include “15 Things Basic Bitches Can’t Get Enough Of,” “If Guys Acted Like Basic White Girls,” and what can only be an amazing read, “A Guide to Hong Kong Basic Bitches.”
Despite the popularity of the term, not everyone is amused. I’d go as far to say that those upset are the minority. Which brings up an interesting question: If a topic amuses more people than it offends, does that make it okay?
I used to be all about making jokes at the expense of others. It wasn’t until Bob Burg introduced a new concept to me that I decided to go in a different direction. Instead of continuing to follow the trend of making jokes about others….why don’t we just stop?
For those of you who are startled by this idea: I’m sure there were plenty of people who were confused when I stopped posting vents and sarcastic facebook statuses that made fun of others. I ended up replacing them with positive quotes, funny stories, and other ways I can add value. Wanna know something cool? I’m often told how great these are. This rarely happened with my old statuses.
Do you find that you often make jokes at the expense of others? How do you feel about introducing the Bob Burg concept of “just don’t do it?” Share below, regardless of whether you agree or disagree 🙂
tonyinchicago 