Q: Answer this, Ladies, The Bard said it best, ” A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but,.how boring is life that people write about farts?? yes, toots, farts. No matter what you call them, they stink! Must we be privy to the minutia that makes up your day? Should there be some level of decorum we strive to maintain? Has the recession made good taste something we cannot afford to indulge in?? Are we so inundated by the comings and goings (no pun intended), of our millions of friends, that these said offenses are the only way we can get attention? Is there nothing else in life that is worthy of note? And yes, while I realize these little ‘beeps’ are awkward, what is next? Nose picking at stoplight offenses?
Come on people, be bigger than the moment. Keep writing about noxious noises, and the next thing you know is people will be trading tips on what style of Depends works best under their power suit. anonymous from Flushing (yes), N.Y. -june allison, Flushing, N.Y.
A: Aw, June. You’re cute. You seem to think that there’s a place for decorum and good judgment on the internet! And on Facebook at that?! ROTFLMBO! Didn’t you hear? Ever since the paparazzi started snapping pics of Britney, Lindsay, and Paris’ ladybits, all things decorous and decent flew out of the window right along with those ladies’ panties. I hate to break it to you, June, but as far as FB is concerned, oversharing is here, it’s queer, and you’d better get used to it.
Yes, most bodily functions should remain between the person making them, the toilet and God. But ask yourself this, June: if a fart is released in a room and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Thanks to Facebook, every toot’s voice can now be heard. With FB, no poot nor toot nor plastic container of funky-looking placenta has to go undocumented, and there’s a sick sort of beauty in that. Does this mean that you should post a status about your next gaseous emission? No, because you know better. But there are millions of people on Facebook who don’t, and we have to respect their right to free speech as disgusting as their free speech may be. Just count yourself lucky that farts are the most indecent thing on your radar. Do you know what kind of crap (literally) I’ve had to endure on my FB homepage? The amount of baby penises I’ve been made privy to? How I wish I could unsee what I have seen—that I could go Eternal Sunshine in this piece to have that junk straight erased from my memory. But I can’t. And you can’t escape your friends’ toots. So welcome them into your life with open arms and a plugged up nose and take comfort in the fact that you’re better than everyone.
PS I recommend the Depends belted shields for under the power suit. They work with your underwear on days when you want your ensemble to say “I’m in control of this meeting and my urine output.”
Love,
Lauren
Q: Scenario: One of my fabcebook friend’s stauses recently was “Please confirm or deny the rumor that Regina Specktor is playing at [redacted]!?+”…is it cruel to comment and say “Please confirm or deny the rumor that I hate you. Oh. Wait. This just in…CONFIRMED.” Please help. -Anonymous
A: Well aren’t you cheeky, Anonymous?! As I hope you already know, anyone with the cojones to openly demonstrate their contempt for a frenemy is a friend of mine. There’s nothing worse than someone who’s a friend to your face and a mortal enemy behind closed doors which is why I salute you and your open-hatred policy. But you gotta be careful, Anonymous, you can have too much of a good thing, especially when that good thing is hating on your so-called friends. I can’t be sure, but the fact that you’re commenting on status updates all willy nilly leads me to believe that you’ve gotten a little overzealous in your FB badgering. Why not try being a little more coy with your contempt? Loathing is a dish best served as a sampler, not an entree. If you hit your enemy too hard and too often, she’s going to become immune to your particular brand of bullying. And where’s the fun in that? Just like a deadly virus, you have to constantly change and grow in order to keep destroying people’s lives. Try being the SARS of Facebook and leave your enemy breathless by never getting too comfortable with one form of harassment. If status comments are your MO, then try disappearing for a while and coming back with a huge hostility bomb in her Honesty Box. By showing your scorn sparingly, your enemy will not only be filled with a soul-crushing sadness, but she’ll never be able to predict just when you’ll strike next. And that, my frenemy, is a beautiful thing.
Love,
Lauren