I Don't Care

Don't Ask Don't Tell has now joined many other forms of official discrimination on the ash heap of history. About time. Nonsense like that never serves a useful purpose, it simply reveals the ignorance of humanity.

The jettisoning of the policy has resulted in many hours of additional "sensitivity training" for active duty military members. Because it takes many hours of exquisitely worded lawyerspeak to say, in essence, "Don't be an asshole." But it has also led to the birth of the latest "special emphasis group," which is what the government calls a defined minority which needs protection from the rest of the drones. We already have groups for blacks, women, hispanics, asians, native americans, and the handicapped, among others. Now we've got one for gays, lesbians, transgendered, and . . . well, whatever labels the PC crowd has decided to add to that list this week. Because it's important for people to be sorted into these little boxes, so that they know their place . . . er, I mean, can be tracked for signs of possible discriminatory practices.

It also means lots of signs, notices, meetings, and other paraphernalia related to their existence. See, it's not enough that discrimination against the specified "emphasis group" is now officially Frowned Upon, but we must be made aware of their existence. Because, y'know, until now we didn't realize that such people existed. Now it has to be In Your Face that there are gay people in the world, and at your place of employment, and that they too are special and sensitive and deserving of respect and not to be mocked or bullied or . . . other stuff that any rational human being wouldn't do in the first place.

Which leads me to my point: I Don't Care. I don't care what your sexual orientation is. I don't care what your ethnicity is. I don't care what your sex is. I don't care what church you go to, or don't go to. I DON'T CARE. If you're happy with your life, great. More power to you, go forth and conquer, make of it what you can.

But don't bother me with it. Because I Don't Care.

Leave me alone. I'll return the favor. That's all I ask. If your activities interest me, I'll approach you and ask about them. If they don't, I won't. Which also means I expect you not to jump in my face screaming "I'm a Rosicrucian! Isn't it GREAT?!?" Because it may be great for you, but I. Don't. Care.

I just recently filled out a request for information form from my county for possible jury duty selection. One of the sections related to my ethnicity . . . was I white, or black, or hispanic, or a meat popsicle, or whatever. I find this highly offensive. I'm an AMERICAN, and that's the extent of what you need to know in that regard. These irrelevant labels mean nothing, and official recognition of them does more harm than good. If there'd been an option to write in a category, I would have done what I always do in such cases and written in "American." As for the rest, I DON'T CARE.

I don't want much from life, gentle reader. A comfy chair, a means of support, and some fun or interesting activities to occupy my spare time. High on the list is not being bothered by people pushing their particular take on life as the Bestest One Ever. Don't care if it's newly-liberated gays, or Mormons, or the local Democratic Candidate for Wasting My Taxes. I'll engage where I choose to engage. If I don't engage with you, it's not because I don't like you, or hate what you represent, it's because I DON'T CARE.

I have friends who fall into all of these groups, you see. I'm friends with gay people, and women, and black people, and asians, and fill-in-the-blanks. Because I see them as people, not as hyphens. I don't walk out the door in the morning thinking that today I need to make friends with a Martian so that I can check off that box. If I meet a Martian who turns out to be interesting and not annoying, then maybe we'll be friends.

That's how it's supposed to work.