It Takes a Village, but Mind Your Own Business
We live in the most annoying society.
When did we collectively decide the internet is the place to set arbitrary social rules and lecture everyone on how to behave?
Take a quick look at Instagram, Twitter, or Youtube and you’ll surely see posts along the lines of “What Not to Say to a Pregnant Woman,” “What Not to Do When you Visit a Newborn,” “Questions You Shouldn’t Ask Your Single 35-Year-Old Cousin this Holiday Season” and so on.
And so we go on, not only dictating rules but aggressively stating how everyone should just mind their own business and leave us alone already.
“Why I’m Not Letting Anyone Visit My Newborn — and You Don’t Have to Either.”
“Single Women Don’t Want to Be Set up — We Don’t Need Your pity.”
“We Can See Our Toddler Is Throwing a Tantrum — Keep Your Well-Meaning Advice to yourself.”
“Whatever You Were Going to Say, Shut Up, Karen.”
At the same time, we all long for a sense of community, and to feel less alone. We long to form strong ties of family and friendship, and we visibly grieve the loss of the proverbial (and literal) village to help us find a mate, raise a family, and generally deal with the daily drudge of ordinary life.
