Fake Chicken and Front Pages

Sigh.

Ever stop and ask yourself what on earth you are doing?

I am eating fake chicken nuggets (which aren't bad...weird, but not bad) and have my face plastered all over the news and newspapers. Have I lost my mind?

Or am I just too stubborn to give in?

Or do I just not give a damn anymore?

I don't care if I end up on death's door; I'll complete my month-long anti-meat 'experiment'. I've come this far, right?

And it will take a lot to shut me up in regards to Tenasty and their evil ways. I'll be honest, I watch my back now. I expect threats.

But I have come to realize that, not only am I a severely determined individual, I just don't care very much anymore. Care about what others think, that is.

I am not sure that I ever really did care. I was just forced to care. We all are. Society has a way of making us feel bad for being...different. And determining who is different is a science that I have yet to master. I don't think anyone has that one down...

I was always fairly uncool growing up. I wore what I wanted, never giving in to the 'trendy' stuff. I wore my hair however I pleased, and hung out with whomever would befriend me.

I can't say that much has changed.

But there comes a day when we realize that we aren't 'cool'. That we are of the [supposed] few who dare to do things differently and live how we want rather then how 'they' tell us to. When we realize that we are what 'they' classify as 'different'.

It didn't always bother me. In high school I could not have cared less that I was weird. In fact, people knew me because of it. I got picked on for not being of the perfect body shape and size. I got laughed at because I got straight-A's. Usually I could just shrug it off, however. Usually.

It was sometime after all the surgery that I became extremely self-conscious.

A combination of huge scars running down my back and onto my hips and an overall feeling of dread and defeat plagued me. This was only exacerbated when I was 22 and realized that I needed to retire in order to maintain some semblance of health.

Rough times.

But as I get older, and deal with all of the shit people throw at me, I am getting more and more back to the point where I just don't care.

At the risk of sounding snobby, there is a certain image that I do want to portray, don't get me wrong. I want to be seen as one of intelligence and class, hard-work and determination. I don't want to be seen as some hillbilly bum who does nothing all day; some stupid, bimbo little girl. This is the way the average person treats me and it pisses me off.

I have to remain true to who I am. Last year I started changing my attitude (slightly) and clothing upon hanging around multi-multi-millionaires. I realized quickly that it wasn't me. I am who I am, ratty clothing and all. I am the type of person who could be a billionaire and would fool everyone...I would still dress the same, act the same and live the same.

So what was my point in all of this rambling?

To some I am seen as a hero. They thank me for being brave enough to stand up against these corporate giants. They thank me for bringing out the truth and calling them on their lies.

Others see me as the devil, most likely. I can almost guarantee that I am high on the 'hit list' for some of the City and Tenasty representatives right now. Proponents of the plant likely see my image all over the news and cringe.

But why should I back down? Why should I let them win? And, most importantly, why should I care what they think of me?

We live in a free country (sort of). It is my right to voice my opinion; My right to eat weird wannabe chicken. These people who get so amazingly angry at the fact that I dare speak up make me laugh. If we all thought alike, what would be the point? A good argument is healthy. It is healthy for those of us directly engaged and those who choose to watch on the sidelines. It makes people THINK. Something that I oftentimes wonder if the average American does much of anymore...

So be who you are. Eat fake chicken and have your face plastered all over every form of media in the area. Be on the 'most wanted list' of every greedy creep on the opposing side. If you are doing something that is meaningful and fulfilling TO YOU, who cares what the 'others' think...?

Be different. It is those who dare challenge the 'norms' of society who truly live.