Complex Numbers

Oh Behave

Here's another entry for "Journalistic Intentions"  [18+].

2. Well-behaved women rarely do behave well, they just make everyone else think they do.
catty

I'm familiar with the original version of this. "Well behaved women seldom make history." Fair enough, I suppose, though I'd argue that well-behaved men seldom make history, either, making that a nonsequitur of sorts.

There's more than one way to make history, and just because you do doesn't mean you've done a good thing. Carrie Nation, for example. Certainly not well-behaved, and one of the most evil people who ever existed.

But this isn't about the original quote; it's about the remix.

We all have our rebellions. Nobody does everything expected of them, all the time. Not only is that impossible, but if you told me you never even once rebelled as a teenager, you're either lying or boring. Hell, most of us make it a point of pride. "I was supposed to go to work today, but I called in sick. Yeah, sick of work." The important thing in a situation like that one is to not brag about it on social media.

In fact, so many people have been busted for doing something naughty because they posted about it on social media that I have had to once again lower my opinion of humans' collective average IQ.

Of course, there's misbehavior and then there's outright fraud. I have no sympathy for someone who claims disability for a bad back and then posts pictures of themselves climbing a mountain in their copious free time, and thence gets their benefits cut off. But stuff that's not really hurting anyone? Eh, you do you, or whatever the saying is these days.

So if I ever see someone, of any gender, who presents themselves as a fine, upstanding member of society, always doing the Right Thing, signalling the fuck out of their virtue, well, I don't buy it. Oh, I'm sure that, like I said, there's a preponderance of good people in the world, but also like I said, sometimes good people do naughty things. If you're vegan, I assume you sneak a bite of cheese every now and then. If you're always talking about recycling, I bet that sometimes you get in a hurry and throw an aluminum can into the landfill trash. It's okay. I don't think less of you for it. I don't even think less of you for lying about it, because really, you're not hurting anyone and a little bit of rebellion can feel so damn good.

But if you're a fiery anti-sex preacher and you get caught having an affair? Then I'm going to laugh. Or you pull a Carrie Nation and rail about the evils of alcohol, and I find you getting wasted in a bar 100 miles from home? You're damn right I'm going to take pictures and spread them around.

We're all hypocrites to some degree; no one can be perfectly consistent, especially over time and growth. But if you're going to be that blatant about it, you will definitely get called out.

And no, I'm not going to take the gender bait. Not this time, anyway. I reserve the right to be hypocritical about that in the future.