Hey babes. Do you ever just look at your calendar and see that almost every day has something scheduled, and just like, freak out? Fame does not come cheap, that's for sure.
Somebody figured out how to use the contact form on The Colon's website, so my boss was riding me to make sure I am reading the messages I get. "Woah," right? If I wanted to be obligated to read every message that was sent to me, I'd have majored in being Santa Claus or something.
Anyway, the note was pretty interesting. It's from K.L. in Chi-land, which I always thought was just a myth. Anyway, she writes,
Cassie, [this world does not deserve you, you monument to brilliance and wonder.] Could you share some wisdom with me on this? I am a really outspoken person, as I really like to hear my own voice and I assume everyone else does, too. Well, the other day I got in a political discussion with somebody, and after I repeated all of the talking points I know about it and then called that person a bigot, they said some things that didn't match my perception of the issue any more. I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should rethink my points, soften my position, or acknowledge that there is some validity to someone's ideas even though they aren't the ones I like. What do you think?
This is such an important question in our political climate, K.L. It's really good that you reached out to me to set you straight. I'll give you some principles that have worked for me so far.
First, you are never wrong. The only exception to this is if you disagree with me, in which case you are wrong.
Second, re-read the first principle.
Third, whenever someone calls into question what you think, especially if they have a valid point, you owe it to your ego to double down on whatever it is you said in the first place. Questioning or even hesitating to state your beliefs is a sign of weakness. What kind of person has ever accomplished anything or been important and let another viewpoint tarnish their clarity of thought? Nobody I can think of, sister.
To acknowledge that your opinions may be flawed is to pull into question larger things, like whether you are amazing and special just the way you are. That can get really dangerous when you start to think that there are areas you could improve upon, because it can lead to a nasty thing called "humility." Humility is no fun, or at least that's what I hear. I've not yet tried it.
So, to summarize, the answer is you should always ALWAYS double down.
See how it goes, and keep reading my column!