Today's MOZEN: A Rebel Without a Clue

F LoBuono

You can tell just by looking at me to understand how into trends and fads I am. In fact, I live for them. First, my hair is done just so in the latest style. Then, my clothing can only be described as that of a hipster. And, I drive a flashy car that is so square, literally, that we call it The Box.

So, one should understand how I feel about the latest crazy sweeping the Country: The Bird Box Blindfold Challenge. Based on a new movie, The Bird Box, staring Sandra Bullock about a mother who must protect herself and her family from evil forces by keeping them blindfolded, people try to carry out everyday tasks while having their eyes covered. Oh, and it's producing wonderful results with people walking into walls, tripping over furniture, and falling down on moving objects like escalators. I even saw a video of a family who blindfolded their toddler who then preceded to walk face first into a closed door!

Brilliant!!

Like the Tide-Pod and then the Moving Twerk Challenge which involved ingesting laundry detergent and dancing next to a slow-moving car respectively, this is another moronic attempt to prove to others that you can be just as easily led to do stupid things as the next guy. It leaves me wondering: do we really need to belong to a tribe that badly that we will attempt virtually anything to do so?

Apparently, the answer is YES.

We all have a need to belong. We ARE social animals. And, to be an "outsider" often involves painful isolation from our peers. That's why GANGS can be so powerful and difficult to control. This mindset has also caused so-called outsider groups like the LGBT community to suffer many indignities. It is certainly easier to go with the flow than against it. Otherwise, we must suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune. So, most become what is now commonly known as SHEEPLE, i.e. a combination of human traits with those of sheep, a herding animal easily controlled en masse.  So, simply put, they are willing to become involved in Mass Activities of Idiocy (MAI) just because everyone else is doing so.

Look, some mass activities are fun and harmless (mostly). Line Dancing and The Wave quickly come to mind. But, most are just plain stupid and are created by Madison Avenue just to sell us shit. And, sometimes that shit is just an idea that SOMEONE ELSE TOLD YOU of something that should be done in just such a way. In some cases, they can be downright harmful like ingesting harmful detergent, being run-over by a slow moving car, or walking into a wall.

On a personal level, I've never been much of a follower. I was always encouraged by my parents to live a fiercely independent life. And, mostly, I have. I was never a Boy Scout or joined a fraternity. I hold no memberships in ANY clubs, always living by the Groucho Marx mantra of - I would never want to belong to any club that would have me as a member. Perhaps, being so has cost me. I'm sure that in many job situations I may have gone further if I would have just played ball.

But, that's not me. Like another Jersey Street kid once said, "when they said SIT DOWN, I STOOD UP".

Well, I'm still standing . . .