As if there wasn’t enough ill will in this world, some nimrod – or a drove of them – believed we desperately needed a National Be Nasty Day. I ask you to join me in a Be Nasty Day Boycott against the poor behavior this absurd day celebrates.
The selection of a day to be nasty to our fellow man is the height of redundancy. I believe I can conservatively estimate that 85-90% of the people who celebrate this annual event on March 8th prepare for it through daily practice year-round. Besides, Be Nasty Day is like putting a shotgun in the hands of a toddler – he’ll either end up shooting someone else or himself in the process. It’s at best irresponsible and at worst detrimental to those affected by genuinely mean-spirited people.
I searched the Internet to find the origin of this “holiday.” Surprisingly, no one has stepped forward to take responsibility for Be Nasty Day. I’m sure the nimrod creators prefer to keep the world in the dark about their “contribution” to society so they don’t end up branded as the screw jobs that chose to celebrate negative behavior. Otherwise, some might assume they support toxic people like online trolls, cyber bullies, managers who demean employees and jerks who verbally abuse customer service representatives.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m a born and raised New Yorker, so sarcasm isn’t lost on me. Hell, I’m an expert in my own right. The problem is that a lot of people don’t understand sarcasm because negative behavior has made humans inherently insecure. So if you aren’t close friends who understand each other’s ins and outs, you aim that shotgun right at the heart of another person. If you celebrate Be Nasty Day, you say to the person on the receiving end, “Suck it if you can’t take a joke.” There is definitely a fine line between love and hate.
Join with me and let’s boycott Be Nasty Day the rest of our lives. All you have to do to observe the boycott is – wait for it – be nice. Yes, it’s that simple. If you’re like me, you’ll probably forget by next year that Be Nasty Day even exists. To make sure you continue to observe the boycott, just be nice EVERY day. We all will have moments where we waver, but the commitment to be nice and spread good vibes on a daily basis is cathartic. We begin to clearly see the kinds of events, words and activities that throw us off a peaceful course and lead us into a gunfight against an unarmed man.
There’s always a positive way to express emotions and time to cool off if needed. You attract more flies with honey than vinegar, so why be nasty when you can be a better you and show it to the world? Let’s use March 8th to advance something much more worthy that celebrates positive human behavior and is an actual holiday – International Women’s Day.
Learn to Shine Your Light is led by Eve Rojas, MSSW, who shares her personal experiences and know-how to provide an enlightening perspective on how to approach life successfully.
Eve went through a deeply disturbing period in her life that caused a major depression. Strengthened by her experience, she believes completely that we each have power within us that exists beyond life’s trauma and stress. Eve shares the knowledge and skills she continues to develop each day to provide tools to help you learn to shine your light and claim your inner strength so you can better manage life’s ups and downs.
Eve relies on discernment and faith to follow the path in front of her and touch the souls of others. She possesses a Master of Science in Social Work with expertise in Social Enterprise Management from Columbia University. Eve also graduated with honors from Yale University.