![]() |
Butter Babies for a real party |
The girls and I love to throw parties, whether it’s a themed
extravaganza with fifty plus guests or a more intimate gathering with our
closest and dearest with the grill going and drinks flowing. What can I say? We are social bugs, and most weekends will
have us busy with entertaining. With the
summer month about to descend upon us, the back yard is being spruced up and
new seating areas set up. The door’s
open, so feel free to pop in and take a dip in the pool.
Parties are celebratory events with laughter and a positive
air about them. The mood is enthusiastic
and cheer is not just in a glass, but in hearts and minds, as well. However, some people insist on throwing a
pity party for themselves instead of choosing the more positive aspects of
life. You are probably quite familiar
with the hosts of the events. They’re
the Eeyore’s of the group where even on the brightest day they are surrounded
by rain storms. If there’s a negative to
be found, they’re going to find it and exploit it.
In the old days - I can’t believe I’m old enough to say in
the old days - the parties were kept to a select few. The host would surround himself with those
who would help keep the party going and they would celebrate their misery well
into the future. With the advent of
social media, however, those invited to the whine fest has grown
exponentially. The party lasts longer,
because there are more attendees with likes, retweets, shares, and too many
comments. The tears flow, the digital
drinks are shared, and the feeding frenzy of negativity rivals the nature shows
during Shark Week.
One thing I have noticed is that as negative as negativity
is, it seems to always draw a crowd. A
pity party always has plenty of guests willing to fuel the flames of Woe Is Me
and they don’t even have to know what’s really going on. They don’t care about facts or truth just a
good bitch fest that they can join in and slander someone they more than likely
don’t even know. If it wasn’t so sad to
watch, it would be entertaining as people make asses out of themselves jumping
on a band wagon that is sorely out of tune.
As I’ve watched some of these parties recently, I’ve noticed
the type of people who partake in the celebration. Perhaps you’ve noticed them as well.
The Cheerleaders
First are the cheerleaders of Woe. They don’t have a stake in what is going
on. They don’t even have the full
story. Yet, it doesn’t matter. There’s a pity party going on and they want
to join in with their pom poms of righteous indignation.
“You are being mistreated, you poor baby!”
“Death to the person who doesn’t cater to your precious whims!”
"You’re such a valiant person. How could anyone not see that and bow to you?”
![]() |
Listen to me!!! |
The dialog and acting doesn’t even rate a B movie. I’ve heard better lines in pornos - not that
I watch porn, mind you. It’s what I’ve
heard. No, really.
These people don’t care about right or wrong, fair or
unfair. They don’t even care that it’s
none of their business. They are petty
and bored and attending pity parties is their hobby. It’s cheaper, I suppose, than collecting
stamps.
The Encouragers
These are still not interested in right or wrong. They are there to assist the host of the
party to rise above it. They have a pat
on the back ready and a positive smile. “You’re better than this. You can rise above it.”
“What doesn’t kill you makes you strong. Are you dead, yet? No? Then carry on my
wayward son.”
They are the coach cheering them over the hurdle and on to
the finish line. They are positive
reinforcement as opposed to negative enhancers.
The Peace Keepers
These guests bring balance to the party. They hate to see the suffering, but they
realize there is more to the story. They encourage a fair shake of the
situation and stand on the fence waving the white flag, calling for a
truce. The peace keepers act as the
conscience to the party. They try to get
the host to see reason and silence his desperate bouts of attention seeking.
They actually have the hardest task, because the one having
the pity party doesn’t care about the other side or the skewed version he is
spewing of a situation. All they care about is that people feel sorry for their
plight, even if they’re the ones who caused it.
Everything should bend in the host’s favor and they don’t appreciate the
peace keeper’s attempts of straightening it out, though they may say they do.
![]() |
I prefer to chill |
The No Shows
Out of all of those on the guest list the majority fall into
this final category. They are the ones
who simply don’t participate. They don’t
chime in with their two cents and high and mighty opinions of what is right or
wrong. They see the drama, scroll past
it and share the latest George Takai photo.
If you feed a person’s hunger for attention, they only crave more. It’s a drug to them that has to be savored
for them to enjoy life. Those who don’t
show up are not interested in partaking of the cold dish the host is serving.
To be honest, this is the group we should all be in. There’s no fun to be had at this party, only
misery, and although misery loves company, quality company avoids the
miserable. Who wants to surround
themselves with miserable people?
Do yourself a favor.
When you get an invitation to someone’s pity party, just toss the
invitation in with the junk mail. It’ll
be one party you’ll be glad you missed.
* * * * *
Did you enjoy what you read? Leave me a comment and then join me at The Mess that Is Me on Facebook!
For Further Reading ~ We Should All Wear Diapers
Thanks for visiting The Mess!
So very true. I tend to encourage others, but only if I know they will appreciate it. I used to give gentle advice to these people or sometimes give them the cold hard truth if I was close enough to them, but now I don't bother most of the time. Let 'em wallow. Ain't nobody got time for that! ;)
ReplyDelete~Laurie Kozlowski
Agreed. And usually those throwing the party don't want help out. They prefer to wallow. Thanks for visiting and commenting, Laurie!
DeleteI believe that as of now, this is my favorite post.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely, but now I'm worried. I hope my latest post comes off as the inspiration and encouragement it was meant to be instead of a Pity Party Promotion...
Great job Robbie...I love when a post makes me think in a positive way...I wish I lived closer, so I could take part in one of the celebrations. CHEERS!
There is a difference between an once in awhile and a constant. Those who hold the parties usually do it all of the time.
DeleteYou're welcome to pop in anytime, Christina :) Thanks for visiting and commenting!