Just heard Destiny’s Child’s song “Survivor” (how could I miss it? It’s even used in a commercial). As far as I can tell, it’s addressed to an ex (could be way off, but I’m not about to analyze the lyrics, as that would mean listening to the friggin’ song of my own free will). Last night I was watching VH-1’s “100 Greatest Dance Songs”, and number one was “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor. Which is definitely addressed to an ex. Well, guess what? No Shit you will survive. You’ve been through a breakup, not a fucking prisoner of war camp. Get over yourself. If a breakup was life-threatening, the planet would only be populated by those boring-ass people who married their high school sweethearts and have been together forever and never shut up about it. The whole globe would turn into one big Salt Lake City, and the only thing on Tv would be Rosie O’Donnell and QVC. So be thankful your man/woman dumped you. But I digress.
I blame the self-help movement for usurping the term “survivor”; since everyone has to be a victim in order for their lives to have any validation according to its tenets, a large segment of society has turned into one big pulsating drama queen. Every tiny thing that even slightly fucks off your day is magnified into some nearly insurmountable obstacle to your fulfillment, lending everyday life a Sissyphean sense of helplessness without the aid of regular therapy. Excuse me while I puke.
Didn’t “survivor” once have a concrete meaning, reserved for those who had been through a war, or concentration camp, or ploane crash, or deadly disease, or some horrible catastrophe? Now, anybody who can somehow manage not to die can claim the term. Lenny Kravitz, in the song “Mr. Cab Driver”, sings, after the cabbie passes him up 'cause he’s black: “Mr. cab driver, fuck you, I’m a survivor.” Why, because some asshole’s prejudice didn’t cause your brain to start hemmorhaging? Please explain it to me, or shut the fuck up.
I’m not trying to make light of the pain of a breakup - I’ve been through them. Been through a divorce and a bunch of other unpleasant shit, too, but I wouldn’t call myself a survivor. I don’t need to hold on to the pain I’ve been through and wear it like a badge of honor that validates my existence. I get over it and move on, like all healthy people. I don’t feel the desire to compare my personal suffering with a torture victim or a cancer patient to feel like a worthy human being. And I think it’s disrespectful when others do.
As for the TV show - yeah, right. Does anyone honestly believe that they’re going to let these people be put in real life-threatening situations? Are they really in danger of starving to death when there’s a full crew of people following them around? So you had to work hard and exercise and you lost some weight. Big deal. Plenty of people around the world do the same thing every day. It’s called Basic Training. And there’s no chance at a million bucks or lucrative endorsement deals when they’re finished, either. So piss off with your whining.
Yeah. What the fuck’s up with that, dude?
[sub]Sorry, just wanted to say hi and stay on-topic ;)[/sub]
Hey, Rasa, I’m how you doing? Surviving, I hope.
Oh, and I meant “plane” crash in the OP, but a ploane crash is plenty horrifying, too.
No, my name’s not “how you doing”. I don’t know why I put that “I’m” in there. Maybe I should stop typing now, and let others respond, lest I appear even more retarded.
I am a survivor of banging my elbow against a file cabinet. I am also a survivor of eating some strawberries that really weren’t all that great. And I am a survivor of temporarily misplacing a pencil that I needed to write down something.
I don’t know how I survived, but I did, and I’m feeling good.
I’m a survivor too!
And if you go here, you can download a hilarious take-off of the song “I will survive” with an alien doing the singing and dancing… survive that, it you can!
(Do it, it’s really funny!)
Hmm, sadly, woodstockbirdybird, you’re wrong about what the Destiny’s Child song “Survivor” is about. I say ‘sadly’ because this example of the trend that you decry in the OP would appear to be even more pathetic in light of the fact that the song’s not about breaking up with an SO, but about a dispute causing a member of their band to leave. Beyonce et. al didn’t manage to survive getting tossed by a bf-- they actually survived ditching their less marketable bandmates.
Dude, don’t be a hater.
White Lightning,
Don’t be an idiot.
WSBB’s point is valid.
You however, are not.
Dude, I’m not valid??
TwistofFate, please read my post again. And think about it. I realize it contained a run-on sentence, but, come on now, you can do better than that.
Or, maybe it’s me. I’ve definitely been having problems with making ANY at all sarcastic remark on this board without using a fucking dipshit smilie. No matter how blindingly obvious it is that i agree with wssb’s OP (or whatever), there’s always some fool who wants to step up and ridicule me. Give me a fucking break.
You’ll survive, White Lightning.
Actually, that song is about “surviving” one of the member’s boyfriends (as well as surviving the ditching of some of their other members). One of the ex-members used to go out with a member of Jagged Edge, and he (apparently) convinced them to break away from their original manager. Beyonce wasn’t happy about this, and decided to make a song and video in army fatigues to show her resilience.
Ironically, she did most of the things that she says she wasn’t going to do (like “dis you on the radio”).
Great, now I’m gonna have Gloria Gaynor’s fucking song running through my head all day. How am I going to survive that?
Not to be all touchy-feely, but I think you have to separate the two: Survivor / Drama-queen.
Nobody enjoys the company of a drama-queen whether they proclaim themselves a survivor of something or not.
On the other hand “surviving” a traumatic (a subjective term indeed) experience is nothing to be ashamed of, and just may help one in bettering oneself. If that’s the case, I don’t care if you decide to label yourself “Grand Poobah of Getting Over Shit” if it leads you to a positive reaction.
I am going to use this phrase in every conversation I have for the rest of the day 