Paparazzi are Shameless

I don't think I need to explain to you why paparazzi are garbage, so just watch this video. If you're particularly stupid, you'll be thinking: "Wow! Leonardo DiCaprio is a douchebag." See, this is what paparazzi do. They harass celebrities in order to incite (hopefully) a violent response, and if they succeed, they get to post videos with titles like "Alec Baldwin is crazy, breaks camera".

This is how shameless their profession is. Their job revolves around smearing famous people and reaping the benefits of negative attention. Are angry celebrities really assholes? Of course not; how would you feel if you were greeted with flashing lights and cameras every time you walked outside? I think any sort of response is an acceptable one.

They think they're "exposing" the ugly sides of celebrities when the truth is, they're just being human. Even the most patient people would eventually break from the frustration. As I said, paparazzi are shameless people with a shameless profession. They're no better than criminals, as far as I'm concerned.

What Causes School Shootings?

School shootings are a topic of much fascination in the U.S. They invoke such an impetuous media circus of 'why's' and 'what's' that there's often little time to even mourn for the victims. Perhaps it's the immense shock that comes from the idea of our youth shooting up their peers indiscriminately, but it is a fair question nonetheless. What causes school shootings?

"Finish Your Food", or Overeat?

I'm not sure if this varies from culture to culture, but the general rule at the dinner table seems to be "finish your food". Your parents encouraged (or strictly enforced) it from an early age so it's likely been ingrained into your eating habits like a tumor. As a result, you've probably had numerous meals where you forcibly shoved food down your throat just to clear your plate. The main reason behind this form of parenting is obvious: wasting food is inconsiderate to those who are less fortunate. This is a perfectly acceptable cause, but being who I am, I couldn't help but question it a bit.

5 Popular Misconceptions (We Have Got to Stop Believing)

Lists about common misconceptions and myths are so overdone, but I'm making one anyway because I honestly can't believe people still have to be told about some of the most common urban myths. I'm going to run through the myths I still hear on a daily basis. Hopefully, this will stop at least one person from saying stupid shit.

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5. "Hair grows back darker and thicker if you shave it"

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"I'll Pray For You"

"I'll pray for you". If you are surrounded by enough Christians (or go to church), you've probably heard this sentence uttered countless times. Now, this isn't a post about religion. Rather, it's a post about people and their social habits. You see, whenever someone claims that they'll pray for you, they're really just trying to avoid the situation altogether. It's kind of the equivalent of saying "Alright....well good luck with that!" The picture really explains it all. Whoever bothers saying "I'll pray for you" simply doesn't care. They don't care enough to actually do something to help, so they just try to get away with pretending like they care.

Obviously, there might be an occasional person that actually does end up keeping you in their thoughts, but how often does this actually happen? I'd rather have them put some actual effort into helping me. I guess this is what you would call an empty promise. It's like when someone says, "Just let me know if you ever need something". They don't actually want you to bother them, and they definitely don't want to do anything for you. It's an empty gesture.

Maybe it's just simple etiquette and I shouldn't be complaining, but I find the whole thing completely disingenuous. Nothing bothers me more than people who are fake, so obviously it irks me when someone says "I'll pray for you", only to do absolutely nothing forever. If you're going to say anything, just say "I hope it works out". Say something meaningless rather than lie. Trust me, it's the right thing to do. Maybe... What. Hot dogs.

Gun Advocates are Delusional

The U.S. is still shaken by the Sandy Hook Elementary shootings, which took place on December 14, 2012. It involved a lone gunman who shot and killed 20 elementary-aged children and 6 staff members at a Connecticut elementary school. The impact of this incident was enormous, which is why the nation is still shocked and confused. The main thing that this tragedy stirred up was the inevitable gun-control debate. Quite frankly, I find it amazing that we're still having this debate as a nation. We've faced nothing but senseless innocent death day after day, yet we still feel inclined to give people the right to own guns. It's ridiculous.

But you know what left me absolutely speechless?