Echoes of a Deranged world

Perceptions of Romance Part 4: What about The Bad Guys?

        You know, in probably every single romance novel, movie or story, the protagonist( who lets assume is the guy) will end up with the girl…after a completing a massive task and the girl, likened to the prize or in a more insensitive manner, the spoils of war.

MAINSTREAM ROMANCE FORMULA:

1) Insert geek/nerd/jock-who actually is a nerd inside but is ‘sensitive’.(PROTAGONIST)

2) And then insert the desirable-but misunderstood-cheerleader/ damsel in distress, etc…(any pretty girl will do…yup guys, you can start imagining now…hmm mm)

3) Then, insert insensitive jerk boyfriend of the said girl. (THE BAD GUY). (portrayed with good looks and a nice toned body but arrogant and snobbish with an evil taste for humour, mostly involving bullying the protagonist)

4) Throw in some insensitive and mean things that the bad guy will do to the protagonist and voila! The girl is instantly attracted to the plight of the protagonist.

5) Thus events will lead to the protagonist riding off with the girl into the sunset, leaving the poor original boyfriend(bad guy) in a state of heartbreak and disappointment.

6) We, the viewers, or readers, or any participants on the receiving end of the mass media, will think that Hey! Wow, that’s a happy ending…the bad guy deserves it!!!

7) We leave the cinema, book, or any form of media mediums with a giddy feeling that the underdog has won the day once again!

        What irks me however is that this formula has been replayed on nearly every romance story and the thing is…I can’t help but wonder if it is a subtle form of stereotyping and discrimination?

        Hear me out, why are the ‘jocks’ always the bad guys? And why do we rally in joy as they are left in a ditch at the end of the day, alone and dissipated?

        Although I’m far from being a ‘jock’( you know, the good looks and toned body part? OKAY!!! You can stop laughing now, you’re just mean, aren’t you?). I still cant help but feel the injustice that the media has chosen to cast these people( who I garner are really deprived emotionally, thus the constant need to bully and undermine others) as the bad guys who deserve to be sided against.

        Let us take a moment to contemplate why in the world do we take these type of people to be villains and not misunderstood victims?

        So I’ll keep it short and sweet this time by offering a public apology to all ‘jocks’ or ‘bad guys’…be it in the movies or real life.

P.S= If the girl ditches you, remember God still loves you!

*For all nerds out there( or social outcasts), let us learn to love and embrace the people who throws us into dumpsters as a form of entertainment, the people who make fun of our extra flab and how funny we look when we start crying like little babies, begging them to stop hitting us….ahhh, nostalgic memories…(but that’s a story for another time, dear reader)

       

Perceptions of Romance Part 3: Terms of Endearment…or insulting name-calling?

DISCLAIMER: Any piece of fruit which you may intend to throw at the writer after this blog should be at least partially rotten or worse, because fresh fruit is somehow exceptionally hard and may lead to serious neurological damage which will cause the demise of yours truly in producing future fine literary commentary.

Moving on,

        Basically the concept of replacing a loved one’s name with a rather playful and coy nickname seems to evoke emotions of intimacy and ‘love’, in a metaphorical manner. For example, the usage of… Darling, Honey buns, sweetheart, cupcake, dear, buttercup, and the list just goes on.

        But the question is, why do people actually engage in the chivalry of name calling? If taken in not so a metaphorical sense, calling your loved one a ‘cupcake’, ‘honey bun’ or ‘sweetie’ would just be referring to that loved one as a morsel of food, don’t you think. Now, how is it romantic to be referred as a piece of food???

(Do you notice how females somehow delight and are totally over the moon at the fact they are called these names but spit and are apprehensive if they are referred to as ‘chick’ or ‘babe’?)

        Not only in the sense of ‘name-replacement’, but various statements which are tendered with romantic inclinations in mind.

       

For example, when a guy says to a girl, “I’ll always love you the way you are, I don’t want you to ever change…”. After a statement such as the above is stated, the girl will just swoon into his arms and a passionate actions will take place (which of course shall not be elaborated at this moment, HEY, there are kids reading this, you know!). When the truth of the matter is that actually people do change…so ermm, if that statement was anything to go by…goodbye at any chance of a fairytale ending…

So it would seem that people do say out of their mouths sometimes( or most of the time), driven by the spur of the moment, rather than contemplating what they actually mean.

        Getting back to the ‘terms of endearment’… Here are a few translations of famously acknowledged ‘terms’:

SWEETHEART= When a guy calls a girl this, is he really referring to her as a diabetic female with an insatiable appetite for sweets and other sugar filled confectioneries ( example A= chocolate) ?

DARLING= A darling is actually a kind of bird, so are we degrading our loved ones to the point that they are actually fit to be called animals …( although I can attest that most guys will be over the moon if they are called ‘Sexy beasts’, so keep it up, girls!)

        What we can derive from the above is that if these names were used upon people in a world without the existence of ‘love’, they can be considered downright ‘degrading’. So the next time you call a loved one by their pet name (NO, not like Spot or Si Comel!, what’s wrong with you?!!!) remember that with a heart of ‘love’, it brings a whole new meaning to words once used to describe animals, food and diabetic case studies…

HINT : Sexy beast is still a firm favourite among the testosterone brimming male loved ones, (although to be called that by a parent, relative or teacher would result in serious psychological trauma…so to all girlfriends and wives out there reading this, YOUR ARSENAL HAS BEEN EXPANDED!)

LET THE ROTTEN TOMATOES START TO FLY!

            It seems that everything has settled( not without a few bruises and black eyes of course), so the interview will continue between Gary and Khin Jin.

Gary

: Why did you choose to write the letter in the 1^st place?

Khin Jin: Well, I just wanted to express my love to …(name shall not be mentioned)

Gary

: You used that word ‘Love’, what is your definition of that?, in the context of a boy-girl relationship of course.

Khin Jin: I think that it’s a feeling that a human being feels when he or she is willing to do whatever it takes to be by that loved one’s side until the day they die. Its also a feeling where you think and dream about that person 24/7 and you can imagine scenarios of how different your life may be with that loved one by your side…and you are willing to give up everything just so that you and that loved one can be together…Its like when you see two sparrows, perched up on a tree branch in a midsummer morning, where there seems not to be a care in the world, lost in the companionship of each other…its like when you see the sunset, and you imagine how its beauty can be enhanced with you sharing its beautiful splendor with a loved one’s shoulder grasped in your arms.

Gary

: You are a hopeless romantic, aren’t you…Well, is that all?

Khin Jin: Yup, that’s pretty much it.

Gary

: What about commitment and the realities of a relationship?

Khin Jin: Huh?

Gary

: Have you ever thought of the realistic side of a relationship, besides the lovey-dovey things which you obviously are so into…

Khin Jin: I’m still not catching your drift…

Gary

: Indeed, what you say is true about that ‘feeling’ part…But there is a whole other facet, a whole other perspective to a relationship than what you can see…

Khin Jin: What else is there?

Gary

: Getting into a relationship is actually getting yourself into a commitment. Obviously, all that you just mentioned are part of the package…but ask yourself the question, Can you juggle this relationship in view of your commitment to your studies, family and friends?

Khin Jin: But love conquers all!!! Doesn’t it?

Gary

: True, but the next question you should be asking is, whose love?

Do you really think that the love of a girlfriend is all you need to fill that emptiness in your heart and give you that ultimate sense of closure?

Khin Jin: Erm, I haven’t really thought about that…

Gary

: What is the main purpose of you wanting to get involved with (name shall not be mentioned) in the first place?

Khin Jin: Because I LOVE (name shall not be mentioned)!!!

Gary

: Khin jin…I know you to well, now seriously, what is it?

Khin Jin: Its because…because…I feel lonely, and sometimes I feel as if the whole world is against me, its like it doesn’t know that I exist…its like I’m invisible and nobody bothers if I’m alive or dead…

Gary

: What about your parents?

Khin Jin: I know they care and love me, but there is still that hole in my heart which is like a vacuum, protruding emptiness, despair, desolation…

Gary

: And you think (name shall not be mentioned) is all you need to fill that hole?

Khin Jin: Well, yeah…with a girlfriend, my life is going to be different…I’ll feel happy all the time and she will be there always to hold me tight and listen to my problems, and help me through them, never leaving my side…and she’ll be there to care for me and love me forever.

Gary

:* Shaking head*…how naïve you are, dear me. (Was I this naïve when I was his age? Oops, dumb question)

Gary

: Well, a girlfriend won’t actually provide you with that love you are seeking…trust me on this…

Khin Jin: Then who else?

Gary: Let me tell you about God, who because He loved you so much, He gave His only son to die for you on the cross, so that, the emptiness which you are feeling in your heart may be fitted with His Love. And, the best thing is, it’s a PERFECT fit…He will also NEVER leave you, even if you act like an insensitive jerk or do whatever mistakes, unlike a girlfriend, who will runaway from you at the first signs of this…trust me…

Khin Jin: So what you are trying to say is that God is the one who can fill that emptiness in my heart and give me TRUE LOVE?

Gary: Yup, not only that, He will also be there to listen to you whenever you are facing those problems, and I GUARANTEE you, you will not feel insignificant or invisible anymore…because you will be loved by GOD for all eternity on earth and in heaven, you will also have fellow Christians who will be there for you to help you through your ‘down’ times.

Khin Jin: Who is this God?

Gary

: His Name is Jesus Christ…and let me tell you, HE is the ONLY ONE in the entire universe that will be able to give you that ‘love’ you are searching for.

Khin Jin: How can I ask Jesus to be part of my life?

Gary

: That’s simple…just repeat after me in this prayer, and mean it with all your heart…

Khin Jin: Okay

IN UNISON:

        Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner,

        And I now invite you to enter into my heart,

        So that you may change my heart and take away all these

        Burdens and pains which I have been holding on for so long,

        Jesus, I pray that today, as I start my journey with you…

        You will teach me the true meaning of LOVE

        In Jesus Name,

        AMEN

Gary: Trust me, you’ve made the right choice…your life as you know it will be so much different from today onwards…everyday will have a purpose for you to live for!

Khin Jin: Thank you

Gary

: Now, shall we indulge in another slapfest?

Khin Jin: YEAH! *SLAP*

        And they lived happily ever after…with God by their side all the way. Stay tuned for another episode in the continuing ‘Perceptions of Romance’ saga.

*Khin Jin finally didn’t end up with the girl and started a ranch in the middle of

Texas

….( just kidding), he actually started one in Ulu Kinta.

Now, as Gary and Khin Jin sits on separate chairs in my computer room, they eye each other warily as if anticipating who’s gonna throw the 1^st punch…and all of a sudden!!!

Gary

: Dude, you’re a sexy beast!

Khin Jin: I Know, you are one too!

        Sigh, if only reality could be that convincing…this is how it really went…

Gary

: Its nice of you to join me for this interview…so thank you

Khin Jin: Well, whatever I do for you I’m actually doing for myself am I not?

Gary

: *SLAP*! Don’t try to be a wise guy, Mister!!!

Khin Jin: Ouch! That hurt!!!

Gary

: (scratching my left cheek) I know…I just had a memory of me slapping you, so that would mean that I slapped myself…

Khin Jin:

Moron

!

*Take note, oh dear reader-of-my-blog, only I and I alone am given the privilege of slapping, causing any physical harm or utter any defamatory remarks upon the earlier version of myself( Cause that would mean I would be doing it unto myself…hmmm). So don’t try to be a wise guy and do the following acts upon me!

Gary

: Well, back to business…so what was going through your mind when you wrote the letter in question?

Khin Jin: Aih, pure ecstasy of emotions, a sensual feeling of care and passion, a momentum building outpouring of my innermost desires, a….

Gary

: *SLAP*

Khin Jin: Ouch! Why did you do that again? Do you take joy in hurting yourself?

Gary

: Hmm…actually I do, but that’s not the case. Just stop it! You are going all mushy feely and …

Khin Jin: *SLAP*, How does it feel to have a taste of your own medicine?

Gary

: BRING IT ON!!!

*Due to civil unrest between the two Garys, the interview will be resumed at a later time when both are emotionally calm and have ended their idiotic slapfest( which by the looks of it, are quite enjoying the whole experience… ‘no pain, no gain’, as they say)

DISCLAIMER: NO ANIMALS WERE HARMED DURING THE COURSE OF THIS INTERVIEW…(Why did I insert this disclaimer?, you might ask). Well, because every piece of fiction( or non-fiction) churned out by the mass media does the same…So it’s the polite thing to do!!!