The Game

So who is Ender and what is his game? I could write an essay on the two subjects in no time flat, I've thought about it so much. (And yes, I think "Who is Ender?" is a perfectly valid question. After all, the obvious isn't always right.)
But that so isn't what I mean when I say "The Game".
I'm talking about how people interact. If you've ever really observed other people's interactions, especially those of the more socially accepted, you might notice a few things:

• People chum up to people they hate.
• "I love you" has no romantic significance whatsoever. It does, in fact, simply mean, "I do not choose to openly hate you at this time."
  
• Girls coo. It's really disturbing, because they can talk about how much they love a Vera Bradley bag for hours.
• Guys brag. How much they can bench, how awesome they are at sports, how many random trivia facts they know about baseball.
• It's impossible to tell who's dating whom. People break up about every other week, they hug everyone, and unless they're blatantly making out with someone in the halls, they could be just friends. Even if they're feeling each other up.
• You absolutely cannot show any above-average ability in an academic subject, not necessarily even in smart classes. If you ever get an A on a test everyone else failed, you better hide it and keep your trap shut. The masses loathe threats. You succeeding where they failed automatically terms you as a threat.
• If you even slightly balk at their crazy, pointlessly rebellious plans, you automatically get branded as a loser. And it's not that they'll say as much, but everything about them, their posture, their tone, just screams, "Condescending!" People younger than you are treat you like you're about eight. All because you don't think it's a very good idea to drink on an old bridge in the middle of the night. And you had the audacity to voice it.
  
• When in doubt, make animal noises, i.e. Girls squeal, guys grunt.

Oh, I'm not saying everyone behaves this way. There are, in fact, people who choose not to enclose themselves in plastic and hide their true selves. These are the people who discuss string theory at lunch, who join Anime Club, who actually show enthusiasm in presentations.
These people are smart.
These people are honest.
These people have opinions they're not afraid to voice.
These people are scorned.
It's the sad, sad truth that those who don't hide behind a facade are hated. Oh, I'm not saying tell everyone exactly what you think of them, but honestly, who the hell cares about the ins and outs of Vera Bradley. Say "nice purse" and move on.
Although, sometimes, it might be nice to hear the cold, hard truth from someone about whom you care a lot to find out just how they feel about you. The mask of the masses has its benefits, but it also hides us from those close to us. Humankind has wrapped itself in a world of politics at nearly every level of communication. Soon, even the most intimate, private confessions will be reserved for crotchety old ladies and six-year-olds playing Barbie.
No wonder this world's going to hell in a hand bucket. We're carrying it there ourselves.
But a message to you fakes out there, from the people with intense souls and shaky faking plastic skills: While we're out there curing cancer, you'll be mopping floors.
And that's the way of the world.

Thought for the day: It's a small world. So you gotta use your elbows a lot.

Signed,
Two of Wands