The YouTube Divorce? Oh, No, You Did Not

Relationships are never, ever going to be simple ever, ever, ever again.

Get used to it.

This woman’s taken her divorce proceedings onto YouTube in an assumed effort to mock, humiliate, and god-knows-what-else her older husband. (CNN’s story is here, you’ll have to find it yourself on YouTube; I refuse to watch it in the hopes of deluding myself that we, as a race, are still better than that, if only for a short while longer.)

No, what do I really think? It’s reprehensible. Grow up.

We’re going to see a drastic revisiting of the right to privacy in the future, but I fucking dread the road that takes us there, man.

Divorces are already horrific. Bad shit comes down. Is it really necessary to take a relationship’s demise to such a nasty new plateau?

When I dated what’s-his-face a couple years back almost now, and things went south, I wrote about it. Did I get a mouthful on that one.

What I should have said was that he was a fucking hypocrite. I had said (specifically to him) my relationship would always be fodder for writing. I’d always talk about aspects of things but I’d keep specifics out, right? But everything was systems-go. Which he was pretty fucking keen about. Turns out it can be fun to be written about.

Until, of course, I finally had something bad to write about, and then he suddenly thought he had been slighted somehow. Bullshit. But whatever. That comes after me saying “Yeah, well, you know, I got carte blanche when it comes to blogging.”

Not that I think I’m anywhere NEAR this woman on any ethical scale. Not even close! I’m honest and I do kindly unto others. The thing is, I stated a caveat emptor before things got rolling and gave my intended an out — I think that’s a really important distinction to make.

This dude never signed up to be on YouTube in any way, which is half YouTube’s appeal, I guess. But is it fair?

I’m very, very unkeen on censoring speech. Freedom of speech is so very important. And I believe that– However… if people continue to do stupid-ass shit like this, rednecks are going to have a lot of ammunition regarding why freedom of speech should be a little less free.

I’m beginning to think it may be hard to mount an argument if relationships continue deteriorating so much that the only way we know how to communicate is via the internet or cells, and if slagging people a la fucking kindergarten becomes commonplace on the World Wide Web and “sucking it up” is expected de rigeur whether you deserve the exposure or not, then I’m not so sure I’m going to want to defend freedom of speech so passionately. Maybe with an asterisk next to it, like, you know:

*Free to speak, except when you’re not some deranged, slighted motherfucker with an ax to grind who’ll say anything that makes a dent…

For the first time in a long time, I miss high school a little. Coming out of French class to find a cute boy waiting with a smile. “Wanna see a movie with me Friday?” Simple, easy. “I’ll call ya tonight.” Had to pass balled up notes in the hall between classes. Simple things.

We had call waiting, that made us special. I was the first kid I knew with a push-button phone. Fuck, man, I’m 34. Smack dab at the end of one era and the start of another.

And here I am, a blogger. So I blog about whatever my life is about, right? Including relationships. Does it make me bad? No, rather an open book. But I’m open about that, too. Now I’m starting to put my feelers out for dating again, and I wonder just how any new guys might respond to the “open book” status. We’ll see.

Like I said, it’s never going to be simple again, is it? Damn you, YouTube.

2 thoughts on “The YouTube Divorce? Oh, No, You Did Not

  1. will69b

    How ’bout 2 open books?
    **
    Next week, the YouTube Divorce Lady
    will be forgotten…

    …then, we’ll all be free!
    **
    Andy Warhol was right; only, now, it’s a half-hour of fame, and thousands of hits on YouTube.
    **
    Don’t lose hope Steff. The world is still in love with love, regardless of it’s folly & faults.

    ~x~Will

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