SHUT YOUR QUIZNAK!

To my studio headmaster for inspiring this blog. Thank you so much!

I believe there are two types of person in this world. The ones that implode, and the ones that explode. I myself am a little of both.

The reason why I’m starting like this the blog is because the other day I lived an explode situation, but I had to keep my mouth shut. So this free post is the perfect place to say all I didn’t and also talk about a topic I’m interested in.

Do you know that awful feeling when you get mad at something and the second you decide to show it everyone around you is saying “It’s not such a big deal!” or “Calm down!”? And while that doesn’t help and just puts you more on edge, you know it is not a big deal, that what made you angry in the first place was something so small, so tiny… but still powerful enough? How I see it, it doesn’t matter what the size of the trigger is but where the provocation is aiming. If it hits the right target, then you’ll be getting yourself into an explode situation.

So the other day we had to present a model. Once we put everything in order, the teachers asked us to leave the room so they could correct what we had brought. A group went to Parque San Borja, but a friend and I decided to instead go to the library because she had to read some text for a class and I just wasn’t feeling like being social at all that day. She took what she had to read, I grabbed my book and we were off to the library. One hour passed until we headed back to the classroom.

Before I continue with the story, I’ll put nicknames to the two professors who participate. The first one will be Paul and the second will be Mrs. Dizzi.

I was walking through the chairs, minding my own business when one of my teachers —Paul— came to me to ask me what I was reading. I showed him the cover of the book in which you could read “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”. The moment his eyes landed on the title his entire facial expression changed from neutral to a grimace that could easily be read as a “Really? You are reading that?” He was judging me in front of my face and wasn’t even being sneaky about it. It was literally as if he had just eaten a lemon. 

Before I could say something to him my headmaster —Mrs. Dizzi— saw us talking and asked what was happening. Paul said “She is reading Harry Potter”

Now, I’ll admit that I was expecting more support from Mrs. Dizzy. After all, and because of her age, she was there when the Harry Potter fever expanded twenty years ago. Or maybe indifference at all. But no. What she responded could be translated as: “Aw, you little girl. Aren’t those books for kids?”

In that moment I could feel the rage building up in my chest. It took all my self-control not to tell her to shut her quiznak (sorry not sorry for the VLD reference). I mean, if you are going to say things like that save us the time and just stay quiet. The worst part was that she didn’t have an argument, but she still said it as if she was right.

“But why you think is a book for kids?”

“Because it is”

I mean… no! You can’t judge me for free without at least a reason behind. Maybe with you reading this, you are not getting the full experience, but I swear she was not far from telling me some bullshit as “Don’t you think you are a little too old to be reading kid’s books?”

Listen, Mrs. Dizzi. First of all, all those twelve-year-old kids who read HP when it first came out are now thirty-two years old and guess what? They still read the series! And even if they didn’t, in what universe is your business what I do and don’t read?

I know a lot of people are right now thinking: “Geez, you are being such a Drama Queen about this!” But I’m not. It actually makes me really angry when someone criticizes you for something you like!

And this happens with everything. The moment you like something different people will make sure to find a way to make you uncomfortable about it as if you shouldn’t because almost anyone else does.

So next time you come to me to ask me about what I’m reading and I tell them any random book title, I really hope if you get any comment you feel you need to say, you’ll just eat it up because I’m not interested at all in hearing you. Period.