Is It Me?

I don’t know what’s with me at the moment.  I seem to be getting overly irritated at the slightest little thing.  Like, the last couple of days people have made comments – particularly online – that have the effect of just really pissing me off.  I have no patience!  Usually, although perhaps not the most tolerant of people, I manage to hold my tongue.  Or at least take a step back from the thing that’s bugging me and move on.

This has not been the case this weekend.  Some people’s remarks – while probably not intended to cause offence – have been crass and insensitive.  Or just plain ludicrous, judgmental and petty.  And rather than talking it out, teasing them or having a joke about it, I have been going off like a rocket.  I mean, one of the things that really wound me up was somebody telling people that they should be doing a particular thing, disguised as ‘being helpful’ by explaining how to do it.  Reading between the lines, the fact that people weren’t doing this particular thing was bugging the hell out of the guy and this was his way of saying so.

Now, I am pedantic.  I am a spelling and (as much as possible) grammar freak, always willing to learn more about correct sentence structure and the like!  A misplaced apostrophe plays to my OCD like nothing else!  But I would never dream of dictating to other people how they should be relating their little bits of information to their friends.  I would never publicly criticise someone for their lack of knowledge, or belittle them by forcing an explanation of their mistake down their throat!  To me, that is petty and self-indulgent.  If you don’t like what another person is saying in a social networking forum then mute them, ignore them – or if it really irritates you, just de-friend them!  I’m afraid I thought this person needed to get a life, and it made me really mad!  Yes, I know I could have taken my own advice and muted, ignored or de-friended, but it’s the principle!  (And I did de-friend eventually, anyway.  It wasn’t a person I considered a ‘real friend’ and we didn’t talk very much!)  I was annoyed, but I didn’t make a public announcement to say so.

Until now.  Anyway…

There was an issue yesterday too.  A crass but not malicious remark by a kid who should have known better caused me to overreact massively.  It was ok in the end, the kid and I worked it out, and the person whose timeline we disrupted has forgiven us!  But I still feel bad.  I don’t know what’s wrong with me.  Is it just me?  I feel like a big ball of pent-up irritation just waiting to explode on the next person who says something out of line.  I read some people’s derogatory or demeaning comments and instead of rolling my eyes and moving on, I sharpen my tongue and roll out the ever-ready sarcasm to go on the attack.

Is it me?  No.  Wait.  Don’t answer that.