I'd just like to start this journal by saying this: Is it just me, or am I usually in a bad mood? Why is that?

Anyway, to the rant. Whee...

Yesterday, when I woke up, my dad handed me my new issue of Transworld Magazine (I am addicted to that magazine, I swear), I went right to the We've Got Mail section, cause that's one of my favorite parts (you can find some pretty good laughs in that section.) Anyway, in the letter of the month this guy mentioned that he saw a video called Police Brutality - Go Skateboarding Day. My curiosity got the best of me, and I looked it up and watched it.

I was... furious, to say the least. The first thing I saw on the video was a cop trying to choke a thirteen-year-old. The cop was harassing a group of teenagers because they were skateboarding.

It is very aggravating to know that, while there are a lot of people who are very open-minded to it, there are a lot of people who assume that all skateboarders do is vandalize property. Yes, there are some people who do vandalize property, but that doesn't give people the right to assume it was a skateboarder. As I said before, I know not everyone thinks like that, but I also know that some people do think like that.

I've always said that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and some people may not see anything wrong with what the cop did, but I see lots of things wrong with it. And I have to say what's on my mind.

I, myself, am a skateboarder, albeit not a very good one. I haven't been skating very long, but I love it. So it really makes me angry to know that if I bring my skateboard anywhere there's always the chance that somebody will step up and be a jerk about it.

It seems like I'm always getting crap from other people about my music, my clothes, my skateboard, my life in general. So what? Am I supposed to act like everyone else? Am I supposed to conform? Should I change myself to please everyone else?

Absolutely not.

Conformity is bad, and if people feel they have to be like everyone else to be "cool" or "popular" or whatever, then I truly feel sorry that they don't have the security to be themselves. I'd rather be myself and be an outcast, than pretend to be something I'm not for the sake of popularity.

You can't go through life being something you're not. It's much too short to do that.

I'm not trying to sit here and be a jerk and whine about everything in the world, I'm just trying to get my point across about what I feel is wrong and right, and if you hate me for this post, then so be it. I'm only doing what I feel is right by saying what I think needs to be said.

I think that's everything I wanted to say, I also think this is the longest journal I've ever written, so rant over.

Peace out,
Shelby