Coulrophobia – Fear of Clowns

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Have you ever gotten so fixated on a book, movie, tv-show, or person (fictional or real) to the point where it’s the only thing you think and talk about? If so, then great because that’s where I’m currently at! I’ve gotten hooked to a familiar clown character. You know her, Batman despises her. She’s the Cupid of Crime, the Maid of Mischief. That’s right, I’m talking about

Harley Quinn

Formerly known as Harleen Quinzel, this DC villain was a person of interest for me this past week. I finally got the chance to watch Birds of Prey which follows Harley’s journey right after she breaks up with the Joker. (Check out the Trailer!) I also have to add that Margot Robbie’s performance is incredible!

(To watch online, visit MyFlixer.com)

After watching the movie, I thought it was suitable to listen to a podcast about the film (because who doesn’t love podcasts? Lots of people, I know). I went over to NPR’s episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour to get some second opinions. It turns out they loved the film just as much as I did! Not only that but at the end of each episode, they have a segment called “what’s making us happy this week.” Glen Weldon of NPR’s Arts desk shares that he’s interested in a show called Harley Quinn on the DC Universe streaming app. It is a cartoon show that is NOT meant for kids. Similarly to Family Guy, this animated series is meant for more mature audiences but still possesses the perfect amount of action and adult humor that it’s not considered downright “inappropriate.” I personally cannot stand shows and movies that are based solely on sexual content. While this show makes some sexual jokes, it never shows sexual content and I appreciate that. Each episode is around 20 minutes and has a focused plot (I only discovered it two days ago and already finished the first season). So if you’re searching for a new show that’s got action and relatable, sarcastic humor, then look no further!

(To watch for free, go to MyFlixer.com)

I definitely recommend this show and Birds of Prey to any DC Universe fans out there! It gives you a chance to watch some great content and to cheer for the villains (who might not be villains after all). Enjoy!

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Agathophobia – Fear of Kindness

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So I recently invested in a small but wonderful bracelet from Hot Topic

In case you can’t tell, this bracelet is made up of “dots” and “dashes.” It spells out a word in morse code. If you wanna solve the mystery on your own, here’s the code:

If you don’t want to waste your time, scroll down

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My bracelet translates to “Ahole,” or in other words: Asshole. Now, I didn’t buy this bracelet to label myself as an asshole. I also didn’t buy it because it looks like a nice piece of meaningless jewelry. I bought it to remind myself of how shitty people can be sometimes (including myself). Every time I look down at my bracelet, I will think one of two things:

1)  “They are being an asshole to me, but hopefully, they don’t mean to”

Or

2)  “I am being an asshole, so stop being rude and choose kindness”

This code reminds me to be authentic. Since the norm for society seems to be “fight fire with more fire,” I want to remind myself that (for the most part), that is never going to work in my favor – I would know from personal experience. So instead, when someone is being rude, I simply need to take 5 seconds to be frustrated (mentally), and then calmly approach the situation with the intention to defuse any conflict. It also reminds me of a brilliant line from the tv show Lost:

Jack: “… And I knew I had to deal with it. So I just made a choice. I’d let the fear in. Let it take over. Let it do its thing. But only for five seconds. That’s all I was gonna give it. So I started to count to five. I could feel it inside — like when you drink a milkshake on a hot day. One, two, three, four, five. And it was gone.” – S1E1

Instead of fear, it would be anger, or frustration, or whatever negative emotion is present when dealing with difficult people. On top of that, I think it’s important to allow yourself to feel what the situation calls for. I believe it’s foolish to pretend you aren’t feeling negative when you are, but I also believe you shouldn’t act upon that negativity in a violent/extreme way. As everyone says, “communication is key” and if you want to express that something makes you upset, then do it. It doesn’t have to turn into a brawl of any sort (and if it does, then either you or the other person approached the situation incorrectly, causing it to escalate). If the other person (or people) truly are an asshole and think it’s entertaining to start a fight, then just walk away. There’s no point in fighting a bully (unless it’s through kind words).

Overall though, this bracelet is a reminder that humans make mistakes and have bad days. We can’t condemn them for it and we need to practice patience. Now, whenever I’m in a rough situation, I have a shiny reminder that no one is really the villain, it’s just one of those days – approaching it with positivity will make the difference  🙂