Do you remember the opening credits and theme to the Simpsons? If you're the pastor's kid, you might not, sorry. But it's this video montage of the family coming home to sit on the couch. Seriously, you know, remember it, and I bring it up because the part that always stuck out to me reminds me of the social conditioning we are being indoctrinated with. Of course, I'm referring to the sentences Bart was punished with for writing on the chalkboard.
At first, it was, "I will not skateboard in the halls," and then the sentence changed, and then it changed again, and again, and again. Before I stopped watching the show when I was probably 15, I was always paying close attention to it, and now, at forty-five years old and a father of two, it's obvious that Bart either never learned from his mistakes or didn't care about the punishment. That doesn't matter. But the idea of a punishment of writing sentences to correct our behavior was horrendous, but then Bart, or should I say Matt Groening (the writer of the show) comes along to prove to us how dumb the punishment was because too many of us growing up at the time who served that same punishment, knew that writing a bunch of sentences might prevent the same mistake, but likely won't prevent the next one.
But here we are in 2025, listening to people tell us over and over and over again their so-called interpretation of a rule book that a) doesn't exist and b) they've never seen.
It's about as comical as a sitcom based on cartoon characters that never age. It's got me so inspired that I think I'll write my own interpretation of that opening montage, and instead of Bart writing that he "will not encourage others to fly" he will be writing:
"I will follow the rules for posting content on social media."
"I will follow the rules for posting content on social media."
"I will follow the rules for posting content on social media."
"I will follow the rules for posting content on social media."
"I will follow the rules for posting content on social media."
"I will follow the rules for posting content on social media."
"I will follow the rules for posting content on social media."
The irony is that in three more episodes, the sentence will change, only for Bart to obviously have never learned his lesson in the first place. It's like everyone unthinkingly following a set of rules created by someone whose only claim to influencing others is telling us how to post correctly on social media.
Here's my theory, and I think it's pretty original. If you have something to say, then you should say it, and if the world doesn't get to see it because you didn't follow its "so-called rulebook," oh well, at least you won't be unoriginal.
Put your energy into the creative, not the marketing, because if the creative is original, the marketing will work itself out.
Also, do whatever you want, but please don't share this with anyone. I don't want the influencers to catch on to my revolutionary ideas of being original.
Thanks,
Derek
