08 December 2010

10 minutes

I got 10 minutes to write this post, so I'm going to ramble. Standard.

The holidays are here and its time to make wishes. Kids wish for toys. Adults wish for either more money or the complete opposite, completely immaterial things like happiness and families*. I want a toy. Enough about me. Lots of people are going to wish for peace on earth. Or for wars to end. Or for people to stop being killed. Etc.

I got a solution.

Shut the fuck up.


No, not you, well wishers. The world would be so much better if people learned that sometimes, you need to retreat to the shut-the-fuck-up box.

Med students know this all too well. If we don't have anything constructive to add to the discussion, most of us will remain in the shut-the-fuck-up box. If only more people understood this and used it. Not that we're an excellent example of remaining in it - most of us come out to say some stupid shit. However, the shut-the-fuck-up box is sacred. Let's look at a few examples.


  • Don't know how global warming works and feel like you have to clamor against it? Shut the fuck up.
  • Aren't gay and still want to get in the private lives of people who are? Shut the fuck up.
  • Want to re-write textbooks to remove facts about evolution without basis? Shut the fuck up.
  • Think you can comment on vaccines without a degree or data? Shut the fuck up.
  • Think you can comment on anything without a degree or data? Shut. the. fuck. up.

Are you getting the gist of this? Of course there are exceptions. Of course the more people are listening, the more the box matters.


I'd expound more, but 10 minutes are up. I'm going back to my box.**

I spent 5 of those looking at pictures of cats on Reddit.

*: Not a terrible thing to wish for. [forever alone]
**: Actually, I'm finishing up an experiment.