There’s a popular meme floating around the internet that has a middle-aged, pot-bellied, suburban male standing by a charcoal fire with the caption below reading, “I just want to grill for God’s sake!” It has been seen as both an ideal (men just want to go about their weekly business without intrusion by the pet causes of the day) and a problem (for some could equally argue the attitude is one of indifference).
The genius of the meme (and all good memes) is that it captures some truth in a single image. Here, it speaks to the frustration felt when constantly bombarded by talking heads telling a person to get upset over this issue and that. Why can’t a man just grill? Why can’t he enjoy the fruits of his labour and ignore those things which do not impact him directly? All in all, it seems a good view on the world. Who has ever solved anything by unnecessary worry? There are things within a man’s power, and things outside of his power. “You can’t let it get to you,” some say, “Don’t put yourself out there. Everything will blow over.”
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