in/out list for the year ahead from some fucking guy (aka me)
let’s pretend i’m not way late to this trend
~ in ~
channeling the golden era of sitcom friendships by establishing ritualistic hangouts – i.e., weekly coffee, bi-monthly dinner parties, etc
the retro tech fetish. flip phones, iPods, CDs, snail mail, scrapbooking, etc.
critical thinking
shakespearean insults. “thou greasy prick-eared mammet" is how we throw shade now.
acts of altruism that you do not tell anybody about
reading books in public + going to the library
telling your friends that you love them
asking for help. + cutting ourselves some fucking slack in general we’re all doing our best ffs yes including you
actually booking that trip you keep talking about going on
asking genuine questions
artisanal everything. if it wasn’t made in a rustic barn or a craft room/garage by someone named wren or tourmaline or something i don’t want it.
making conversation with amicable strangers on public transit (+ just being kind by default)1
sending audio messages (not voicemails — audio messages. if I must have an iPhone, I want mini personal podcasts from my friends. forget tone indicators, I want to actually hear your tone — aka your voice)
x out x
compulsory heterosexuality. we are assuming everyone is bi/pan unless otherwise stated (ooh there ain’t no other way)
being “down for whatever” (honestly just all distancing language in general. see: “it’s fine” “i don’t care” “whatever you want” etc i’m not playing emotional hide & seek w you just state your opinion)
celebrity gossip (genuinely who cares)
AI-generated art!!! please stop!!!!!!
pop psychology influencers (+ also using going to therapy as some form of weird social capital)
binge-watching (remember sunlight? & actually remembering the thing that you just watched for more than 3 business days?)
romanticizing/fetishizing the whole lobotomy chic/waifish disaffected person/suffering artist trope (it’s not worth unearthing & therefore re-experiencing your trauma in an effort to spin it into artistic gold)
the yassification of online activism (see: oversimplification to the point of inaccuracy, painfully transparent moral posturing, & the backlash-outrage-backlash cycles on the timeline)
bad-faith interpretations
the #grindset mentality (this includes talking about work at social gatherings – i’d rather hear about your sourdough starter or your cat taking a shit on your granny’s carpet than your shitty office job and i’m so serious. + can we all collectively admit how deeply dystopian desk treadmills are it’s giving lab rat)
emotional avoidance – i.e., ghosting, vague tweeting, constant teasing, non-apologies (“I’m sorry you feel that way”) etc.
did this make you lol (aka exhale out of your nose or cause the corners of your mouth to twitch vaguely upwards for a second)?
was this the stupidest thing you’ve ever read & now you just have to drag it in the group chat? the share button is right down there x
comments
did you make a 2024 in/out list? what’s on it?
I’ve made a post like this before but for no real occasion. i think it’s kind of fun & silly. what do you think? is this anything? would you want to bash my head in with my laptop if I made this some kind of series? if you also think this is fun & silly & think it should be a series, say so hot right now in the comments.
when was the last time you cried in front of another person?
needless to say, this does not apply to anyone who makes you uncomfortable/gives you the heebie-jeebies
i usually hate reading ins and outs but this was so well made and it did make me lol!
This was mine (it’s hidden somewhere in my notes by now)
Ins:
- writing letters to express your feelings
- Portable CD players
- Live poetry
- Reading about world history
- Cake for breakfast
- Dinner with friends
- Zines
- Flower Language
- Cat motif
- Hedonism
Outs:
- music streaming
- Apathy
- Meanspirited concert reviews
- Avoidance
- Smoking
- AI generated Art
- Pandering 2-line „poetry“
- Dog Motif