Butthurt

Butthurt seems to be the dismissive phrase that people use whenever people get offended by their post(s) on social media, especially if the offense is rightly justified.

It takes a lot to make me “butthurt.”  Anyone who knows me in real life knows I don’t have much of a filter and that my humor can occasionally make “Truly Tasteless Jokes” seem like it was written by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  I’ve had a few jokes that would make a South Park episode seem like Mister Roger’s Neighborhood.  But I do try (and occasionally fail) to keep said jokes between good friends who appreciate said humor.  And yes, I fully understand and appreciate that such gallows, inappropriate humor is a coping mechanism.  And indeed, in many cases, that’s the only coping mechanism we’ve got.

Here’s what gets me butthurt.  When you don’t have the good sense to keep said humor in private.  When you have the poor judgment to post it on a public Facebook page.  When your Facebook page claims to represent EMS.  When you’ve been an EMT for over ten years doing transfers.  When you embrace burnout.  When you ban any critics by bandying about the words “butthurt” and “free speech.”  When you hide behind anonymity — probably because you know the sentiments that you’re expressing are wrong.

None of this would bother me enough to blog about your butthurt except for one thing — you make your Facebook page a public page.  By banning dissenting voices, you lead the average public to think that the average EMT or paramedic is a monosyllabic, drooling cretin who hates running calls and actively withholds pain medications from patients.  You are what’s wrong with EMS.  You’re why EMS providers are barely paid.  You’re why we’re called ambulance drivers.  You’re why, on average, the best and brightest of EMS reach a level of disgust and become nurses, physician’s assistants, and doctors.

And yes, you’re why I’m butthurt right now.

Comments

  1. Yeah, man…I hate that so bad. And then they hold banning up as a badge of honor. “Ban hammered him! He can come back when he gets a sense of humor!”

    Butthurt and ParaGod seem to very often go hand in hand….