I put one of the Marilyn Monroe quotes as my facebook status. It was this one:
"A wise girl kisses but doesn't love, listens but doesn't believe, and leaves before she is left."
I don't really agree with this quote. I am someone who feels way too much and would do anything for anyone. It's party of who I am. If I tried to follow this advice, then maybe I would manage to reach a healthy medium where I am more cautious.
This quote however, is a type of comfort when someone is hurting. Because Marilyn's definition is a girl who doesn't hurt.
The real reason I am writing this post however, is because of the attack that Marilyn endured in the comments on my status. I didn't mind the comments about how depressing and pessimistic of a quote this is. I agree...but I also can glean wisdom from it. The first comment that truly upset me was the following: "ok, the fact that you quoted marilyn monroe ... i might as well not read it" I of course jumped in immediately to defend my heroine, and found another person quickly joined in on the opposite side with this comment: I didn't know the lady personally, but to my knowledge she was hardly the fountain of virtue and wisdom that you're making her out to be." I didn't say she was the fountain of virtue and wisdom. I said that she had a lot of wise things to say. and that she was one of my heroes. Then of course the anti-Marilyn team came in to say that it is by their fruits you shall know them, and that with Marilyn you don't have to look far to see that they are rotten. Well, since I don't want to make a million enemies on facebook, here is my rebuttal to that.
When we read quotes and take advice, we do it with our own personalities and our own grain of salt mixed in. Many Many people can read the exact same thing, and each of them get something completely different, but all are true. Isn't that how the scriptures work? but with people getting their own wisdom at different times? The same scripture can mean something different to even the same person just weeks apart. and that is how quotes and advice can be. Therefore, when I read that quote from Marilyn given what was going through my mind at the time, what I saw was a quote from a woman who was hurting. Someone who had recently gone through great pain, and wanted to avoid more.
On top of that, when I was contemplating all of what my friends had said, I came away with these thoughts from my journal: "Not everyone was given the same blessings and opportunities that you were. Maybe if you were given their lives, you would make the exact same decisions they did, or even worse ones. YOU DON'T KNOW!!!! I'm not saying that we should emulate someone, and try to be exactly like them. I'm not saying that everyone has to be proud of them, or even like them. However, what I am saying, is that people shouldn't talk about what they don't know. People shouldn't make snap judgements. They should know more about someone then their reputations. Everyone should be given a fair chance. Everyone needs and deserves love. Regardless of what they have done, they deserve to be loved merely for being. And there is something to learn from everyone. You saw my post the other day. Her quotes were wonderful. I loved them. She said things that I do want to incorporate into my life. There are many other things that she said that cancel this one out for her own believes. Let's not be ridiculous people!!!
I was furious and angry with what these people were coming to for her without even considering the other side. Without wondering why I might have put up that status. Without contemplating why Marilyn had said it. If I had credited the quote to someone that they admired, what would they have walked away with? What kind of conclusion would they have come to? the people who posted honest opinions based on the quote, I am okay with. I admire it. I don't care if I disagree with them. It's good to be able to share opinions. But I don't want blind judgements. Everyone on Earth deserves more than that. They deserve to be given consideration.
3 comments:
perspective is really interesting. i had an acting teacher last year who was really intrigued by Marilyn's life- she was a Chekhov actor which is a very intense, intelligent and awesome technique. anyway, i haven't studied up on her life but i can respect her work- how she wanted to be an artist and more than a sex symbol. honestly, the woman deserves a lot of credit for how far she got in her career.
people are interesting, huh? i have this great buddhist friend here and my favorite thing he says is, 'it is what it is' and then he just keeps on going on with life. it can be really annoying, but sometimes its the only response to situations that are frustrating.
i love me some facebook drama with your super self righteous friends. Teehee.
I hope I helped you or something. haha... i enjoyed myself a wee bit, i will admit. But they were pretty much insulting you personally, and then ME personally, and that's when I went all "Oh no you di'int!" on them.
I looove you m'dear.
I don't know what was said in the Facebook discussion (other than what you mentioned here), but I suspect people who ripped on her were basing their comments on what little they knew about Marilyn. They saw how the media portrayed her, and stopped there. In the eyes of those people, her actions spoke louder than her words.
I've always thought of her story as a tragedy. I don't know enough detail about her history to know how things led to her becoming a sex-symbol in society's eyes, but I don't doubt that's why many otherwise good people don't trust her.
True, it would be better if we learned the whole truth about her life before proclaiming out against her. I guess we all do that with some things, whether it be politics, religions, or cultures.
Even so, it's sad when people instead of actions become the target of intolerance.
Chas
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