A letter to a creative-snob

Dear Holier-than-thou meets pseudo-intellect,
Yes, you might be a big brand in yourself, both for your writing skills, your creativity, your cartooning as well as design, but you really seem to lack basic etiquette. You are a big shot who is known in all media circles for your pseudo-intellectual banter and your mentor-like attitude, but it’s a shame, a damn shame to see you flounder like this. Especially if your intellect hasn’t taught you good manners. And real judgment. And most of all, to be humble and live and let live. You know it takes very little to understand that creativity abounds in plenty and it only cannot be restricted to news journalism, advertising or film making. It abounds in fashion too, and in writing about day-to-day issues.
What happens to you when you see a fashion magazine? Does it feel like you’re about to be enveloped by sheer claustrophobia? Is it the fashion that’s making you squirm or the idea that people can be well-dressed and well-read? Does it make you angry that I have the gall to write about the perils of bad relationships when ‘you’ personally don’t believe in relationships of any sort? Is it the lip balm darling, does it make you feel like you’re an alien in this beautiful world and thus make you want to write bad mails to an online discussion discussing my writing skills? What is it, my love – what makes you think that saving the world is the only respite and choice left for journalists?
I am a journalist, but I’m not one of the newsy ones. I’m not going to tell you what happened in the Singur Case or what the UPA Agenda is, but what instead is the part of my story is just to tell you where to get a kickass manicure or for that matter, which counseling centre you can go to if you’re suffering from acute depression? My god, is that really no needed in our world? Do you think that just because I don’t do newsey world changing articles, my opinions on such things like ‘life’ and ‘relationships’ are unnecessary? Oh, you mean life is not worth living if we all don’t go out and change the world. I get it. But unlike me, I’m thinking you’re already in Darfur tending to the woes of Africa while checking your mail on wi-fi and replying to me.
I know I’ve encountered this before, but I’m just saying it again. I am a features writer, I write features on small things, like dating, marriage, relationships, careers and more. And hey, I know you define my personality and my intellect with the lipstick number on my Chanel. But then, cut the crap on your holier than thou philosophy on topics that you don’t know anything about? If the topic I put on a public forum doesn’t suit your taste and you don’t believe in it, just shut the fuck up. Instead you choose to give me gyan on how I should live my life and what ‘meaningful’ is to me. Guess what? A meaningful life is defined by a positive attitude that comes out of doing something you love. It could be the smallest thing, it could be helping someone buy a perfume, or make a trip to see if a friend going through heartbreak isn’t wallowing in self pity. But well, for you, the idea of meaningful is judging others on the kind of work they do and giving pseudo intellectual speeches on what meaningful journalism is.
I have one word, nay finger for you. I promise you it’s well-intended and meaningful.

Cheers,
The girl from the fashion magazine

The scenario: I put up a mail on a reputed online forum on help over a relationship story and a big media honcho goes out of his way to tell me I’m useless and should be doing something more worthwhile with my life. In turn, he makes a cartoon strip about my magazine and me, and forwards it to all and sundry. The time some people have to put other people down I tell you.

Today’s fare: My vicious mail can only be complimented by these new shiny Alexander McQueen Python Peep-toe Pumps. Just look at the texture, the feel and the image and no one does it better than McQueen.