sure. wait. what?

I just read the phrase “same wavelength” on Facebook — on a post about Atom Araullo’s supposed ideal girl — and a gust of nostalgia threw me off my otherwise mindless scrolling.

I last uttered those words back in high school, back when I wasn’t as discreet about my hipsterly arrogance. I’m still pretentious, keri, but I was a million times snootier as a b00bless teenager (still got no boobies, but let’s not talk teats tonight).

Everyone in my high school had a high-and-mighty attitude. Only in college would I realize that we knew jackshit, that we were actually the “the cream of the cream of the crap.” Suddenly I was surrounded by kids who were way better writers than I could ever be. And eventually I learned how to temper my distaste for people whose minds were out of phase with mine.

But humility and inclusivity considered, don’t we all naturally gravitate towards peeps whose tastes, principles, and moral codes generally overlap with ours?

And so I ponder upon the phrase “same wavelength.” The concept alone is divisive because it creates an us-versus-them distinction. And when we specifically look for people on the same wavelength, we also imply superiority over other groups whose mental frequencies we assume to be a few hertz too low.

But I think only the token altruists — the kids whose goal in life is to out-Mother-Teresa Mother Teresa — will never discriminate when making friends. Even Essie secretly scoffs at people she considers to be intellectual cardboards. Ray laughs at classmates she pejoratively calls “payak,” while Em hates everyone equally except close friends whom she only hates a little.

Nowadays I don’t have the luxury of choice when making new friends. I don’t see the point of looking for a “ka-wavelength” either. I understand it’s a natural tendency, but the explicit declaration of being selective, especially when hinged on university affiliation, strikes me as a little superficial. But I have nothing against the implied arrogance per se; it would be hypocritical for me to claim that I never dismiss other people’s opinions for reasons that are not always reasonable.

Still, I have my non-negotiables: passive-aggressiveness and a penchant for ad hominem arguments are huge red flags for me. I find these people difficult to deal with and, of course, they’re also not obligated to like me. At this point the only objective is to have as few no-no’s as possible and to try to be as open to befriending folks from any point in the visible spectrum.

And I’m sure peeps out there will read this post and roll their eyes at the word “hipsterly.” They will spot grammar mistakes and excesses in style and they will think, “hmp, nagmamarunong na naman ang bruha.” Pero meh, queber. I will continue to write shit that some repapips may disagree with and they will still be welcome to engage me in a discussion. Our crests and troughs may not always align in the same way but that’s okay. Because in the process, we make beats. #

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The featured image was drawn here.

Sideshit: People be talkin’ about the fake news hearing with Mocha and lo and behold, the CA confirms ex-AFP chief Roy Cimatu as DENR secretary. The Chamber of Mines of the Philippines be partyin’ it up — IP’s better be ready to get displaced bruh.

Hay buhay malunggay (Bessie, 2017).