The Art of Trivializing

The first time I came across the use of this great art of trivializing is when I was overawed by someone or the other's achievements and was waxing eloquent about it. And my friend comes out with, "So what? He also has to put on his trousers one leg at a time."

I mean, yeah, there was a moment there when I was nonplussed, wondering if the only achievement worth envying was the ability to hold the trousers and jump into it with both legs AND successfully. Sort of like being a gymnast-cum-contortionist trumps all your physicists and gurus and Mother Teresas and what not.

Then I thought, perhaps, he was saying that the chap was also an ordinary person like me and, if he could achieve it, I could aspire to do it as well. That was a wee bit uncomfortable, you know. I mean, it is much better to think that the other guy is some sort of avatar which is why he could do it. Making him out to be as ordinary as me...well, it sort of puts the onus on me, if you see what I mean, to be better or achieve what he has achieved or be as good as he is...not at all a pleasant feeling. Which is why, I suppose, people find it easier to acknowledge the achievements of someone they don't know than someone they do. It is much tougher to see someone as an avatar when you have seen him from the time he was peeing in his pants.

Then, I heaved a sigh of relief when the real meaning hit me. The chap was saying essentially that it is no big deal for that chap to achieve what he has done. He still has to put his trousers one leg at a time after all. Which, of course, is a great solace. So what if Zucky essentially runs the world along with Bezos and that lot? When it comes to trousers...

Come to think of it, this explains this latest trend in fantasy books. I mean, yeah, just because they are human, I'd have assumed that they have as much need of excretion as the rest of us. But, possibly to avoid setting those chaps up as role models, books now have them explicitly doing so. On the 'So what if he vanquishes dragons and puts his life on the line to save other people? He still needs to piss and shit' basis, to make them and their works seem ordinary. Otherwise, I see no reason why authors need to go into such great detail about the functioning of the bladder and the anus. It's not like people fantasize and drool over these details like they do over sex. Or, maybe they do, maybe I am behind the curve here or being a Boomer or some such. Maybe the latest thing in pornography is people squatting on their toilet seats grunting in ecstasy. (By the way, there is that thing, this 'Boomer' and all. Shows the importance of trivializing. Ever see such a proliferation of newer and newer words to build people up? It is always for being dismissive of people!)

So, all that I need in my life to rest in absolute contentment is the knowledge that Trump and Xi need to visit the toilet like us mango people! Then I can say, "So what if..." and go back to sleep.