stephanie yang

i am appreciating the joy in simply letting it out and indulging in a good old-fashion vent. the kind that feels like the gust of wind when you open both front windows in your car, all at the same time. a vent that blows you each and every way, and then, when the crashing and swirling of sound is finally too much, you close the windows and once again, you find yourself safely immersed in calm.

in honoring the joy and power of a periodic vent, i offer up my current TOP 3 VENTS to you as a way of simply letting the wind blow.

vent #1: PUBLIC TOILETS. here’s the thing. i can’t say i’ve travelled all over the world, but i can say that i have travelled a lot and in lots of different regions, areas, countries, climates — and one thing continues to amaze me. the most disgusting, dirty, messy and horrific public toilets i have encountered have overwhelmingly been in the states. seriously. why is that? don’t get me wrong — i have encountered some questionable ones overseas too — but overall, and in terms of frequency, the states wins, hands out. this, in this supposed “developed” country, we have the worst toilet habits. one could argue that every other culture actually understands the meaning of community and everyone understands and respects shared spaces, and in america we have devolved to such a point that community in this way is no longer an understood concept. perhaps. but it astounds me. every single time i use a public toilet. i am actually surprised in the US if it is clean. i mean, seriously, i have been in public toilets, which are mostly just a hole in the ground, not much more, in rural parts of asia, that are much more welcoming that ones you would find in any urban or rural part of the states…including those in schools, libraries and parks in wealthy neighborhoods! and don’t even get me started on the myth that women’s bathrooms are neater and cleaner than men’s SIMPLY because we’re women? what? women leave toilet paper all over the floors, never seem to be able to actually throw paper towels INTO the trash can…and people with penises are NOT the only ones who sometimes miss. i seriously doubt all these people treat their own bathrooms with such neglect…seriously. what is up with that? something to consider.

vent #2: MARRIED? SINGLE? DIVORCED? ok. i have about had it with living in a society/culture that begs to define me by a relationship status. i used to be annoyed that there was no term for simply “dating” — one is either “single” or “married”…or “divorced”. that in itself was annoying. but now, for those of us choosing to live outside those institutions — and i would argue, being single (that is, “singles”), is also an institution — where do we fit in? whether or not i am dating someone, fucking someone, flirting with someone, signed papers with someone, signed different kinds of papers with someone, or sleeping alone, is irrelevant. what does that tell you about me — whether or not i am “good enough” or “not good enough”? by whose standards — and honestly, who the fuck cares? do i hold more “value” because i have found someone who thinks i’m good enough to date? to fuck? to marry?…or do i lose my value because i couldn’t translate a signature on paper to a life-long “partnership” – and i use quotes, because really, we all know that all marriages aren’t real “partnerships”…but i digress…so, to continue, i want to live in a society where my value is based on who i am, not by who i am in relationship with…or not. or who i used to be in relationship with. take the time to get to know me as a whole person, a full person…and i promise you won’t be let down…and you’ll learn a hell of a lot more about who i am than if you simply ask me “what do you do?” and “are you dating anyone?”

vent #3: COST OF GAS. grrr. need i say more? actually yes, there is one thing…you’d THINK that the insanity that is fuel prices would seriously encourage people to fly less, drive less, take more public transit (and advocate for more smart growth and more transit oriented communities!!), or even, get a motorcycle (i highly recommend this approach…hehe) but no. there are still a gazillion cars on the road, rush hour traffic in california still induces loss of civility..or an increase in virility (aka agression), and people still drive hummers…in LA!!! i mean, really, ok. this war sucks. capitalism exploits ass. oils prices are ridiculous. so wouldn’t it make sense that it would push folks to embrace a positive side to all of this and conserve more. reduce consumption. and go green? oh my. thankfully i enjoy spending most of my time at home these days (when not zigzagging the country on planes…sigh).

thank you for listening.