#X - Quite Possibly the Most Pointless Thing Ever

Dream girl...or was she?

Short post incoming, and you're welcome for that.

Also, the PSA that this blog post is about may or may not have happened. I'll explain why.

I was laying on the couch drifting in and out of sleep. I'm not usually a couch drifter, but I hadn't slept the night before thanks to my increasingly annoying battle with panic attacks. So I'm laying on the couch and sort of watching the Simpsons block on FXX, even though I had just seen the same episodes like two days ago. I don't know why FXX would choose to start their post marathon blocks with some of the more recent episodes, but that is another blog for another time.

During one of the commercial breaks I think I see the lovely Demi Lovato and she's probably saying something because that's what celebrities do. I assumed it was an ad for some kind of hair spray or mouth wash, because celebrities still hock mouth wash right? I'll never forget the commercials that Harry Anderson did for mouth wash that cost him his role on Night Court. Or I might be making that up completely because I've been hitting the wine bottle awful hard tonight.

Wouldn't you know it, the Demi commercial was actually a public service announcement about texting and driving! I can get behind that. I'm a big fan of safety behind the wheel, and I've read the statistics about distracted drivers. The OFFICIAL US Government Website for Distracted Driving says that in 2012, because it stopped updating when everyone completely gave up on Obama, there were 3,328 crashes related to distracted drivers. 421,000 people were injured in accidents involving distracted drivers. Drivers in their 20's make up 27% of distracted drivers in fatal crashes, and at any given moment there are 660,000 drivers in the US using electronic devices while they drive.

And that was in 2012! With the always increasing popularity of smart phones and social media, I'm sure that number has climbed into the BILLIONS. That's strictly a guesstimate courtesy of a half asleep blogger, but you can take it to the bank, daddy!


Did you know guesstimate is a real word? I'll be damned.

If there is anyone who can convince the young'ns to stop texting while they drive, it would be Demi Lovato. She's young, she's beautiful, she's hip, and she has the ear of the American youth.

She is also the face of the most pointless would be revolution I've ever seen.

Demi and AT&T have teamed up to tell drivers to use the hashtag #X before they drive, letting everyone know that they're on the road and not to message them. Remember kids - It Can Wait.

They're hoping that by letting the world know that you can't be distracted, you'll make it safely to your destination and won't end up another statistic.

Again, I have no problem with saving lives. I'm not 20 anymore and I don't find death or suffering funny. I want people to live and be happy and achieve every single one of their dreams. You'll never see me make light of someone's death, especially when you're on the road and able to kill others with your own carelessness.

With that said -

#Areyoufuckingkiddingme?

What is the point of this? Are people so addicted to their phones that they can't put them down while they drive? Are you trying to convince me that someone can't simply NOT look at their phone? This is ridiculous and an AWFUL case of babying someone too much when all they need is common fucking sense.

Just because someone is sending you a text, tweet, FB message, instagram, Snapchat, imgur photo, Tout, or any other distraction from a million fucking social media services, doesn't mean you have to look at it. Put the phone in your pocket and leave it there. If the buzz of it drives you to the brink of insanity ala the Telltale Heart, put it somewhere else before you hit the road. Just don't look at your goddamn phone!

This is annoying and I'm sure Obama is to blame somehow. Why do we need a hashtag to let others know you're driving? Do we reallly need to be in such constant contact with each other that we can't go a small amount of time without checking in? Sure, the cautionary tale of what happened to Dennis and Mac may have scared us all into checking in hourly, but I'm pretty sure the world will still exist whenever you reach your destination safely without answering your phone.

I couldn't believe it was true. My mind must have been pulling a prank on me as I was drifting in and out of consciousness. I had to research it online to prove its existence to myself, and I was sadly correct. This is a real thing, and if it isn't a sign of the end of the world, I don't know what is.

I can't stay mad at Demi Lovato, though. She's too lovely and she should get extra points for not having nude photos leaked out on to the internet like every other young celebrity in America. I honestly believe she's trying to make a difference, and I applaud her for that.

What a sad fucking world we live in when this kind of difference has to be made.