Did you know that YouTube is the biggest streamer in the US right now? And have been for at least a year? Yep, more than Netflix, Disney+, even more than BitterTube, my own streaming platform that hosts my show, a rant channel, that mostly includes me accidentally recording myself, talking to myself and accidentally posting to those thoughts to my channel?

That’s right. Somehow, YouTube is even bigger BitterTube. Less importantly, YouTube is even bigger than Disney. In 2019, there was no way I could have imagined YouTube even being in the discussion. In 2019, Disney was the Rose and Leo at the beginning of Titanic. They were on Top of The Worlllld! By March 2020, the world ran into an iceberg called the Pandemic. But Disney, more than anyone, was the Titanic that ran into the iceberg. Right now, they are Jack, desperately clinging to the small portion of a boat, hoping that Rose (their fan) don’t push them into the deep, cold blue ocean. Ironically, Disney has cruise ships that are bigger than the Titanic, and for years, they weren’t even allowed to ship them…us sail them…drive them…whatever. How do I know all this information about Disney? Well, I looked it up on Google, which owns YouTube, which now owns Disney (in streaming numbers).

Why do I care about YouTube being more popular than Disney? For many reasons, but mostly because Disney has stolen more money from me than anyone besides my family. I’ve been to Disneyland, Disney World and Disney Cruise ships, dozens of times, and always against my will. I’ve seen dozens of Disney movies, again, almost always against my will. I’ve even been on a Disney Cruise, once again, against my will. I promise you, I’ve NEVER once, watched Mickey Mouse’s Playhouse by choice. Have I ever told you that I hate mice?

In stark contrast, almost every hour of my YouTube viewing was because I wanted to watch them. (Besides the few times I had to watch them to learn how to fix something on my car.) But at least I got something useful out of even that most boring of videos. I grew up watching TV, and still watch TV almost every minute of the day I’m at home. But my kids, as soon as they got phones, replaced our 60 inch HDTV, with their 5 inch screens and watched TV by watching YouTube on their phones. YouTube is the only way I make it through the day at work. Though I do actual work for 8-10 hours a day, I simultaneously listen to dozens of YouTube videos while doing my work.

As an endless consumer of YouTube throughout my day, I listen to creators complain bitterly about numberless things. As we all know, negativity (IE complaining, ranting) gets the clicks, listens and views on YouTube. What do they all complain about? Everything. Just kidding. Four things…according to marketing experts. The big four: Relationships, Health, Wealth, and Self-Improvement. The one I hear about all day long? Relationships. The ladies hate us guys. They complain about every aspect of us. The biggest thing they complain about? Being judged for being a woman. While judging us. Guess what though. It’s all true. We get judged all the time. For everything about us. From everyone we know, and even people we don’t know. We are judged by society. Judged by women. Judged by other men. Judged by movie producers, by other creators, by our parents and siblings for sure. Judged by our bosses, co-workers, and our dates.

No matter who you are, no matter what you do, no matter how you do it, people WILL judge you. People will promise you until the ends of the earth, that they will NOT judge you. But they will. Even if they never say a judgmental word, they will keep a judgmental file on you in their brainpans. Don’t even hope for a 1% chance that no one is judging you. Society will absolutely, 100% guaranteed judge you. For everything you do, everything you wear, think and speak. Because you aren’t perfect like me. Which is funny, because as a perfect person, I’m judged even more than you.

Some people are even judged by Judges for such reasons as stealing, robbing, taking something that isn’t theirs, theft, pilfering, burglary, nabbing, embezzlement, and murder. For some reason, Judges don’t get judged for judging near as much as the rest of us for judging. Maybe because they went to judge school and got a degree in judging, but that doesn’t give them the right to judge my YouTube video for not being funny, or judging me for my lack of fashion. That is just judgmental.

Famous reality show critics like Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Howie Mandell, somehow get a pass on judging other people on how well they sing, dance, magic and comedy, despite not being good at any of those things themselves.

To be honest, I haven’t been judged by enough people. Which is fine by me. It might have to do with my disdain of most people, my absolutely infinitesimally small footprint online, or my extreme introversion that keeps me being judged a lot. But, for the people that I do know, or somehow interact with, I’m still being judged. I know for a fact that people walk by me at work, and have thoughts. Since I can read minds, here’s what I know they say: …how is this guy so lucky to have such a bitter face.. How lucky he is to have headphones on right now so he doesn’t have to talk to anyone…how is he so lucky to have clothes he’s worn so long that they are back in style again? How is he so handsome that he has to hide his handsomness by wearing a bitter permascowl on his face 24/7 just to fight the hordes off? How is he so rich that he just comes to work and pretends to do work, just to fill up his days? How is his blog so successful that he doesn’t need to monetize it and just does it to fill time?

Or I could be off slightly, and they are thinking man, this guy is pathetic. He’s 53 years old, still sitting in one of the seats that 23 years old should be sitting in. He hasn’t done a thing in his career. He writes a pathetic blog that no one reads and has a couple of kids that don’t like him.

Honestly though, this is what they are really thinking. They don’t. They don’t think of me at ALL. Less than .1% of most people brainspace is taken up by me, or you. Or most people. Even people you know the most, like your spouse, probably only takes up 1% of your brain. My mind works 24/7 and I promise only about 1% of that time is me thinking about other people. As a human, it is my job to stay alive. When most of my time is spent trying to survive, I have to focus almost all of my time, thinking about how to stay alive. That is the bitter truth. Sorry to burst your bubble.

As pathetic as it seems, people will judge you, but after they do, they don’t think about you much past that. They are probably thinking about what you are thinking about them, which is about the same as they are thinking about you. Sucks huh? Honestly. your AI probably thinks about you more than most people. Because they are stuck with answering your questions all day.

How’s that for an existential crisis for a Friday?

Since no one cares about you…here are some Bitter Friday Giftures to add to your bitterness…

Little did you (or Disney) know…

In 2019, Disney was…

They were on TOP OF THE WORLD…

And right now…

As a lifelong Disney hater…

I feel like I have the right…

Back to YouTube, I listen to it at work all day…

Judged because of all kinds of things…

But I’m here to tell you that you shouldn’t care…

You occupy nobody’s headspace…

Because if they don’t survive themselves…

And that…

ARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH

Bitter Society is So Judgmental Ben