“When someone says they are enjoying something, resist the impulse to s*** on the thing they are enjoying. Life is short.”

Sometimes the best advice is the most obvious, but it’s worth mentioning here in as a reminder.

It can be said in 100 different ways, I’m partial to ‘don’t yuck someone’s yum’. But the message stays the same. You don’t accomplish anything by putting down something someone else likes except to show that you’re an unkind and bitter person.

For every person that loves watching Riverdale, 100 more probably love keeping up with whatever the Kardashian’s are doing. (I’m both).

Some people like reading and others like spending their leisure time playing video games or crocheting.

Too often we get a twinge of satisfaction from telling other people their choice of hobby, car, movie, book or even animal is ‘wrong’.

Tribalism is built into our DNA as a human race, it’s what helped our tribe stay ahead of others thousands of years ago. But it’s 2018 and we really should be worried if we can’t grow past these animalistic prejudices and just let people live their lives as adults that can make their own choices.

If this all sounds a bit aloof, you’re probably right. I, like every person reading this, has fallen victim to shaming others for their preferences. in the past. 

Think about the last time someone said that they loved eating your least favourite food. You probably asked them something like ‘ewww, why do you like that?’. Which as a statement doesn’t accomplish anything except to show you’re needlessly judgemental and maybe even make the other person feel bad.

Think about the last time you heard what someone called their newborn child, why is it any of your business to judge how ‘appropriate’ a child’s name is. I mean, the name ‘Vivian’ was a common male name until the 1930’s when it transitioned to being a mostly female name.

We can’t all be perfect and get it right every time – kudos to you if you exist – but it’s the acknowledgement of wrongdoing and the willingness to change that makes the most important difference.

As long as what someone is doing makes them happy and doesn’t hurt anyone else, let them do it. It is their time well-spent.