Continuing on her very important media tour, NeNe Leakes, the Atlanta Housewife turned Celebrity Apprentice drop-out, will appear on the Wendy Williams show today, May 12, to set the record straight about why she left The Donald high and dry, quitting the show this past Sunday by walking out on her team in the middle of a task. But worry not, after realizing that he himself had been trumped when she left, Donald made NeNe's exit official by pointing his creepy finger at the camera and announcing, "NeNe, you're fired!"
Um, no, Donald, she quit. But whatever helps you sleep through the night.
But back to Wendy Williams, who is creepy enough all on her very own. Her reaction in her interview with Leakes literally made me laugh out loud. "I'm so upset at you, because you QUIT." With the same inflection in my voice, I could have been overheard saying, "I'm so upset at you, because you murdered someone." The drama was a little much Wendy-Wen, a little much.
Though Williams' over-the-top-ness is hardly a shock, the interview -- of which I watched a total of two minutes because really, who can listen to Wendy Williams for much longer then that -- did get me thinking about quitters.
Being identified as a quitter has crept its way up the social judgment charts, now hanging out right around back-stabbing bitch who slept with my man and scum of the earth who never called me after that one night stand. And well, I happen to think there's something really problematic about that.
It seems to me that the fear of being labeled a quitter, and therefore shunned from the possibility of ever redeeming yourself, makes a lot of people do a lot of unintelligent things. Like, stay in a horrid relationship because ending it, even after years of being totally unhappy and trying to make it work with no success, would be quitting. Because, of course, teaching your children that adults stay in loveless relationships no matter what really does sound like a healthy parenting strategy. Way to go, keep up the good work.
Another example, because we're having so much fun: staying at a job that makes you miserable while the deep dissatisfaction with your vocational life continues to spill over into your personal life such as feeding your drug, food, shopping, sex, and/or gambling addiction. But great news, at least you're not a quitter! You're just miserable. Good times.
The word 'quit' has become a totally overused blanket description that incorrectly includes anyone who thoughtfully and conscientiously leaves one thing to either start another thing or shift focus in their life. I think it's about time we stop the madness.
Before you get all crazy and start leaving your job and ditching your relationships while calling it a "life transition" and blaming it on that Brooke girl from The Morton Report, let's get one thing straight. Sometimes quitting is simply quitting -- being scared, immature, not willing to work hard, being a little or even a lot uncomfortable while learning to compromise like an adult so you can gain new skills and get to the good stuff and so worth it in the end -- quitting.
But, sometimes it's not. Sometimes it's not quitting at all, it's just knowing yourself well enough to know that you're in a shitty situation and neither you nor the world will benefit from you trying to jam a square peg into a round hole any longer.
The difference for each person and each unique situation can't be figured out by watching Donald Trump call people "stupid" for quitting his TV game show. It has to come from inside. Everyone, once the volume is turned down on Wendy Williams' god-awful voice for a minute, can hear themselves loud and clear. Quitter or not. It's really not for anyone else to judge, but you.
