keep your mouth SHUT and your ears OPEN

Inspired by the very eloquent statement sent to us we have decided that although we can't stop being bitches ALL the time because then what would be the fun in that? ;) We can at least declare a cease-fire day. All posts posted today will serve to show the positiveness of the show. However, tomorrow we're back to our same snarky routine, sorry Lao Tzu but we can only hold back for so long.

First off, this essay is not to say one side is better than the other. Everyone is allowed to love whatever they want. I can accept this and I can certainly respect it. What I respect even more, however, is anyone who argues for and supports their couple with facts. If you can convey your argument by explaining why, without insulting the other group or ignoring what has happened, then you get my respect. If you can't, then don't expect me to do the same to you. That was never how the world worked in the past.

Without further ado, the facts, not fiction. In number form.

1) Nate/Blair is endgame because of the books.

FACT: Please never use this as a reason. Because it just proves you did not read the books. Nate and Blair go their separate ways in the end of the books. They do not end them together. Blair heads off to Yale alone. Nate, unable to decide between her and Serena, opts to go sailing by himself with his mentor. So no, they did not end them together. They do not go off together. Please do not use that as a reason. You can say that maybe they end up together later. But it's not because ‘that's how the books did it’.

2) Nate/Blair is better because Nate is much better looking than Chuck. Chace Crawford is pretty, Ed Westwick is ugly.

FACT: This is the worst reason you can ever use to liking anyone. Seriously. If you only like a couple because both of them are beautiful, then you truly do not understand love. Beauty is subjective. Some find Chace handsome. Others find Ed handsome. Some, like me, find both handsome and some don't find either of them handsome. That's fine. But to say that Chuck doesn’t deserve Blair because he's not good looking? It’s not just an insult to the guy, it's an insult to Blair. You’re insinuating that she cannot love anyone for anything besides their looks. Drop this argument. It doesn't make you look smart or do a good thing for your ship.

3) Nate has never done anything wrong to Blair. He'd never get angry with anyone. He doesn't do drugs/smoke/drink. He's not a rapist. He is loyal. He is perfect.

FACT: Ah, how soon we forgot that he and Serena had sex in the very beginning. Or that Chuck wanted Nate to smoke up before sealing the deal with Blair. There's no doubt that he's been around alcohol too (they all have). Chuck makes mistakes but so does Nate. Because he's the 'golden' boy doesn't mean he isn't capable of doing wrong. He cheated on her with her best friend. He admitted he was not over Serena. He gets angry with Blair and other people. He is quite fickle when it comes to choices. Now, I'm not insulting Nate. I'm just pointing out that he is not perfect and if you truly love a character, you accept that they have flaws as well as good traits.

4) When Blair told Chuck she loved him, he threw it back in her face. Then he cut his date off for a cheap night with hookers. Nate would never do that. She should have run back to Nate and they should kill Chuck off for that.

FACT: This issue hits me the most because it is something I have dealt with myself. Forgive me if I hit the caps lock too much but I think it's warranted now. CHUCK LOST HIS FATHER. NO ONE IS EVER NORMAL AFTER GRIEVING! THE LAST THING THEY LOOK FOR IS A RELATIONSHIP TO START UP! If you think Chuck’s reaction was extreme, you clearly have no idea how hostile I got towards people when I went through a similar moment. What Chuck said to Blair was tame compared to some of the crap I spewed to people. So to think that Nate would never react like this is a pretty bad assumption. Grief affects people differently but don't think that he'd be better off at this.

5) Chuck has never been loyal to Blair or anyone in his life, yadda yadda yadda.

FACT: With this argument, you throw out the one thing he has always had: loyalty. It is both his greatest strength and his weakness. Now, one thing that Chuck has always been, is loyal to his family...even if they aren't always loyal back. Those hookers were something Uncle Jack got him and it's not surprising that Chuck, a seventeen-year old, still needing a family to take care of him, would go for the one person he thought he had left/would try to please the one relative he thought he had left. He knew he screwed up and realized he was set up later. Blair had every right to cut herself off from his life because he was spiraling out of control. He had to find his own ground and the right people to trust. It's why I call this, his greatest trait and his worst.

6) Blair is always happier with Nate, never Chuck.

FACT: While I don't doubt that Nate and Blair had happy times in the past, it's obvious Blair has also been happy with Chuck. She has smiled when she's been around him. 1.10, 1.18, 2.02, 2.09...all indicators that C & B have had good moments together. Blair has faked her happiness with Nate before but we've never really seen her do that with Chuck.

7) Blair and Chuck are only in a physical relationship; they only care about each other for the sex and nothing more.

FACT: Yeah...when Blair said she'd stand by him through anything, she clearly meant she only wanted sex. Chuck went to Blair's home only to have sex, not because he actually cares about her and wants to help her. I'm not even going to try to argue with anyone who brings this up. Let's move along.

8) Ed/Chuck is a terrible actor/person! He and Leighton/Blair have no chemistry!

FACT: Yes, Ed Westwick is a terrible actor. That is the reason why he is praised for his portrayal of Chuck continuously. It's why others call him the most professional actor on the set. It's why the author of the books, the one who really didn't give Chuck much in the books to begin with, says he's her favorite character and that Westwick does well with it. It's why he and Leighton are forever praised for their chemistry together. It's why they end up on lists and in magazines a lot. It has to be that he's a terrible human being who killed your kitten, drank its blood, and ruined Blair's life and took Yale/headbands/etc from her...never mind that a lot of her issues are because she caused them herself.



I could continue with more reasons but I think I hit the main ones. I don't discourage anyone from shipping what they wish. However, hating on something that doesn't exist? Not a good reason. Hating on the fans for liking what exists? Also a bad idea. Insulting said fans? Worst. Idea. Ever. Not to mention it says a lot about you. We're not all five-year olds here. So let's start acting our ages and learn to disagree without resorting to the playground name-calling.

So please, Gossip Girl fandom, I implore you: check out the facts. Acknowledge they exist. Love what you want but remember what exists. I guarantee it will make life a lot more understandable for you.

And easier for the rest of us.

So there. No name-calling until tomorrow. *look* It'll be hard. I know. We will have to control ourselves. Remember, kids. Stay OFF the Kool-Aid.