Why we need rude birthday cards

We’re not meant to live like this

We haven't changed much in the last few thousand years.

All those years ago life was a lot simpler: all we needed to worry about was what to eat or fuck, or how to avoid being a victim of either. Oh and maybe we needed to think a bit about where to shit and a different place to sleep.

Now we are expected to deal with having a stupid job, credit cards, loan payments, 6 different types of insurance, mortgage, hundreds of emails, fixing the wobbly toilet, looking good, car problems, gardening, broken dishwasher and complicated relationships.

To quickly process all this despite not having (biologically) progressed much since the time when all we did was live in a field with a goat.

Thinking about it like this we can see that our mental and emotional engines are on the rev limiter all day every day, with only brief moments of respite when we’re on holiday or at the weekend.

 

Focus and perspective

One skill we have learned over the generations is about focus.  We’ve learned to be very good at focussing on what we’re… focussing on.  It’s one of the things that has helped humans survive, but given how we live now, it’s made it more difficult for us to prioritise and see things with perspective.

I’ll try and explain.

Usually, when a physical thing is closer, it seems bigger; this is the same with what we think about: it seems bigger when we're closer to it

You must have noticed this yourself: whether it’s the document you’re writing for work, the shoelace that’s a bit too short or the turd on the windscreen – during the moment you focus on them, they seem much more important than they really are; only afterwards do you see that it doesn’t matter.

It makes sense that we’ve evolved to be like this, but because there is always something that demands our attention, it puts us in a place where we never actually see our lives with any sort of well-balanced perspective.

Instead we’re switching from one distorted and inflated problem to the next.

While struggling to cope with everything life throws at us, as mentioned earlier, having our attention constantly pulled from one ‘important’ thing to the next makes it hard for us to take a moment to just be. To just experience life as it really is.

 

Being offended

If obsessively focussing on our over-inflated problems which we're ill-equipped to cope with is not enough, we have a new problem: that we now have to worry about offending people.  We can’t just be ourselves, we have a be a conformist model human that does everything the ‘right’ way.

So we have to keep our guard up, make sure we stand in line and stay the right thing, while at the same time worrying about our problems and coping with everyday life.

Why it is that someone else being offended is our problem is beyond me, but that’s a conversation for another day.

So it’s hard and it leaves us feeling anxious and tired.

No surprise that we can't cope.

 

Humour to the rescue

Sometimes all we need is a little kindness and a moment to giggle.

A moment to forget about all the silly stuff we obsess about.

To be whoever we are and have a moment of genuinely not giving a fuck.

To figuratively sit back, feel calm and see everything from a distance, allowing the natural balance to settle.

To see the turd on the windscreen, to realise that’s all it is, and just scrape it off.

 

What made me think like this?

Over the last twenty years I’ve worked for a number of large companies and have spent a lot of time with many people.

And I keep wondering the same thing:

"Why does everyone seem to think this work stuff is so important?"

Why do they think that the meeting they’re arranging, or the code they’re writing is such a big deal?

Why do they get into such a flap about it?

It's only because it’s what we happen to be doing at that moment, which makes it seem much more of a big deal than it really is.

How do we have a break from that?

Have a good giggle, release the pressure and feel the relief that it brings.  Plus, the more often we practise changing how we feel, the better we get at it.  It’s a skill: the more you do it the better we get at doing it.

 

Mr. Inappropriate and his rude birthday cards

Although on the surface, Mr. Inappropriate is just an online store that sells funny / rude birthday cards and gifts, in many ways it is different from the rest.

First, the sort of humour is a bit more creative and intelligent, have a look for yourself, you'll get the idea.

Also, I make sure that I take the time to reply to every email personally. You can see from the reviews that people love this and it makes them feel as though they have bought from a real person, which is very much true.

The other main thing that makes the website stand out from others is the email list. When you sign up you get a very kind and friendly introduction from me, inviting you to reply to the email. When you do you get a unique 'magic number' from me which gives you a chance of winning one of three prizes for that month.

These giveaways are done every month and anyone who replies to any of my emails gets a magic number for that month.

Also, once you have signed up you receive one true story per week that I have written about something that happened to me. Examples of these are stories about the time I shat in my shoe in Aldi car park, about a colleague and his ball-washing at work, and the mysterious case of the stolen turd. In total there are nearly a hundred stories (so far).

I get a lot of people contacting me telling me how much they love them – they really do make people feel part of something.

I also invite everyone to write their own stories which are sometimes added to the sequence which makes them feel even more involved in something.

I am genuinely determined to help people get a break from the everyday crap, have a giggle and feel part of something whether or not they actually buy something from me. Sign up to the email list and see for yourself.

If you have any questions about any of this just contact me via dan@mrinappropriate.co.uk, 01138730688 or the chat thing at the bottom of mrinappropriate.co.uk.

Check out our rude birthday cards, they'll hopefully help you share a giggle, you're bound to know someone who needs it.

 

A couple of reviews:

These reviews can be seen on the reviews page:

“Dan makes you feel like you're ordering from a friend. Very quick delivery and great customer service!" – Sarah F.

“Fantastic service from start to after care. Personal replies and updates on top of the great and novel items.. i will be back.” – Gary Shepherd.

“Stop what you are doing and take a look at these hilarious items , super fast delivery and Dan the owner is so helpful and friendly, service and communication is excellent definitely recommend this place.” – Jackie Oshea.

“Birthday cards were amazing quality . The company are brilliant . Gave my friend the vibrator one she could not stop laughing just to see the smile on her face was worth the money.” – Susanne Moore.

“The most quickest and best customer service I have had from anyone! Was so polite and immediately shipped out my product on the same day. I really appreciate the fact that you went out your way to do this, and the note that was attached with my gift was very polite and put a smile on my face! Thank you so much for this gift. I wish you many years of success in your shop.” – Arij Ali.