Each and every day I find myself wondering, "Is their an insane majority in today's society?" Often the answer to this question is a resounding YES! Case and point this smattering of "newsworthy snippets" I have observed over the past 5 days:
- Sweetie-gate
Also known as, Presidential candidate Barack Obama referring to a female reporter as "sweetie" whilst dodging her question at a Detroit, MI auto plant. PPPPPPPPPPPPPLLLLLLEEEAAAASSSSSSE Eddy! Who among you has not referred to another person with an off the cuff contextual remark as sweetie, bud, shakes, brother, babe, hon (HOLLER BACK B-MORE!), friend?
First of all, if you are offended by such slangery, get over yourself. There are millions of people dying all over the world because they do not have enough food to eat or potable water to drink. There are reporters being killed, by the governments, of the countries they live in, because of what said reporters write down or say in front of a camera.
Secondly, the reporter who was called "sweetie" was not even offended! But alas, like a Shakespearean antagonist, the media must have its pound of flesh. Thank goodness, too, because they have all run out of interesting things to talk about regarding Indiana Jones 4.
Finally, a wag of my finger (Colbert Nation RAISE THE ROOF!), to GMA (Good Morning America) for reporting on the possible derogatory effect of a man referring to a woman as "sweetie" with the juxtaposition of "sweetie-gate" and a scene from Will Ferrell's COMEDY (Yes, I said COMEDY. C-O-M-E-D-Y.) "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy?" Bad form, GMA. Bad form. - MySpace hoax leads to teen's suicide
How depraved an indifferent does one ADULT person have to be to pose as a teenage boy, on MySpace, lure an unsuspecting teenage girl into an online relationship, and then treat that teenage girl so viciously that she kills herself? The answer: VERY!
It is already hard enough to raise a child, today, (from what I hear.) let alone a child who suffers from depression. Now, on top of those already daunting tasks, parents have to beware of adults who are out for some good ol' fashion iRevenge.
The only wisdom I could impart on the parents of the world (based on my limited interaction with all types of fellow human beings) is hug your kids. Love them with all of your heart. Put them above your needs. If you have made the decision to raise a child then that is what you do: RAISE YOUR CHILD. Do not ignore them. Do not abuse them. Do not teach them hate. Do teach them love.
Interesting legal note: the crime happened in Missouri. Back in December, Missouri prosecuters declined to pursue charges due to the lack of any violated state laws. Now, the case is in California Federal Court with charges of conspiracy and accessing protected computers to obtain information to inflict emotional distress. In my "learned" opinion why not file simple involuntary manslaughter charges? The element of recklessness could be redefined by these facts, for sure. If the defendant, in this case, gets 20 years, I will be surprised.
Listen, here's the thing. If you can't spot the sucker in the first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker.
-- Matt Damon, Rounders
This is one of my favorite quotes from Rounders! I think it speaks volumes for society, namely, if you can still recognize that society is insane than you can count yourself lucky; you are still sane!
