A semi-regular attempt to address some of life’s minutiae that might otherwise be overlooked…..

 

 

 

 

 

Every time a really well-known & highly regarded celebrity dies there is a ton of reaction. And EVERY TIME there is a lot of reaction I see some ignoramus whining on social media about the fact that firefighters, police, military, etc. don’t get the same kind of love from the masses. It’s one of the most asinine things I’ve ever witnessed. It’s a false equivalency. Celebrities, just by the nature of their profession, have a bigger stage, and their fame may last decades touching multiple generations. They have a huge sphere of influence. If the deceased was a really good actor who starred in beloved movies or TV shows or a legendary sports figure who had a Hall of Fame career their death has an even bigger impact. The loss is a communal experience. By comparison the soldier or first responder is probably unknown outside of family, friends, & their town. That doesn’t make their lives less valuable or their demise less sad. To the contrary…I think we all know better. People that post this kind of drivel online are trying their darndest to be insightful. It’s their attempt at being deep & introspective. Unfortunately it just exposes a profound level of obliviousness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Though I am not a believer in the New Year’s Resolution I did make a handful of promises to myself for 2017, one of them being a pledge to refrain from pointless arguments about politics on social media. I must give myself a small & admittedly premature pat on the back, because in the past few weeks I have refrained from numerous opportunities to post things on Facebook or comment on stuff other people have posted. I have one old friend in particular who, though he has always been a liberal, has gone completely off the rails after Donald Trump’s election victory. I suppose he’s in good company, or atleast amongst well-known company.

• I don’t watch awards shows all that much for various reasons, but thanks to modern technology I am up to speed on Meryl Streep’s comments at the recent Golden Globes. Oh boy…where to begin. Well first of all, the “Trump made fun of a handicapped guy” narrative her entire diatribe was based on had been debunked a long time ago. Come on Meryl…try to keep up. Secondly, one of the reasons I don’t like awards shows is because too many of these self-righteous, pompous, self-absorbed, ill-informed, hypocritical Hollywood types use them as a bully pulpit for sociopolitical commentary. For pete’s sake…the woman was accepting a lifetime achievement award for her well-regarded career, and she chose that moment to go off on a rant?? I can’t even wrap my head around how foolish that is!! Are the words “humility” & “appreciative” even in the vocabulary of people like Meryl Streep?? Now please…don’t misunderstand. As an American Ms. Streep & others of her ilk have just as much right to express their opinion as you & me. I am simply suggesting that a) their opinions are generally moronic & demonstrably wrong and b) for people that get paid millions of dollars to work in a form of mass communication their communication skills & how they often decide to express themselves is mystifyingly dumb. I found it particularly amusing how she was mercilessly called on the carpet by many for once giving exiled director & known pedophile Roman Polanski a standing ovation at yet another awards show yet now thinks President-elect Trump is a scourge on humanity. Hollywood apparently hasn’t gotten the memo that the masses aren’t quite so unaware these days and people are SICK & TIRED of the arrogance & doublespeak coming from the left coast. Now, as for Mr. Trump’s spirited response to Meryl Streep…well…perhaps he needs to step away from the keyboard. I almost kinda sorta understand what he was trying to say. Let’s face it…Streep has had her share of duds. Really…look at her filmography. Having said that, the woman has been nominated for 19 Academy Awards & won three times, and taken home a ton of other trophies, so to call her overrated is disingenuous and a misstep by Trump.
• I thought it’d be difficult to be more ignorant & wrong than Meryl Streep, but Madonna has her beaten by a country mile. In a USA Today interview the woman who once writhed seductively on a boat in a wedding dress indicated that Trump’s ascendancy to The White House has left her a broken woman. Someone should probably clue her in to the fact that she was broken WAY before Donald Trump ever even dreamed of running for President. Oh, but wait…it gets better. Madonna actually said…y’all might want to sit down for this…that “What I find really astonishing is how quiet everybody is in my industry. I mean, nobody in the entertainment business except for maybe a handful of people ever speak out about what’s going on. Nobody takes a political stance or expresses an opinion.” ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!?!?!?? Seriously????? Is she INSANE?!?!?!?? I mean…I don’t even know where to start with that!!!!! It’s…it’s…beyond stupid. To call her statement intellectually dishonest would be an insult to intellectual dishonesty. And these people wonder why we can’t wait to flip them the bird every chance we get. They are stunned that Donald Freakin’ Trump is going to be the next President of the United States. Dear Lord…there is being oblivious, there is being out of touch…and then there is being outright delusional.

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of death…..

When I was a kid I used to kind of chuckle at my grandparents when it seemed as if they were going to funeral home visitations quite often. However, now I have reached the age where family friends, contemporaries of my parents or grandparents, & even peers in my age group are passing away and I find myself visiting the funeral home occasionally. When that happens I’m not all that great at finding the right words. Oftentimes I run into people who I haven’t seen in person for many years. Am I supposed to say “it’s good to see you”?? What about when I am introduced to a spouse or family member I’ve never met before?? Is “it’s nice to meet you” appropriate?? There’s nothing good or nice about the situation, right?? Perhaps I am just being neurotic.