GOOD MORNING WORLD
Sorry to disappoint those who may have thought this was going to be a political rant. I could easily use the same title. No this is about we as a country. This is about language, society and attitudes.
“Be naughty” was a saying my father used to say to us and he said we rarely let him down!!! “Make yourself proud” was another. Note he did not ask us to make him proud – just ourselves. That is harder! It was intended to lead us to strive to do our best to try the hardest and to succeed. I believe we have all found our own ways to success and I believe we and he are proud. He told us t not cheat. He did not call us idiots or dummies. We surely were to never lie.
What changed to make this now savvy? The words above are used regularly in society and with them they bring approval. Not only that they are accepted and money makers.
I just ordered a book for our grandson called “Ultimate Cheats”. It is to help him navigate and win some of his Pokemon games on his DS game. I thought about the title AFTER I ordered it. Not so sure I would have done so had I given it a second thought before. Then I started ruminating about the name and title and those of other books.
There is a whole series of books that long ago I refused to buy. I said I would not buy anything that had dummies in the name as I was not a dummie. That left out, according to Amazon, over 20,000 books. Some individual titles are Writing Fiction for Dummies, Kindle for Dummies, Ipad for Dummies and so on.
The other group of books I refused to buy any of was the Idiot’s Guide books. I am not an idiot so why would I treat myself as such. Again Amazon shares that there are 4922 of those.
Stupid is another word we did not use and our children were raised not to use that word in our home. No one is stupid. Yet Amazon has a list of over 20,000 items with stupid in the name from the game Stupid Zombies to the book “Stupid History” the movie “Crazy, Stupid, Love”.
I used to play a game called liars dice. I think there are other liars’ games. Amazon showed me Liars Poker, the book “Pretty Little Liars” and the best of all a New York Times Bestseller “Everything is Perfect When you are a Liar” by Kelly Oxford.
When did incorrect language become the norm? If I called a kid at school an idiot or a dummie or stupid I was punished by my teacher or severely scolded. Heavens, I remember thumbing my nose at my girlfriend in the “5and 10” store and the lady who was waiting on us was the owner and she told me that was very bad for a young lady to do! Did all decorum and manners go away when these people died?
I believe I am railing at the lack of propriety and kindness and sensitivity as well as decorum. To this I must add a comment on one lack by our Commander in Chief this week.
Our current resident of 1600 PA Ave. asked, in a press conference, the Marines to cover him and the leader of Turkey with umbrellas. A collective ‘OMG’ – Oh My Golly – went throughout the country with those who know (and I think all Americans should know) that Marines are not to hold an umbrella while in uniform. There is a regulation in their book of uniform Regulations in Chapter 3 that says a male Marine is not allowed to carry an umbrella while in uniform.
Honestly, think about the servicemen who walk the Tomb of the Unknown day and night snow or rain or other inclement weather. No umbrellas there! As the Commander-in- Chief he could command the Marines to cover him. My question is that rain was in the forecast why were they in the Rose Garden for the presser?
The fault here lies more with the Chief of Protocol at the White House who is not doing their job rather than with the President I believe. Then again I could add a comment about the President not accepting fault for anything and think I will not. It is Saturday and a day to lay off right???
It is the chip chip chipping away of our society is about what I am concerned. Where did it start? When did calling someone an idiot, a dummie or stupid become okay? Again I am speaking in the wind to no real answer.
Thank goodness it is a Saturday. The birds were loud this morning (see June 27, 2012 post) and the biggest thing I have to do today is replace the coffee maker! I KNOW! I wrote about this earlier on January 4th and got a new one. The decanter of this one broke in the dishwasher last night – oh well. Will try for a new decanter and betting a whole new pot will be less costly!
…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…
ktsquared 