I’ve been away for some time, but now that it’s Christmas /
Solstice / Kwanzaa / Festivus, I thought I’d put out a list of grievances. Have you noticed that Festivus is catching
on, from Rand Paul to civic displays? We
are an aggrieved people, and never more so than now (well, perhaps during the
Civil War).
Anyway,
here are some things I’ve noticed that have me annoyed and puzzled.
1.
Why is the state of Utah appealing the December
20 ruling allowing gay marriage to the Supreme Court, while still “reviewing”
the decision a week earlier of another judge striking down the state’s polygamy
ban? And why does the gay marriage
decision draw 67 million hits on Google to 12 million for the polygamy
ruling? This is one time I have to give
some conservatives credit for consistency – but only that -- in opposing both
rulings.
2.
Years ago we used to give gifts. Now we “gift.” Of course we don’t yet “gift gifts.” But even reputable periodicals are beginning
to use words like “giftees.” So next we
will have gifters gifting gifts to giftees instead of givers giving gifts to
recipients. Yuck.
3.
TV ads are setting new standards for the twin ills of conspicuous consumption and inability to defer gratification. On any given evening you can watch people
dropping their phones in wine glasses, dousing their computers with coffee, and
tossing their car keys in a Salvation Army bucket, all so they can get the
newer, “better” item, because “two years is too long to wait for an upgrade.”
4.
Recent polls show two interesting phenomena: 74%
of Americans believe that NSA spying intrudes on their privacy rights. But at the same time, a poll shows that
Americans’ trust in each other has reached an all-time low. Almost 2/3 of us don’t trust each other. Now one could argue that the two coincide: we
don’t trust each other, and we especially don’t trust the government. But it’s also possible to raise a question:
if 2/3 of Americans don’t trust each other, shouldn’t they want government
surveillance of all those untrustworthy people to increase? Or is it a case of “Don’t spy on me, but
watch all those other people very carefully”?
5.
I frequently hear sportscasters in basketball
and football maintaining that referees shouldn’t make borderline foul calls at
the end of a close contest. The
commentator always says, “Let them play the game.” Evidently “playing the game”
includes cheating, but only when cheating is very likely to make a difference
in the outcome. A player can be called
for pass interference, holding, charging, or a foul on the wrist during all but
the last two minutes or so of a game, but down the stretch anything short of
outright mugging should be allowed.
Should this also apply to the 72nd hole of a golf tournament,
the foot-fault serve at the end of a fifth set, or the low blow in the final
round of a championship boxing match?
I'll be back soon, maybe even with something cheerful.
