Print Edition: November 26, 2014
Media monster
People die without our knowledge every day in every kind of horrific way. Right under our noses, the most heinous crimes are committed in the city we live in. Are you afraid?
The news and media mills live off the negative power of the public’s fear and it’s up to us to know what is real and what is relevant. If we listened to the media monster, few of us would leave our houses out of fear of being butchered. But the news is a poor substitute for reality, and even if you hear it, you don’t have to listen. (DON’T LISTEN!)
Lately everything’s a scandal, from Ghomeshi, to Sotloff, to Cosby. Like a cloud of noxious gas, the media’s fumes are creeping under the door, and I doubt there’s an app to help you filter the air. So just keep checking your phone and pretending the air’s fresh!
BEAU O’NEILL
Wrapping reduction
’Tis the season of Christmas lights, snow, joy-filled holidays, and wrapping paper! Oh, the wrapping paper and the general junk that accompanies gift-giving. It’s a wonderful tradition, but a wasteful one.
We all remember the days of Barbies and Hot Wheels, and the packaging that came with them (and the horrid memories of trying to break into the boxes). As a society trying to be environmentally friendly, we use so much wrapping paper and other junk that goes straight into the landfill. This should be the first thing we start cutting out of our materialistic diet.
As an alternative, use cloth bags. Though the fabric may be a bit more expensive, and it takes time to make, think of all the money you’ll save on wrapping paper. You don’t have to worry about wrapping super awkwardly shaped boxes, and the bags can be reused! If that’s not great, I don’t know what is. Spend the extra few bucks and make the recipient happy, as well as the planet!
Show some ‘spect
“R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me.” Aretha sang it because she felt the lack of it. And I’m singin’ it with her all the way.
What’s with kids and their clear lack for authority for adults? You raise your voice, they raise their voice; you play around with them, they treat you like a jungle gym. Kids need boundaries.
I’d say it’s due to too many options and negotiations. Kids have way too much say in the decisions that need to be made for them. They need to be told, not asked. Parents and adult figures should be the symbol of authority and kids have forgotten that what they say goes. End of story. But when authority figures lack consistency, waver, or give the child too many options, the adult’s authoritative voice loses its power in the eyes of the kid.
A four-year-old doesn’t need to be asked if they want macaroni or a hotdog, they need to be told to eat it.
Holiday jeers
Christmas is approaching, and the stores are getting hectic. You may not have gotten a lot of rest the night before, or perhaps you’re hungry and cranky. Regardless of whatever has got you in a sour mood, the last thing to do is take it out on your cashier. Oh, they didn’t hear you the first time, or even the second time, and you have to repeat yourself? Calm your tits and don’t breathe angrily at them before just stomping out of there.
Do you really think people who work in retail are actually happy to see you? No. They’d rather be out enjoying themselves instead of putting up with your grumpy ass. In light of the holiday season — even though this should be an all-year-round kind of deal — be patient with workers who are only trying to do their job. They are human, just as you are, and they deserve some respect.
