Growing up in a large family someone was always getting their feelings hurt. We really did live by that old saying about sticks and stones. Now, there was a fine line between teasing and being cruel, and everyone knew when they crossed it, but I have started to wonder if we are now in some sort of upside-down world where the craziest people keep talking and the sanest people keep their mouths shut. Am I the only one that feels this way? Perhaps, I am crazy, and people around me are just too kind to tell me?
For those of you who have read this column for a while, you know my political leanings are left of center. During the presidential campaign, I managed to offend a few readers with a quip or two. I was asked very nicely not to talk about politics until after the election. The election is over, but it seems like it’s not for everyone else. Do I just keep quiet?
Well, for most people this would be an easy thing to do but not me! I love politics the way some people love baseball. It is just killing me that I can’t talk about Dr. Oz, a New Jersey resident running for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania. I mean, we all knew he became a huckster—his TV show is basically one big infomercial about how to lose weight with some bizarre supplement powder. The good doctor has started featuring pictures of himself in his ad campaigns that were taken at his New Jersey home. Hmm. I miss the fact that I can’t mock the guy just because he is running for a Senate seat. Oh, and if I just felt comfortable enough, I could write a dissertation on Missouri’s upcoming Senate race. As my mom would say “For the love of Pete.” Interestingly, I never knew who Pete was.
I also wanted to talk about COVID and masks. During the most intense part of the pandemic, it drove me crazy that people could not keep their masks over their nose and mouth. I am not talking about kids, but grown adults. I wore a mask when required, but the fact that people were getting in fist fights on airplanes because someone asked them to wear a mask made me question their sanity. So, no problem with taking off your shoes or keeping your fluids down to three ounces, but you’re going to take a stand about wearing a mask on an airplane? You knew the rules ahead of time. Why buy the ticket? If you were looking for a fight, go to a bar at closing time. Don’t get on an airplane and inconvenience a bunch of people who can’t make a run for the door. But I never wrote about masks because they were controversial; I didn’t want to get anyone upset.
So, here you have it. That’s what’s been on my mind and what may be my last column, but for some reason, I feel a little better letting you know I actually have an opinion. You might not agree with it, and that’s OK. I don’t expect you to, but I’m the one writing the column. Sticks and stones people. Peace my peeps.