One of my favorite Bible scriptures refers to being in this
world, but not of it. This is sort of a blending of John 17: 14-19 and Romans
12:2. I understand that principle. I really do. I live it daily. Here are just a few of the things that perplex me about the world in which I live.
Will someone please explain to me why this character on Castle,
Captain Victoria Gates insists on being called “sir?” Does she think she is
given more respect with a man’s title? Does she think being called “ma’am” is
degrading, insulting or somehow lower? I know, it’s a TV show, but I wonder how
many women in the corporate world or our armed services make this insistence.
This bothers me as do women who act insisting on being called “actors”
instead of actresses.* Again, I must ask, do they think it builds them up to be
referred to identically as their male counterparts? This came about during the
1970’s, I think, when women were fighting hard to get equality. I don’t see how
being called by a male title would give any equality any more than replacing
our panties with a jock strap would. We have beautiful words in our language
devoted to us like poetess, laundress, stewardess, actress, sculptress and
manageress. I found a site that actually tells the writer to avoid using these
words. Why? I truly want to know. I can only speak for myself, but I don’t want to be
lumped in with the men. I’ve smelled them. I’ve seen them scratch and spit. I've heard them snort and grunt. Keep me in the women’s corner, thank you very
much.
Another thing, why are people so obsessed with weather
reports? I have finally quit watching local news channels because they show the
weather every ten minutes for about three or four minutes a shot. Between that
and the commercials, there is about eight minutes of actual news. I could toss traffic reports into
the mix here. News flash: Every day M-F the roads are congested during rush
hour. Every day. Another news flash: It’s winter, it’s cold. This summer it will
be hot. Now, I do understand giving us warnings for tornadoes and hurricanes.
That’s news. It doesn't happen every day. They are dangerous. What is interesting
to me, though, is how many people ignore evacuation orders to weather
hurricanes and how many people wring their hands over which coat to wear. Look
outside. Is the sky gray? Take your umbrella just in case. Do you really need
someone to tell you this or do you just need reassurance? Trust yourself,
please.
On the subject of weather, I don’t understand why, in
Minnesota, for example, the postman or post lady or postess person or whoever will deliver your
mail in the worst of blizzards – whiteout conditions even. But the next day if
your walk is not shoveled: no mail for you. Don’t ask them to risk life and limb
walking through day-old snow. I remember taking a walk in Minnesota the day
after a particularly heavy snowfall. The places that were not shoveled were
easy to walk over. Where the good citizens had shoveled, it was icy and
slippery. Why do we have to protect each other from Mother Nature? Isn’t that
the individual’s job? Next they’ll be insisting people in Phoenix provide
cooler air and shade outside their homes to help prevent heat stroke.
Here’s another for you. Stores and plastic bags. I usually
carry my own canvas bags with me when I shop so I don’t have to use plastic or
paper bags from the store. You’d be surprised how many cashiers try to bag the
groceries in plastic then stick the plastic sacks in my canvas bag! Many stores
automatically double bag things just in case it tears. Why don’t they just buy
stronger bags? They are paying twice as much either way aren’t they? There was
a store near my house in St Paul that would give me a bag for each item I
bought, sometimes each double bagged. No kidding. But the prize goes to the
good folks in Uzbekistan (whose bags tear if you look at them too hard). I was
buying some bread presses from a sidewalk vendor. I selected the few I wanted
and was going for money as he was going for one of his cheap sacks. “No thank
you” I said (in Russian) “I’ll just carry them.” Well, this started a long exchange. No, he insisted let me
bag them. I held fast as he tried to take them out of my hands, I’ll
carry them. I could tell he thought he was being nice as he pulled harder.
Holding more tightly, I assured him we were parked just several steps away, we
don’t need a bag. (Douglas was with me.) This went on for a couple of minutes when
Doug finally said to me (in English) “Just take the bag, Laura.” No. There was a principle at stake here. Finally,
after more pleading from a weary Douglas, I told the man I would take a bag if
he lowered his price. Get this: he lowered his price rather than save himself
the few pennies in keeping his bag. Can anyone explain this?
Here’s one I’ve been guilty of. In our society we walk on
the right. It keeps things from getting too chaotic. (Imagine if we drove on
the left and walked on the right, how confused we’d be.) Why is it when people
who are walking through a building and come to a left turn around a corner
manage to walk on the left side therefore causing a head-on collision with
whoever is coming around the corner on the proper side? I have finally taught
myself to turn wide. This took some time. I remember saying to myself (still do
sometimes) 'stay on the right, stay on the right', like a mantra. What amuses me
now is the looks I get when I’m turning right on the proper side and am rammed
by one turning on the wrong side as though I have deliberately thrown myself in
their path. Repeat after me: 'stay to the right, stay to the right'.
Lastly (for now), why do television programs advertise during the program. All these images
that pop in and out and move around during a program are so aggravating to me.
(This was supposed to be a light hearted rambling from me, now I’m getting
serious. Harrumph!) I've seen the program that I am watching advertised at the same time as its airing - during it! News programs are the worst offenders. They are reporting a
story while running other stories below. I have an idea. Spend less time on the cursed weather and traffic and you’d have time to report rather than scroll the more important
stories below. These stories often cover up pictures they are showing that
relate to the story they are actually reporting! Is anyone paying attention?
Who? Who can? I’m very close to swearing off TV because of all this. Looking at
it psychologically, I am (and you are) being taught to ignore what is in our
periphery; unless, of course, you want to
watch the commercials during your
chosen program. I’m trying to be funny. I’m trying to be light. Okay, what
about this: Perhaps this is further evolution of humankind. Maybe we really haven’t been
using our brains to their fullest capacity. Perhaps we are actually capable of
taking in all that information
simultaneously. Maybe I’m just weak minded.
*I was relieved to see on the Castle website that the
actress, Penny Johnson, has the title “actress” under her name.
