HOLES IN JEANS

I’m from another generation, another time, and another planet. I must be an alien because so many things in this life baffle me. From social media to television programming, nothing makes sense to a member of the “Baby-Boom” generation.

I have a Facebook account. In times past, I used it to share photos, updates, and political arguments. I

also kept up with selected people and organizations on Twitter. Those, however, have been the extent of my ventures into social media, and even on them I’ve limited my involvement. Instagram and Snap Chat are beyond my understanding. Young people are involved with all of them. They’ve mastered communication with thumbs that move so quickly they become blurs. Mine are stiff with arthritis, and I correct mistakes as soon as possible; they come with nearly every word that is typed.

I substituted the other day, and in one class, an entire table of students sat with their heads buried in their phones. I asked one boy how much he knew about the girl next to him. I gave him half a dozen things he might have learned about her during the semester, but he said he knew none of them. He added, “She’s just been sitting beside me for two weeks.” That’s plenty of time to discover basic information about another person, but these young folks are too “zoned out” of life to know the slightest things about their friends.

I’ve always enjoyed watching television, but the shows I can enjoy have dwindled over the years. Much of it has to do with the simple fact that I don’t understand most of them. So-called reality

shows hold not fascination to me. I couldn’t care less which bachelor a girl chooses, and I’m not too interested in watching people “survive” on an island after self-imposed, greed-ridden ventures.

Someone needs to explain to me what is so grand about sitting in a room and playing a video game. We old people enjoyed playing outside. We made up our own situations and then plotted how to get out of tough situations, such as being trapped in the middle of a war or being encircled by Indians. Our entire bodies were sometimes sore from the play, not just our thumbs and behinds.

For sure, I don’t understand fashion. A quick scan of the Internet shows jeans with rips in the front legs. Females will pay from $45 to $225 for pairs of them. Guys wear tight-legged jeans with t-shirts

to work. How’s that allowed? Some males still wear their pants on their hip bones and walk with one hand holding up those britches. Untied shoes that flop on their feet are also in vogue. I’d break an ankle or some other body part as I tripped on such wardrobe choices.

 The “grubby look” is also all right. The best-looking men’s faces sport stubble. It used to be that walking around with whiskers that hadn’t been shaved for a few days was an immediate turn-off for women. Hair that is matted or standing straight up like when a person just crawled out of bed is a popular look. Why is that so appealing?

I looked in my closet yesterday and realized that most of my shoes are several years old. My clothes are casual, but neat and clean. My music preferences come from artists who performed during the last century. Yes, I’m old and set in my ways. The main reason for that is I just don’t understand the world in which I live these days. I’m sure that’s been said by generations since the beginning of man’s existence.

PERILS OF PUBLIC PLACES

Going out in public is good for me. My wife has told me for years. She implores me to venture out passed the boundaries of Ball Camp to see what’s on the other side of life. I do so on occasion, but after those trips, I wind up wondering what I was doing by leaving the confines of my home.  

I’d like to know when it became all right for folks to take their dogs with them to any and every public area. Don’t get me wrong; I am a dog lover. Sadie is as close to family as a pet can get. Still, I

don’t load her up for trips to most places. Too many people allow their dogs to tag along with them to malls and other stores. On more than one occasion, a canine has slipped up behind me and checked out my personality with an all too familiar sniff. Such surprising things caused me to jump and spin around ready to fight.

Others take their pets to sporting events. They bring them in stadiums and then allow them to walk around off leash. I’m usually ready to offer a pat to a pooch, but not when I’m watching a ball game.

The last thing I want is to miss a key play because a dog needs some attention. Some pet chaperones allow animals to “do their business” but fail to clean the messes up. That can lead to someone wearing some dog offerings home on the soles of their shoes.

Along the same lines, I wonder how it is good parenting

to turn a small child loose in public areas. I like young’uns, but like some people don’t care for dogs, others aren’t overly fond of “rug rats.” I lose patience when small folks run roughshod through seating areas. Especially bothersome is a small, dirty hand grabbing hold of mine. Too, no adult can abide having a strange child come up and begin touching personal belongings. Neither do grown-ups want to spend time answering a storm of questions from a small child.

While we’re at it, can someone explain to me the reasoning for someone taking up two spaces in a parking lot? Recently, I attended an event at a high school. Because the county middle schools were also holding a track meet at the same time, parking was at a premium. I searched for a space and eventually found one. However, when I pulled up to it, I discovered that the driver had parked his giant SUV so that the tires on the right side were positioned

in the adjacent space. No one could pull in unless he were driving something as small as an electric car. Another person parked across two spaces in an effort to protect his shiny vehicle. Other angry patrons might have felt justified if they’d have walked close to those vehicles with keys in hand. One frustrated driver couldn’t find a space and decided to park his car on the edge of the sidewalk directly behind the baseball field backstop. When a foul ball zeroed in on the top of the BMW and, no doubt, dented it, folks shook their heads and made comments about karma.

Yes, Amy is right that I should get out more. However, I’m not sure that doing so is that healthy. By the time I arrive home, my nerves are rattled, my patience is shot, and something on the bottom of my shoe is sticking like Velcro. Public places can tests even the savviest social creature.

WHEN ACCEPTABLE BECAMEUNACCEPTABLE

Former Vice President Joe Biden was taken to the woodshed for allegedly having placed is hands on a woman’s shoulders, smelled her hair, and kissed her head. The outrage came swiftly, yet some

women came to his defense to declare the man was not a sexual abuser or predator.

We’re in a world where too much sexual abuse does occur. Men, and women, on rare occasions, take advantage others in their lives. They treat them like possessions instead of humans. The pain that they inflict lasts lifetimes. We have no place for that kind of thing in our world. I am the first to denounce such vile behavior by individuals.

What I wonder is when did acceptable become unacceptable? It appears that our world has lost all semblance of common sense. The slightest show of affection is considered intrusive and abusive. Joe Biden has not been a sexual abuser during his life. Yes, he’s been a “hugger,” something that didn’t used to be improper. For years, men were accused of being incapable of showing any emotions or affection. During those years, males were encouraged to let go of the “macho” image and to become sensitive, to be in touch with their feelings. Women wanted them to be able to cry or to physically show affection with hugs or pats.

Fast forward to today. Men who display those kinds of things now are abusers. Accusers claim males are overstepping their boundaries. Women feel uncomfortable when a man gives a quick hug or kiss on the cheek. The “Me Too Movement” has achieved great things by making the world aware of the sexual assaults from years ago. However, some folks have taken things too far by stereotyping all men as gropers and predators.

I blame much of this overreaction to the politically correct turn our society has taken. One group decides what is appropriate behavior and then damns anyone who doesn’t act as they like. Here’s a newsflash: most men aren’t the terrible life forms that some label them. Yes, some men take advantage of women, and they should be called out. The rest of us are attracted to women, love their company, and search for a partner with whom to share their lives. We are visual creatures who appreciate beauty. Women know this because they spend time, effort, and money to look nice. Yet, some cry foul when a man acknowledges that beauty by smiling, looking, or touching an arm, shoulder, or hand.

I hope that this world doesn’t go back to that time when a man had to ask permission to hold a woman’s hand, to put his arm around her shoulder, or hug or kiss her. Most guys already are nervous when they attempt these things with dates and don’t need to be scared to even bump into a female.

I know things are much different than they were when I was a young man. Women are equal partners in all phases of life. We men must respect them and their wishes. Any man who makes unwanted sexual advances toward a woman should be dealt with harshly. At the same time, women must realize that not every hug or kiss can be considered a sexual assault. What is important is that we don’t become so rigid in our thinking that all kindness and affection become suspect.

I will offer a couple of comments on the Lucy Flores interview. She managed to comment on how she believed that other Democratic presidential candidates would be better representatives in light of her accusations. In a single line, she managed to make an accusation look more like a political move than a complaint. At the same time, a photo later revealed that she had her arm draped around the neck of Bill Clinton. Is she committing the same act for which she condemns Joe Biden?

WHAT LIES AHEAD

I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. The last two years have been filled with reports, lies, indictments, and now, exoneration. My head is spinning from it all. What lies ahead?

I didn’t vote for this president, and to be honest, I don’t like him. I was sure that he was dead-dog guilty of collusion with the Russian government in the election. According to the Mueller report, he

wasn’t. I take this report at its word because I respect the man behind it.

For so long, I’ve kept up with this entire situation, and because I’m such a political junkie, too many hours of my life have been spent in front of the television screen. I now can identify many individuals who report the news but whom I never even heard of before this process began. I also know almost every angle of this investigation from both sides of the aisle.

So, now the report is in the hands of the head of the Department of Justice. He will decide how much of it is released to the congress and to the public. Some parts are certainly to be redacted because they might violate the laws concerning grand jury testimony. The White House will claim executive privilege on other parts. My suspicion is that the American people, whose tax dollars paid for this investigation, will never be able to view the entire report. To be honest, most folks won’t look at any form of it and make their own decisions; instead, they’ll tune in to television or check their social media platforms to discover what is included.

The fact is that this affair is over. The time is here for the representatives of our government to get busy with running the country. We have plenty of concerns: climate change, infrastructure, rising healthcare costs, rising debt, and immigration reform. I am much more concerned about the fight over

building a wall for which Mexico will pay and the right-to-life debate. I want our leaders to maintain our alliances with countries with whom we hold similar values and to explain for our foes what is and is not acceptable conduct from them.

Many people on one side cry that Robert Mueller let them down and allowed Trump to survive. The fact is that our system is what is responsible for this and other presidents. The popular vote turned one way, but the electoral college ushered in Trump. This president was elected because he tapped into millions who felt that they’d been abandoned.

Whether or not his policies have helped or hurt his constituents has yet to be decided. Yes, the economy is running well now; let’s hope a slow down or recession isn’t on the way. His tax policies

helped spike the economy, and all want that spike to continue. Time will tell.

To those who are unhappy with the results of the Mueller probe, I say you must not be sore losers. Sure, many investigations are still ongoing, and perhaps the president, his family, and his cronies will face juries of their peers in the future. However, Donald Trump is president. If those against him are unhappy, you have the chance to oust him in two years. You can simply present a candidate who better appeals to the voters of this nation, someone who energizes folks to such a degree that they get off their lazy butts and take part in the process. That candidate can’t be someone who is the polar opposite of the president. It must be an individual who appeals to the moderate majority in this country.

If folks don’t like the situation, they can change it. If they refuse to participate, I say it’s time for them to sit down and shut up.