I turned 70 awhile back and Man, am I getting cranky. Now in this state of... I guess I can call it "old age".... I'm less able to suffer fools gladly. Many things annoy the crap out of me. For instance while gasing up at Chevron:
A girl in her early 20s goes into a beer store. She buys a case of beer and lugs it back to the car. Inside the car sit two young men, bigger and stronger than she, both talking on the cell phone. It never occurs to either louse to get off his ass and carry the case for her. It never occurs to younger men to open the car door when they take a girl on a date or to be gentlemanly or chivalrous in any way.
Some call that "progress," and that annoys me to no end. It annoys me that many are afraid to use the words "right" or "wrong." Many fear the words "good" and "evil." But there is right and wrong; there is good and evil. Some people are good and some are evil. Some organizations are. Some countries are. Some political systems are.
The American political system is mostly good -- though imperfect -- whereas other political systems, such as the one in Communist Cuba, are mostly bad, though they have some good elements tho' I can't think of any right now.
Nonetheless, the fellows who founded America had better ideas than those espoused by, say, Karl Marx. Whereas freedom and representative government have unleashed unimaginable wealth in America, our current downturn aside, Marx's ideas have failed everywhere they've been tried. In a sane world, that would be beyond debate. But the world is not sane, and some are still trying to impose their wrong-headed ideas on us -- B.H.Obama and his loonie henchmen, the worst of the worst, for instance -- and that, again, annoys me.... annoys me a lot.
It annoys me how ignorant many Americans are about how wealth is produced and retained -- and how it is lost. Great civilizations rise and fall. Ours rose fast. And the way it is going, It may fall fast, too, in part because of our success. Our country is so wealthy it is able to underwrite ideas that are contrary to our continued success.
People who espouse such ideas have raised millions -- have exploited the technology innovations that our wealth has produced -- to promote policies that will undo our wealth and inhibit our innovation. The people who lead those efforts enjoy nice incomes and benefits packages -- they live in nice suburban homes and their kids go to good schools.
At the same time such folks enjoy the luxuries our prosperity has afforded them, their ideas seek to tear down the ideas that enabled our prosperity, and that annoys me greatly.
It annoys me that parents and schools conduct elaborate graduation parties for kindergartners. A graduation from what? To what? Shouldn't we expect our kids to produce something before showering them with accolades? Shouldn't our kids have to earn their self-esteem? We're already seeing the results of overly coddled children. Many of our young, self-centered adults have never faced criticism before -- they fall to pieces the first time their boss takes them to task.
We've created a generation of young men who sit in the back of the car while their female companion lugs a case of beer. Such people are easily misled. They willingly vote for silver-tongued politicians who promise the world to them – unaware that it is they who will pay handsomely to fund those politicians' grandiose plans.
The irony of that one makes me chuckle, but it still annoys me and the more I think about it, the crankier I get.
It annoys me that our culture is becoming more crass and cynical by the day. I know a fine fellow who makes a sad observation:
"Warph," he told me, "why doesn't anyone use the term 'make love' anymore? Now people say 'have sex.' Let me tell you something, sport. Before my lovely bride of 58 years passed, I made love to her every day. I brought her her slippers. I made her dinner. I made her tea just the way she liked it ..."
Yeah, I'm 70 and getting cranky in my old age, but nothing annoys me more than this:
Why are so few people as annoyed and cranky as I?
And, while I'm at it, what the hell is all this silly bickering going on in the Politic's section of the forum. Don't you get enough 'bickering' at home? I'm beginning to see what Jimmy Olson was talking about earlier. My Daughter is a school teacher. Some of you sound like a bunch of her kids at recess. Jeez people, you're giving me a headache. No wonder I'm cranky
Warph, for my bit of "bickering" I apologize, sir.
As to your post, you are absolutely correct. Try and take some solace in that there are more people who are "annoyed and cranky" at the same things you are than you might think.
Lol, good one Warph :)
Speaking as an old school marm...Thank you for that post, Warph. You provided a reassuring start to my day. It's good to know that there are a few old knights out there that still remember the term "chivalry" (and even better yet, the utilization of that word). And, as far as the rise of a civilization goes...If I remember my world history correctly, it takes approximately 200-250 years for a civilization to reach its apex...The remainder of the time is spent in a steady decline until a stronger civilization invades and takes over. We are 233 years old this year...I would hate to think that our people have become so soft and we have taken our country so for granted that we would let another, stronger civilization come in and eventually take over. Maybe, if we have a few more "cranky" people, we might just put off being taken over by someone else.
WARPH, I don't know if you really are seventy or not. I am 78, whoops, 79 (haven't admitted it yet) and I am just as cranky as you are and mostly about the same things. At my age (stated above) I am more willing to wait and see than to get up and holler and scream about something that can only be cured by another election. The young people do irritate me no end with their instant gratification wants. "Fix it right now, no matter how it's done, now, understand, right now." But they don't offer a workable solution. There is no instant workable solution. There is, however, patience. "Everything comes to he who waits." Not my original thought. Wait and let them hang themselves. That probably isn't original with me, either.
Yes, but the 70-year olds don't have the market cornered on "annoyed and cranky" with the state of society today. There are some of us half your age that feel the same way. Sometimes it scares me thinking "what in the world am I doing bringing a child into the world right now?". But knowing that my friend has taught her 2-year old son to "greet her like a lady" and he kisses my hand, and my husband's nieces and nephews (ages 4-12) say "yes ma'm" and "yes, sir", makes me have faith that there ARE those of us out there who can still raise children like we were raised (and our parents, and our grandparents).
And I would also hope that those people who are 70 when my kids are in their 20's, and if they see actions like you saw at the gas station... I would hope that you would tell those kids (MY kids) "that's not how you were raised" and feel free to give them a swift kick in the butt! ;)
Tobina, don't be scared of bringing your child into this world. That feeling is nothing new. Thirty-two years ago today my wife gave birth to our son. When I called my boss to ask for time off for a week he gave us his best wishes and congratulated us for being brave enough to bring a child into the world as it existed then. At the time I didn't understand what he meant but I do now. You are brave enough to bring a child into this world, for better or worse, and I congratulate you for doing so.
Warph, we all get a little annoyed and cranky now and then, but like the old saying, God grant me the ability to change the things I can, etc. I am sorry for your wife's passing. It sounds like she had a great husband. I bring my wife's coffee to her in bed when she wakes up and when people hear that they think I am a saint. So if I am so are you and us saints don't have time to be annoyed and get cranky.
Larryj
Quote from: Warph on May 28, 2009, 01:09:55 AM
I turned 70 awhile back and Man, am I getting cranky. Now in this state of... I guess I can call it "old age".... I'm less able to suffer fools gladly. Many things annoy the crap out of me. For instance while gasing up at Chevron:
A girl in her early 20s goes into a beer store. She buys a case of beer and lugs it back to the car. Inside the car sit two young men, bigger and stronger than she, both talking on the cell phone. It never occurs to either louse to get off his ass and carry the case for her. It never occurs to younger men to open the car door when they take a girl on a date or to be gentlemanly or chivalrous in any way.
Some call that "progress," and that annoys me to no end. It annoys me that many are afraid to use the words "right" or "wrong." Many fear the words "good" and "evil." But there is right and wrong; there is good and evil. Some people are good and some are evil. Some organizations are. Some countries are. Some political systems are.
The American political system is mostly good -- though imperfect -- whereas other political systems, such as the one in Communist Cuba, are mostly bad, though they have some good elements tho' I can't think of any right now.
Nonetheless, the fellows who founded America had better ideas than those espoused by, say, Karl Marx. Whereas freedom and representative government have unleashed unimaginable wealth in America, our current downturn aside, Marx's ideas have failed everywhere they've been tried. In a sane world, that would be beyond debate. But the world is not sane, and some are still trying to impose their wrong-headed ideas on us -- B.H.Obama and his loonie henchmen, the worst of the worst, for instance -- and that, again, annoys me.... annoys me a lot.
It annoys me how ignorant many Americans are about how wealth is produced and retained -- and how it is lost. Great civilizations rise and fall. Ours rose fast. And the way it is going, It may fall fast, too, in part because of our success. Our country is so wealthy it is able to underwrite ideas that are contrary to our continued success.
People who espouse such ideas have raised millions -- have exploited the technology innovations that our wealth has produced -- to promote policies that will undo our wealth and inhibit our innovation. The people who lead those efforts enjoy nice incomes and benefits packages -- they live in nice suburban homes and their kids go to good schools.
At the same time such folks enjoy the luxuries our prosperity has afforded them, their ideas seek to tear down the ideas that enabled our prosperity, and that annoys me greatly.
It annoys me that parents and schools conduct elaborate graduation parties for kindergartners. A graduation from what? To what? Shouldn't we expect our kids to produce something before showering them with accolades? Shouldn't our kids have to earn their self-esteem? We're already seeing the results of overly coddled children. Many of our young, self-centered adults have never faced criticism before -- they fall to pieces the first time their boss takes them to task.
We've created a generation of young men who sit in the back of the car while their female companion lugs a case of beer. Such people are easily misled. They willingly vote for silver-tongued politicians who promise the world to them – unaware that it is they who will pay handsomely to fund those politicians' grandiose plans.
The irony of that one makes me chuckle, but it still annoys me and the more I think about it, the crankier I get.
It annoys me that our culture is becoming more crass and cynical by the day. I know a fine fellow who makes a sad observation:
"Warph," he told me, "why doesn't anyone use the term 'make love' anymore? Now people say 'have sex.' Let me tell you something, sport. Before my lovely bride of 58 years passed, I made love to her every day. I brought her her slippers. I made her dinner. I made her tea just the way she liked it ..."
Yeah, I'm 70 and getting cranky in my old age, but nothing annoys me more than this:
Why are so few people as annoyed and cranky as I?
And, while I'm at it, what the hell is all this silly bickering going on in the Politic's section of the forum. Don't you get enough 'bickering' at home? I'm beginning to see what Jimmy Olson was talking about earlier. My Daughter is a school teacher. Some of you sound like a bunch of her kids at recess. Jeez people, you're giving me a headache. No wonder I'm cranky
SuperWarph embrace your inner curmudgeon. (I hope you take that as a compliment which is my intention)
David "Jimmy Olsen" Alexander
What is a Curmudgeon anyway? A curmudgeon's reputation for malevolence is undeserved. They're neither warped nor evil at heart. They don't hate mankind, just mankind's absurdities. They're just as sensitive and soft-hearted as the next guy, but they hide their vulnerability beneath a crust of misanthropy. They ease the pain by turning hurt into humor. . . . . . They attack maudlinism because it devalues genuine sentiment. . . . . . Nature, having failed to equip them with a servicable denial mechanism, has endowed them with astute perception and sly wit.
Curmudgeons are mockers and debunkers whose bitterness is a symptom rather than a disease. They can't compromise their standards and can't manage the suspension of disbelief necessary for feigned cheerfulness. Their awareness is a curse.
Perhaps curmudgeons have gotten a bad rap in the same way that the messenger is blamed for the message: They have the temerity to comment on the human condition without apology. They not only refuse to applaud mediocrity, they howl it down with morose glee. Their versions of the truth unsettle us, and we hold it against them, even though they soften it with humor.
- JON WINOKUR
Larry... It was my friend Milo who's wife died. He's 82 and hasn't been the same since. And a saint he is. :angel:
Thank you, Jimmy O.... good to know it's a symptom rather than a disease. :laugh: :laugh:
I resemble that remark and i'm only 48
Quote from: dnalexander on May 28, 2009, 02:16:21 PM
What is a Curmudgeon anyway?
whoops! sorry Warph, I missed the quotation marks in my overwhelming desire to read a post from you. So correct my last post to read that me and Milo are saints. Gotta go, wife is waking up and I gotta get her coffee for her.
Larryj
I think I would like to be a curmudgeon.
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
I feel like embracing my inner curmudgeon today.
'If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.'-Mark Twain
Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress.... But then I repeat myself.-Mark Twain
Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.-Douglas Casey,
Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.-P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian
I don't make jokes... I just watch the government and report the facts.-Will Rogers
Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!-Pericles (430 B.C.),
There is no distinctly Native American criminal class...save Congress.-Mark Twain
What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.-Edward Langley, Artist (1928 - 1995)
AND THE BEST ONE.......
A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.-Thomas Jefferson
David