Your Grrrs ... and don't forget to Spot the Oblivion below:
Kathee in Cool, Calif.: Thank you Mike, for your exhortation for families to raise their children with integrity! They also need to teach their children to respect authority and their elders. Kids are so rude today and I'm shocked at the way some kids talk to their parents. If I would have mouthed off to my parents the way kids do today, I'd have been knocked from here to next Tuesday! Parents need to teach kids right from wrong and to respect their elders and those in authority. It's becoming a lost art and that's a shame.
Matt H. writes: One more thing not to care about ... columnists who are granted a rant column because they don't have enough insight or talent to write something that was worth the time it took to print (you're a token, Mike).
Thomas M. writes: I just got turned on to your Grrrr! column. I have been ranting about this same stuff for years, much to my friends and family’s chagrin. America is mostly brain-dead and will buy anything they are told to buy. It sickens me to see the pedestals media darlings and Hollywood figures are put upon (no sour grapes here, I am a successful business owner). I never bought into “hype." You need a TV show for the cynics. I don’t watch much TV, but segments like “It’s Your Money” that expose frauds and power abuse are educational beyond words. I do hope you are pitching your shtick to the networks. I am behind you all the way. YOU ROCK!!
Angela W. writes: I'd like to send out an UN-GRR to one of my good friends, Jeff. Jeff came to the U.S. from Brazil, LEGALLY, and busted his butt to put himself through college, often working 60 hours a week and taking 21 hours of college at the same time. After a long wait and hard work, he got his U.S. Citizenship (LEGALLY) and is now applying and will put himself through med school. Why should all these illegal aliens get a free ride? If my friend could do it, so can they. And no, he didn't come from a well-to-do family.
Jason in Houston writes, rightfully I might add: “And he's hitting home runs. So, I ask, did he ever need them in the first place?” Bonds is on pace to hit 19.44 home runs this year. You say he didn’t need the 'roids to hit home runs? Idiot!
You should not comment on sports.
—Jason, you're right about that. That was dumb on my part.
Dave in cyberspace writes: I don't think Brad Pitt is a bad actor, in fact, I say he is the better thespian of the relationship. He is a good actor with some poor roles. But with movies such as "Se7en," "Snatch" and "Fight Club," Brad has had some exceptional performances. That's more than what I can say about Angelina Jolie, who is overrated as an actress.
Dori G. in Armonk, N.Y.: I am impressed with David Blaine's stunts and believe me, I don't impress easily. I don't care about TomKat and yes, Tom and Angelina are the better actors in the quad. I am sick of hearing about Brad and Angelina ... they are as human as the rest of us and I hope their relationship doesn't work out because I am so angry as to how Brad dumped Jennifer while the world had front-row seats. True love, Tom? Brad? Let's give it another year of actual day-to-day living and see...
Mrs. Robyn T. in Duncan, Okla.: What happens if David Blaine dies in front of "the whole world"?! What happens if he doesn't escape in time?! Does he care?! Why is he bent on self-destruction?!
David in cyberspace writes: Wow, lots of venom today. Lots of good words about integrity and caring about the important things too. Nice piece.
Rick L. in New York on last column's Oblivion: Well, it wasn't even a challenge finding the oblivion in your last column. She was the one who doesn't like bad news on news shows, and thinks HGTV and Food Network should be the only channels on TV, because that's all there is that is kid-friendly. The real oblivion part was when she stated that she WILL win the Mega Millions lottery. Apparently she has never heard of Animal Planet, Discovery, History or The Learning Channel. She also never tuned into Disney, Nick at Nite or Nickelodeon. Also, there is good news on every single news show I have ever watched, local or national. Bad news, while sad to see, is important for everyone to know what is happening in our world, so we may hopefully protect ourselves or improve ourselves through learning.
Margaret in Detroit: I couldn't agree more with Rachel H. I, too, work in retail, and wish I had a dollar for every time a customer asked me "Just this once, (as if they are the only ones who ever thought up this original phrase) couldn't you ... take back this item that I bought a year ago, and found while cleaning out my garage and I don't need, or take back this item that I don't have a receipt for, but I think I bought it here, or give me a discount on this, because I don't have enough money, or take back this item that I left in the back of my pick-up truck for two weeks, and is totally destroyed," etc, etc. Then they become furious when I tell them that I can't do it. Our company not only prints the return policy on each invoice, we also print the date beyond which the item can't be returned. In addition, we have a huge poster on our wall with the return policy printed on it. And yet, I've still had customers come into the store, stand right in front of the poster and complain that I should return something for them, because they didn't see anything about our policy! Grrrr...
Gary N. writes: Re: your story of today regarding Ms. Smith's Supreme Court win. Why don't billionaires have first names? Can't they afford them?
Jenn B. writes: When did it become so cool to have babies out of wedlock? The Cruise/Holmes & Pitt/Jolie unions make me sick. I'm so tired of Hollywood and its cronies glorifying all that is self-indulgent & sinful. Not to mention the single mom adoption trend that seems to be getting more face time these days. It's the "If she has one, then I have to have one too!" mentality. What ever happened to originality? Here's one for you, Hollywood: Marriage first!
Doug H. writes: The paragraph you wrote about family was brilliant. It sums it up in just a few words. I have a 1-year-old daughter, and I am just now starting to notice all the "everybody wins" propaganda. The local coffee chain Tim Hortons runs a soccer camp where kids play, but don't actually compete or keep score — "there are no losers, just new friends. Everybody wins a prize!" Something really, really bothered me about that, but I found I could not articulate what. Your paragraph sums it up perfectly. Thanks!
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