What the Hell is Wrong with People?

People sometimes claim that anti-Semitism is a thing of the past. The recent tragedy at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum should remind us all that this is not the case. Today it seems politically acceptable, if not quite politically correct, to criticize Jews (and while I think it is fine to discuss and criticize Israel's policies, many don't seem to understand that it is in fact anti-Semitic to make anti-Jewish remarks, and that all Jews, whether Israeli or not, do not necessarily agree with Israel's governemnt. Duh!). And I think it is only one small step from nasty remarks and harsh criticism to violence.

I grew up in the 1980s and faced plenty of anti-Semitism then. In recent years, too, I've had to deal with many ignorant or cruel comments. And I'm not the only one. Clearly, this is still a problem. The Holocaust, in a sense, is not a thing of the past.

I realize I am rambling a bit in this post, but what I want to say is that we must combat anti-Semitism through education and we must also deal with deranged people and not let them continue to threaten people's well-being and peace-of-mind.

--Saddened Curly

A Trove of E-mail Peeves

Curly and I are both attuned to the many peeves associated with e-mail. Here's a great post from a publishing professional on the subject, complete with a lengthy comment thread in which readers post about the e-mail traits that most annoy them, too. A feast!

--Prunella Peeve

Feeling Lucky

I certainly don't suffer from triskaidekaphobia, but many people seem to. I can't understand why so many buildings don't have 13th floors or hotels have room numbers such as 113, 213, 313, and so forth. They might call a floor the 14th, but that doesn't change that it actually is the 13th. And room 414 is most likely the 13th in a row, not the 14th. Why are people so superstitious? And why can't they realize that changing the name of something doesn't change what it really is?

--Curly

The Family That Pees Together...

I have no children, as is obvious from some of my posts, but certain child-related things peeve me nonetheless. I wonder why there are no "family toilets" in public places. Mothers can bring their sons and daughters into the women's bathroom with them, but it is frowned upon if fathers bring their daughters into the men's bathroom. Somehow it is acceptable for little boys to see the women's room, but not for little girls to see the men's room.

The only option is the handicapped facility, if indeed one exists. What is a single father or a father (or other male relative/friend) to do if he is out with a little girl who needs help in the bathroom? Why not have family-friendly restrooms, where families can have privacy and space to do what they need to?

-Curly

Baby Craze

This post may sound sort of judgmental and I apologize in advance for that. It’s just kind of frustrating to have so many female friends who get degrees from Ivy League or Seven Sisters universities, who talk about wanting to have careers, who try to crack the glass ceilings in their various fields, only to give it all up and stay home with their children.

Of course raising children is important work. I guess I just feel sort of disappointed that so many talented, educated women who could have a real influence on the world still see their main roles as being in the home. Couldn’t they share the child-rearing with their partners? Couldn’t companies be more child-friendly? Does something really change for women so they want nothing but to be mommies? Why does it seem that even in this day and age we are still living in a man’s world?

--Curly

Best Before

How much attention should we pay to expiration dates? Are they overly conservative? I have been told that we needn't follow them exactly, but have we been trained by the grocery industry to follow them too strictly, thus leading us to waste lots of food and spending excess money buying new products? I have my suspicions.

--Curly

Just Not That Into It

I admit that not long ago I saw the silly romantic comedy “He’s Just Not Into You.” That film could get me ranting for ages. First of all, the women are always referred to as girls. Second of all, they are portrayed as desperate; they are not happy unless they are in a relationship. They also act like they have to “trap” a man and convince him to be with them. They don’t “get” men and need to have men explained to them, while men apparently understand women just fine. Finally, marriage is considered the ultimate goal for all male-female relationships. One couple in the movie live together quite happily and they seem to recognize that a wedding is not necessary; but, no, it turns out the woman actually wants marriage. In the end, she gets her wedding.

What is wrong with living together? What is wrong with some people being single? Why are women seen as confused, needy girls who must have men in order to be fulfilled?

--Curly

The Chicken Trend

It must be a new trend to consider chicken vegetarian food. A recipe I saw recently was labeled “vegetarian” and yet one of the ingredients was chicken stock. Hmm.

--Curly

(De)construction

I walked by a construction site late at night. There was a fence set up around the site and lots of warning signs about how dangerous it was to try to go in there. And yet a group of teenagers (not surprisingly, they all had cans of beer in their hands) seemed to find it very amusing to climb over the fence and sneak into the site. Then they proceeded to wreck havoc by throwing pieces of construction materials at one another and push large garbage cans over, spilling waste. As usual, I couldn’t help but think about how sad so many people are.

--Curly

Here Come the Idiots

At my local library, there is a special shelf with a label “Here Come the Girls!” The books on that shelf are primarily by Virginia Woolf, Iris Murdoch, Isabel Allende, and a couple of “chick-lit” writers. This is offensive on a number of levels. First of all, these are women, NOT girls. Also, are these really the main, or the best, examples of female authors? Are there no other authors who can represent womankind? And why is that needed, anyway? There is no equivalent shelf called “Here Come the Boys!” What is the library thinking?

--Curly