Against the Grain: My Unpopular Opinions

OK, I’m probably going to make a lot of people angry here, so apologies in advance. It’s just that I have some opinions that don’t seem in line with the majority of the population. You’ve all read my thoughts on roadside memorials, things happening for a reason, giving 110%, keeping it real and other stuff.

So, after much thought I’ve narrowed my list down from about 1,232,571,023,557 to a mere 4. My Final 4 if you will. Or, if you won’t. I’m already committed.

Again, one or four of these might rub a thousand few of you the wrong way but don’t take it personally, OK?

So let us begin with my Four Most Unpopular Opinions. Deep breath . . .

Bullying

There’s been a big push in the United States over the past few years to eliminate bullying in schools and elsewhere. Everywhere you look you see the posters (“Don’t suffer in silence!”). Yes, bullying sucks. It’s a bad thing. But you know, bullying used to be a part of growing up. You stood up to bullies rather than running to an adult. Hell, running to an adult would have been the last thing you would do. It simply wasn’t an option. If I had run to my father whining about somebody picking on me he would have looked at me like I had a platypus on my head, dismissed me with a wave of the hand and walked away muttering to himself, disappointed in his son-raising abilities.

But aren’t we sort of promoting the opposite of being responsible and self-reliant with this crap? Shouldn’t we be teaching our kids to stand up for themselves? Why does everybody have to be a victim these days? Wouldn’t our children learn more by figuring out how to deal with their problems on their own, or at least try? And for the love of God, can we stop calling bullies terrorists? A bully is simply a bully. Let’s not give them more credit than they deserve.

Heroes

Boy, is it just me or since 9/11 have we really lowered the bar in the old hero department? Is it too much to ask that a hero be somebody who actually performs a heroic act? In our parents day, a hero was somebody who took a bullet for somebody, maybe ran into a burning building to save a life, jumped on a live grenade to save his fellow soldiers. Nowadays? Not so much. A hero is any soldier, any firefighter, any policeman, anybody holding a position where they could conceivably do something heroic.

But shouldn’t they have to, you know, actually do it first?

I mean, there are lazy, deceitful, cowardly people in all walks of life, including the armed forces, correct? Just signing up does not a hero make. And many firefighters have never walked into a burning building, many policemen have never fired a shot, some soldiers work behind a desk. Shouldn’t they have to earn that title of hero by doing something other than simply putting on the uniform?

And please, don’t confuse my opinion on what constitutes being a hero with how I feel about the people who perform these jobs and duties. I have the utmost respect for them. Thank you.

So-called “Diseases”

I’ve never gotten used to hearing people refer to those with alcohol, gambling or obesity problems as having “diseases”.  How can you compare those things to something you have no control over, like cancer? Labeling them a disease is eliminating the element of personal responsibility, is it not? Isn’t it easier to give up and accept it when it’s a “disease”? After all, it’s out of your hands then, right? I don’t know, it sounds like an excuse to me.

I once had a friend who was grossly overweight, and he always had an excuse. Listen, I know some people have different metabolisms and whatnot, but it seems like more often than not it’s just a matter of, you know, eating too much. My buddy used to say, “Man, I just look at food and gain weight.” Sure, right before you shove it down your gullet. What does that even mean? If he walks into a supermarket he won’t be able to fit through the door on his way out?

Anyway, over-eating, over-drinking, gambling, all that stuff are in my opinion addictions. Diseases? Don’t think so. Hey, if you’re overweight and happy with yourself I’m cool with that, no big deal. Just don’t call it a disease.

Funerals

Oh boy, I have to be careful here. Remember, just my opinion kids. Anywho, it really bothers me when I go to a funeral and the preacher turns it into a sermon and, sometimes, an alter call. I have a couple problems with this. Number one, there are many people there who aren’t normally a part of the congregation, so it’s sort of a captive audience if you will. It seems like the preacher wants to take advantage of this to do his thing. Well, not everybody attending wants to hear it. They didn’t come to hear you preach. They want to hear about the person who died. Is that too much to ask?

Secondly, it seems to me to be a sort of emotional blackmail to ask people, when they are at their lowest point emotionally, to make a major life decision regarding something as important as religion. I would think a decision like that should be made by those whose heads are level and minds are clear, and not in such a vulnerable state of grief.

It seems to me the proper thing to do would be to talk about the deceased, tell some stories about their life and what made him or her special. That’s what I want to hear. Then, maybe inform folks that there will be a religious service following if they want to stick around? Just throwin’ it out there.

I guess an exception to this would be when it’s a specific request of the deceased, but even then I think it’s a bad idea.

Those are my Top Four Most Unpopular Opinions. Pick them apart at your leisure.

Whew. I feel much better now. My work is done here. Let the hate mail begin . . .