• Home
  • Blog
  • Contact
The Screaming Moderate

Walking used to be so pleasant

2/24/2014

2 Comments

 
PictureThe old-fashioned walking etiquette
I have my share of complaints with how people drive these days-- no signals, speeding, going through orange and red lights, no respect for pedestrians -- but let me not complain any more (today at least) about that. Let me complain about what should be a safer and more pleasant method of transportation -- walking.

Ah, the bucolic walk. Being in slow-enough motion to see buildings you've never noticed, admiring sunrises and sunsets, smelling roses. When I was young (damn, I'm old enough to say that now) walking was a pleasure. You'd see people you'd know and nod hello; you'd walk on your side, they'd walk on their side. 

Today, well, people stop short in front of you, nearly creating a domino pedestrian pileup. They stop to talk to friends and stand blocking your way with no acknowledgement that you're even there. Or walkers talking on their cell phones, having conversations that I really do not want to hear, but they give me no choice. A group of four will be walking toward you, walking side by side, and they make you move to let them pass, rather than be polite and make way since they're taking up more of the sidewalk than walking etiquette dictates.

And what can you do about it? If you confront them, even gently and politely (because I have) they either ignore you or look at you as if you have three heads. "Me? I'm in YOUR way? Puh-lease, I am the center of the universe and YOU should make way for ME!!!" Well, that's what they'd say if they even noticed there was someone else on the sidewalk.

Is it the violent influence of TV and movies? Is it they have their heads buried in their smart phones texting or talking? I don't think so. I can excuse that because you can at least think they are distracted by a family emergency (or at least pretend it's that important). It's just, well, rude. And it happens all the time in every city I'm in.

There is an epidemic; nay, a  pandemic of narcissism, rudeness and  disrespect when it comes to walk etiquette.  

Let's not wring our hands, appoint committees and spend years trying to figure out the whys, wherefores and solutions to this problem. Let's not have the government allocate a few million dollars to research how and why this came about.

Let's just, oh, what's the word I'm looking for? Oh, right, be polite to each other and acknowledge that each of us is a living being who deserves, oh what's the old-fashioned notion that was so hip not that long ago? Oh yea, let's respect each other. Would be a nice change of pace.




2 Comments

Boehner following his instincts

2/12/2014

0 Comments

 
PictureSpeaker Boehner
Back when the government was about to shut down and Speaker John Boehner was trying to pull his caucus together, but failed, there was heavy criticism thrown at him for being ineffective and he got lumped in with being just another Tea Party-er. This week, Boehner ignored his caucus and passed a debt limit-extension- with  no strings attached  and with primarily Democratic votes -- and I've seen no kudos tossed his way.  

C'mon people, he did the right thing and he did it likely with a risk of losing his speakership. I doubt that will happen despite the conservative groups calling for his head (and, I'm sure, sending out fund-raising letters repeating that). I think Speaker Boehner is as fed up with his caucus as most of the rest of the country. He knows not passing a debt limit extension is bad politics for his party, and he knows it's lousy policy, too.

 My guess is there are more than a few of those GOPer's who voted against his debt limit extension (only 21 supported  him) who knew it would pass so it was a "free vote" for them. Not the first time that's happened in the Congress and not the last, I'm sure. Also not a profile in courage.  

For me, I empathized with the Speaker when he couldn't get a bill passed in his caucus, noting he is a more of deal guy than a "just say no" guy,and I applaud him now for putting the country first.  

I hope others join me.


0 Comments

Where did those 50 years go?

2/9/2014

0 Comments

 
PictureThe Beatles and Ed
Fifty years and three hours ago, I was trying to watch The Ed Sullivan Show where The Beatles were making their American debut. I was 13. My uncle, aunt and cousins (who were a couple years older than I was) were there. As were my parents and my siblings. The pre-show publicity, of course, was huge and The Beatles, among some, in those earliest of days, were something to laugh at with the "long" hair and crazy music.  

When Ed introduced them, I think the howls of laughter in my parents' red-shagged carpeted family room were louder than the young girls screaming for John, Paul, George and Ringo in the CBS studio. They were laughing so much, and of course making fun of me for already being a fan of The Beatles, that I left the room and moved to my parents small black-and-white TV in their bedroom so I could watch in peace and quiet the near-riot atmosphere of the Sullivan show with The Beatles performing.  

The next day, I asked my mother, when she went to the grocery store (where they sold records in those days) if she would pick up "Meet The Beatles" for me, their first album (vinyl). To my surprise and delight, she came back with the record and I closed the door to my room and played the hell out of it. I think I still have it in a box somewhere.  

I know there was competition from Downton Abbey and the Olympics for the Grammy Salute to The Beatles tonight, but I can't imagine many of my generation who weren't watching and singing along (remembering nearly every single word) of the show tonight. It was a kick watching Ringo, who is 74 now, jumping, running and singing maybe better than I've heard him as he led the crowd in "(We All Live in a) Yellow Submarine). A bigger thrill was watching Yoko Ono (who I hated for her role in breaking up The Beatles) dancing animatedly along.  

Then Sir Paul, 72, got up and performed a few of his greatest (can you use the word "greatest" for a composer who had 60 gold records? I mean what's greater than greatest??).


I can't think what could have been a more entertaining way to spend two-and-one-half hours than watching today's top acts performing the best music of my growing up years, followed by Sir Paul and Ringo together on TV for the first time in decades. The only thing better would have been if George and John had been there.

Imagine.





0 Comments

    RSS Feed

     
    Follow @bjaycooper

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    B. Jay Cooper

    B. Jay is a former deputy White House press secretary to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He also headed the communications offices at the Republican National Committee, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Yale University. He is a former reporter and is the retired deputy managing director of APCO Worldwide's Washington, D.C., office.
    He is the father of three daughters and grandfather of five boys and one girl. He lives in Marion, Mass.

powered by bjaycooper.com