This coming Monday, May 25, is Memorial Day, often known as the unofficial first day of summer and National BBQ Day. But let's remember what it really is--a day to honor all of the men and women of our armed forces who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. And that of course includes all of those who died serving our country before they were legally old enough to drink. Let us all take a moment of silence to honor them.
As for Candy Lightner, the ageist turncoat founder of MADD who had the chutzpah and hubris to go on national TV in 2008 and publicly insult our troops, may her name and memory be forever blotted out.
And as always, arrive alive, don't drink and drive. It's just not worth it, period. And it's very simple to prevent. If you plan to drive, don't drink, and if you plan to drink, don't drive. It's not rocket science.
Also, please remember that the COVID-19 pandemic, though largely waning in most of the USA, is still not over yet. So avoid any sort of gatherings of more than 10 people, and be sure to keep your distance whenever possible. Don't overcrowd beaches or anywhere else. And while masks are clearly not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, please continue to wear them in any public place where it is practical to do so, especially on public transit, grocery and retail stores, or anywhere else that maintaining least six feet of distance is difficult or impossible. And even in locations that have reopened, despite what anyone says, this is still NOT the time to go to bars, clubs, or any similarly crowded indoor venues. Hopefully by Fourth of July it will be relatively safe to do so at least in most areas, but that is only if people don't screw this up in the meantime.
Friday, May 22, 2020
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Dear Ageists: We're All M*nors Now
Dear Ageists,
Last year, or even just a few weeks ago (though it seems like an eternity ago), you were all feeling smug as a bug in a rug. So arrogantly complacent as though the world was your oyster just waiting to be shucked. Every real or imagined social or economic problem was to be blamed on the younger generation, and vaping was apparently the crisis du jour. And of course you reflexively pivoted to raising the age limit for tobacco and vape products to 21, first state by state, then nationwide by the end of 2019. This was the culmination of a four-decade period of increasingly tighter restrictions on young people starting with the 21 drinking age, then curfew laws, then increasingly prison-like schools, zero tolerance, helicopter parenting, and stuff like that. All while increasingly criminalizing young people, treating them like children when they were good and adults when they were bad. And you systematically divested from the younger generation with budget austerity, particularly in terms of education and social safety net programs all while they grew increasingly necessary in our hollowed-out economy. And then you had the GALL to gaslight everyone about it all.
But then the coronavirus pandemic began in earnest and really began to bite in March 2020. And because of all of the bungling and negligence on the part of the federal government in January and February, it got so out of control by mid-March that America had to basically cancel everything and shut down in an attempt to slow the spread of this nasty virus. First the bars and restaurants were shuttered, then schools, then more and more places until all "nonessential" businesses and most public places were shuttered as well, putting millions of people out of work. Stay-at-home orders and curfews were then implemented in most states, some stricter than others. Just about anything is illegal now unless the state government approves it as "essential", and in many states people of all ages can now be thrown into a virus-infested jail for violating such lockdown orders. The longstanding catchphrase "that escalated quickly" really is the understatement of the century now.
Well, I bet you ageists are not so smug now, are you? You are all now basically being treated like you have been treating young people all along. And it's only been about a month and you are already getting restless and angry. Which is fully understandable of course--I really don't like the increasingly Orwellian restrictions either--but your rank hypocrisy is so thick you could cut it with a knife. And your waving of Confederate flags, open carry of AR-15s, gridlocking traffic near hospitals of all places, and deliberate and blatant flouting of even basic social distancing protocols only makes you look that much more ridiculous and dare we say, immature.
So consider yourselves all grounded until further notice. Now go wash your filthy mouths out with soap and go to your room!
Sincerely,
Young people and their adult allies
P.S. The word "m*nor" is a slur against young people under the age of 18, 21, or whatever arbitrary age happens to be the flavor of the month. So don't go repeating it unless you REALLY like the taste of soap!
Last year, or even just a few weeks ago (though it seems like an eternity ago), you were all feeling smug as a bug in a rug. So arrogantly complacent as though the world was your oyster just waiting to be shucked. Every real or imagined social or economic problem was to be blamed on the younger generation, and vaping was apparently the crisis du jour. And of course you reflexively pivoted to raising the age limit for tobacco and vape products to 21, first state by state, then nationwide by the end of 2019. This was the culmination of a four-decade period of increasingly tighter restrictions on young people starting with the 21 drinking age, then curfew laws, then increasingly prison-like schools, zero tolerance, helicopter parenting, and stuff like that. All while increasingly criminalizing young people, treating them like children when they were good and adults when they were bad. And you systematically divested from the younger generation with budget austerity, particularly in terms of education and social safety net programs all while they grew increasingly necessary in our hollowed-out economy. And then you had the GALL to gaslight everyone about it all.
But then the coronavirus pandemic began in earnest and really began to bite in March 2020. And because of all of the bungling and negligence on the part of the federal government in January and February, it got so out of control by mid-March that America had to basically cancel everything and shut down in an attempt to slow the spread of this nasty virus. First the bars and restaurants were shuttered, then schools, then more and more places until all "nonessential" businesses and most public places were shuttered as well, putting millions of people out of work. Stay-at-home orders and curfews were then implemented in most states, some stricter than others. Just about anything is illegal now unless the state government approves it as "essential", and in many states people of all ages can now be thrown into a virus-infested jail for violating such lockdown orders. The longstanding catchphrase "that escalated quickly" really is the understatement of the century now.
Well, I bet you ageists are not so smug now, are you? You are all now basically being treated like you have been treating young people all along. And it's only been about a month and you are already getting restless and angry. Which is fully understandable of course--I really don't like the increasingly Orwellian restrictions either--but your rank hypocrisy is so thick you could cut it with a knife. And your waving of Confederate flags, open carry of AR-15s, gridlocking traffic near hospitals of all places, and deliberate and blatant flouting of even basic social distancing protocols only makes you look that much more ridiculous and dare we say, immature.
So consider yourselves all grounded until further notice. Now go wash your filthy mouths out with soap and go to your room!
Sincerely,
Young people and their adult allies
P.S. The word "m*nor" is a slur against young people under the age of 18, 21, or whatever arbitrary age happens to be the flavor of the month. So don't go repeating it unless you REALLY like the taste of soap!
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