Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. - Albert Einstein

Friday, September 9, 2011

Crying or crying wolf?

I live less than a block away from an elementary school.  At recess time, hundreds of boys and girls spill out onto the playground.  Within minutes, I hear screams that one would normally associate with a person being murdered.  For weeks after I first moved here, I almost called the police more than once because I would have sworn some kid was getting tortured to death.  Eventually, the screams became white noise to me...and that's scary.  What if the kid really is in trouble?  How would I know?  Nowadays, a man standing next to a playground watching children is more than a little suspect so I can't exactly play catcher in the rye here.  Maybe it's time for parents and teachers to explain to the kids that using their "outside" voice shouldn't include their "being murdered" voice. 

Here's something to think about:  what would it be like if all the adults who spilled out of their office building for a smoke break starting screaming their heads off as if being gutted by a serial killer?  Maybe I'll give it a try, see if anyone notices...

Sunday, September 4, 2011

A head-scratcher...

I drive by a billboard the size of a Buick every day that says, "Stay ten feet away.  Stay safe.  Stay alive."  Stay away from what?  The edge of a cliff?  A cranky honey badger?  A narcoleptic hillbilly with a chainsaw?  In the bottom corner of the sign is the name of the local power company.  OK.  So...what?  Stay ten feet away from downed power lines?  From the telephone during a thunderstorm?  From a trigger-happy cop with a Taser?  If staying ten feet away from something will keep people alive, why the hell would you advertise on a massive billboard and then be vague about it?