By Laura Podgornik

For my final blog of this Winter break, I’d like to steal a line from my favorite show. On one of my favorite episodes, Family Guy’s Peter Griffin gets a time slot on the local news in which he repeats the phrase, “You know what really grinds my gears?” meaning “you know what I can’t stand?” I’m sure all of us have our pet peeves and strange annoyances. I may have a few offensive opinions but I’d like thank the first amendment for allowing me to express any and all opinions I have. So here’s your fair warning, the following may be offensive to some and you are not obligated to read a sentence of my writing. You don’t have to agree with me and I’m sure many won’t.

Here goes nothing!

You know what really grinds my gears? The media’s focus on celebrities. The lives of other people are intriguing. Yet, with the recent focus on the Tiger Woods scandal, I’ve come to realize sometimes the media often goes too far. Celebrities are people just like you and I. They may have more money, fame and women/men in their lives but they’re still people. We all have our problems. I understand that we pay the income of these individuals but they’ve already given us our entertainment. Do we really need to seek more and cross the line? I think not.  Besides, there are more interesting people that we come face to face with on a daily basis. Why don’t we become part of their personal lives?

You know what really grinds my gears? People who don’t refill the toilet paper roll and place the TP on the toilet instead. This one drives me bonkers! How hard is it to open the roll holder and put the roll on? Not hard at all!

You know what really grinds my gears? People passing judgment, even though they’ve been guilty of such activity in the past. I was out with my cousins a few months ago and my cousin Bree had too much to drink. She felt ill and ended up vomiting on the table and in the bathroom. The bartender and a group of girls began to gag and say things like “That’s so gross!” The bartender even had the nerve to ask me to check the bathroom because she hated the sight of vomit so much that it would make her vomit. First of all, get a new job lady because you’re clearly in the wrong profession if you can’t handle a little barf. Second of all, I’d seen all those girls drunk and out of control at times. I’d be willing to put money on them barfing in the past. Finally, think before you judge; so many of us, including myself, judge without knowing the truth. You’ll truly be a better person if you wait to develop an opinion.

You know what really grinds my gears? People who think its ok to remove the hat I’m wearing. I don’t often wear hats. They are my refuge on bad hair days and I use them to disguise my unruly locks. I don’t appreciate the person who thinks it’s funny to knock it off my head or try it on for themselves. Men are guilty of this more often than females. I think this is because they typically have less hair to fuss about and often forget you don’t mess with a girl’s hair.

You know what really grinds my gears? Fox “news”.  As a journalist, I believe that all opinions should be part of a news organization.  People SHOULD hear all sides of a story so that they may develop their own opinion.  Journalism Professor and Stinger Media Faculty Advisor Joel Anderson emphasizes this point to his students on a daily basis. I can just hear it now. “Don’t be shrill!” Fox news has not taken this kind of approach. It’s quite obvious how they stand. It’s no surprise at all that Sarah Palin will soon be joining their organization.

There you have it folks! Feel free to comment on what really grinds your gears. See you all on National Popcorn Day!
 


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