The Friday Rant: Why are people so mean?

What is with our national obsession with meanness? Everyone always says bullying is bad, but every TV show has the resident bully.

Basketball Wives has Tami. This woman can’t even form a normal expression–she’s stuck in a permanent duck-face. She lives her life perpetually pissed. Big surprise she’s become such good friends with Evelyn, the other mean girl on the show.

Housewives of Beverly Hills has Kyle and Kim, the high-school mean girls who haven’t figured out they’re 45 years old.

Jersey Shore has Mike, who is close friends with Snooki but feels the need to tell their millions of viewers that she had an indiscretion with him — and then stalks her boyfriend with that info.

I believe these reality stars fight not because they’re really mad, but because they know it’s the best way to get air time. So I don’t take it seriously — I know when my chain is getting yanked. But I have to remind my kids of that. I tell them, this isn’t normal behavior. This isn’t acceptable behavior. 

I’ve complained about this before, but I do wonder why we give such mixed messages to our kids.

And then, of course, there’s politics. I don’t know about you, but I dread the presidential elections every four years. I hate to turn on the TV or pick up my telephone. It’s just become so ugly.

I understand that we will all disagree on politics, but why all the hate? I could never understand the hatred President Bush got. And now I don’t understand the hatred President Obama gets. Why can’t people disagree on policies without acting like a president is the devil come to earth?

I think we’re already seeing the effects of a lot of this in our kids. Bullying is rampant, kids pick fights just to put them on Youtube, girls have become worse than boys for fighting and meanness.

The sixties were a little before my time, and there were some embarrassing fashions (and slang) from that era, but sometimes I envy those kids. The focus then was on love. The focus nowdays seems to be on hate. It’s sad. I could use some peace and love right about now.