Click here for the CNN story that ticked me off.
I am trying to work up the emotion to actually care about President Obama’s half-brother, George. Hmmm… it isn’t working…. nope.. not one ounce of interest…
In today’s news, CNN is reporting that President Obama’s half-brother (who lives in Kenya), was arrested on drug-possession charges. Great… yippie… so sorry to hear about that.. but he really is just one more person in this great big world. I don’t care if he is the President’s half-brother - that alone does not make him special. Especially considering that President Obama has only met him a few times.
I find it amazing that the media thinks people care about some man half-way around the world, who may share a portion of our President’s DNA, but does not share any real personal connection. In fact, the article states that George Obama wasn’t even AWARE of his half-brother until the primaries last fall.
That the media is now delving into the life and times of George Obama is, at best, a stretch. I found this particular line of the article quite funny:
George Obama was one of the president’s few close relatives who did not go to the inauguration in Washington last week.
I guess the question arises of how you define “close relatives”. If you are strictly speaking of where this person’s name falls in the Obama family tree.. then sure.. he would be a close relative. His name would be right next to Barack’s. But I think many would agree that the term “close relatives” would imply that a familiarity and tight-knit relationship exists between the two individuals. That is surly not the case here. Is anyone really surprised that good ‘ole George wasn’t invited to the inauguration?
I wish the media would spend a bit more time contemplating what the public wants to know, instead of spoon-feeding us this drivel.
What are your thoughts on this?
As my loyal readers know, I am a freelance writer. I am constantly scouring the Internet looking for writing or blogging gigs. And I am constantly AMAZED at the advertisements I see. I mean, honestly, do I want to work for someone who advertises THIS:
if u liked music come too hellp me and be the onar in my blog i want hellp plz
Hmmmm… If this person cannot even communicate with me, how can I have any confidence that they can run a prosperous blog/website? I don’t expect perfect spelling, or perfect grammar… heck - that is why they hire me!!! But COME ON!! I am a professional, and I expect to work with other professionals.
Needless to say, I didn’t apply for this job… LOL. Nor did I apply for anything that pays $1 per 500 word article…. Guess I’m picky.
OK…. I’m done ranting… 
Thanks
I have a few questions, and a rant.
Why would a 7 year old child need a cell phone?
Do people routinely let their 7 year old children out of their sight? Do 7 year old children get to walk down the street to the library or ride their bike to the mall? Do they hang out with their friends for hours and hours with no parental supervision? These are the only good reason I can come up with of why a 7 year old would need a cell phone. So then the question becomes… WHY are parents letting a young child (and 7 is still quite young) out and about without supervision?
OK, before anyone tells me that life is different in some remote little rural village where there is no crime and only three cars use the one stop light in town each day… I know that. But the majority of places in America aren’t little one-light towns where everyone knows everyone else. Real towns have traffic and strangers, and 7 years old children still need supervision and protection. 7 year old children don’t need the privacy a cell phone ensures them. Parents should still be the major factor in their lives, and should know when they are on the phone and to whom they are speaking. Yes, I’m over-protective. But I’m also determined that my child will know how to handle the situations she encounters out in the real world. And to teach her, I have to be a major factor in her life. That is my job.
Why would a parent take their 11 year old daughter to get her nose pierced? Yes, a little girl from our bus stop just got her nose pierced. I guess her mom figured that by 6th grade her daughter needs to grow up and start getting parts of her body pierced. Her mother drove her to the piercing place. Parents… it is OK to say no! There will be more than enough time for her to put holes in her body, you don’t need to encourage the practice. Sixth grade…. 11 years old… she is still just a young girl. Let her be a child, encourage her to be a child.
And finally…
Why is the 9 year old at the bus stop wearing eye liner? And why did her mother put it on her? And why does the child run around at all hours of the evening by herself? And why does she knock on my door and want to come play, even though her mother has never met me? Does anyone else have a problem with this? Am I over-protective? How can you not know what you children are doing? How can you protect them if you don’t even know where they are or who’s house they enter.
If you can’t tell, I’ve had an interesting two weeks of running into parents that I consider irresponsible. I suddenly don’t wonder why so many of our youth are arrogant, lazy, and rude. I now know why there is a general disregard for authority in our teens. It is because their parents haven’t done their jobs. These children haven’t had any real authority in their lives, they’ve only had general disregard. “Go play somewhere else, I’m busy.”
Children don’t need cell phones, nose rings, or eye-liner - they need guidance and supervision. Keep them protected and naive to situations that are inappropriate. It’s OK for them to take their time growing up. Let them just enjoy the sunshine and the swing set for a little bit longer.
I am convinced that all telemarketing companies hire the same girl. You know the one… super nasally voice and an odd way of NOT inflecting her speech. I can’t understand a word she says. I mean… really… can we try adding some inflection to the words? A few ups and downs in tone and a breath now and then. I know she is reading from a script, but that doesn’t mean she needs to be lifeless.
So, as bad as she is… does she actually sell stuff? I’m assuming she must, or the company would push her out the door. And how did she actually get hired in the first place? She had to audition for the job… right? Perhaps the hiring manager was afflicted with the same lack of verbal ability and thought she sounded great. Maybe the manager attributed her garbled speech to an overload of wax in his ears, rather then marbles in her mouth.
And really, it isn’t just all telemarketers. Lots of retail stores hire BAD choices. Ones who roll their eyes at the customer, or never smile, or completely ignore customers.
And don’t even get me started on those guys from India providing tech support. If I can’t understand what you are saying, then there is no way you can help me fix my computer. It just isn’t going to happen.
I thought, briefly, that perhaps there weren’t many applicants to choose from for the job. Then I realized that we are in a down-economy right now. People are BEGGING for jobs. Good people too! You know.. all those people you would love to hire but already have great jobs. Yeah.. them. They are lined up looking for nearly anything that will put food on their table.
Now is the time for all the hiring managers to expel the chaff from their ranks and re-fill those positions with people who can speak clearly and intelligently and can do their job properly the first time.
UGH! (can you tell I’ve been deluged with telemarketing calls lately?) OK.. enough rant.
Now on to a legitimate question… when the telemarketers call you, how do you answer? Do you just hang up, or do you get creative? Are you rude or polite? Do you listen to what they have to say or get off the phone quick when you realize they are selling?
Me? Ok, I’m actually quite polite but I never listen to what they are selling. As soon as I realize that they are telemarketers, I just say “Thank you but I’m not interested”, and hang up. I’m polite, not cursing at them, but also not letting them eat into my busy day.
How about you? Your best tactic? Your funniest prank on a telemarketer? Please share.
[tags]telemarketers who can’t speak, tech support in India[/tags]
[dels]telemarketers who can’t speak, tech support in India [/dels]