Neff Zone Column -- September 19, 2009

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Print Edition: September 19, 2009

NOW THAT’S ANNOYING

I’m sure you’ve been watching our esteemed politicians, ego-centric sports personalities, and look-at-me celebrities melt down in public over the past couple of weeks. Apparently, these days when people get annoyed over something they feel it’s their right to act boorishly. I hope this behavior doesn’t trickle down to the general public because, heaven knows, there are so many annoying things going on around us that we could all be on a fast track to the booby hatch.

Some of these everyday annoyances are detailed in a new book by etiquette expert Cynthia W. Letts titled "That’s So Annoying: An Etiquette Expert on the World’s Most Irritating Habits and What to Do About Them."

Examples from the book include: Cell phones ringing at movies, slow drivers in the left lane, husbands leaving their dirty dishes in the sink overnight, unruly children running around stores with no parental supervision, superficial air kissing, nail clipping in public places, pet owners letting their animals leave messes on public sidewalks, and people who think it’s fashionable to be late to everything. (Continue on with your own items here.)

See, it’s remarkably easy to get rolling on an "annoying list," isn’t it? The average person can come up with a million items without even breaking a sweat.

Every driver in Michigan, for example, should be annoyed that a Detroit woman, Renee Beavers, had been allowed to keep driving up until a few weeks ago. Since 1999 she has accumulated 40 traffic violations, 45 administrative license suspensions, and when she was pulled over most recently had no active driver’s license and had an open 24-ounce beer in her lap. For all of this she had never spent a day in jail. "A little hole in the system," noted a Ferndale police official.

Or how about the parents of a high school football player at a public school in Hardinsburg, Kentucky ; I’ll be they are annoyed. He was taken by his coach to a church in a different county and along with nine other players was baptized. This was all done without the parents’ knowledge or consent.

Those parents were probably at least as annoyed as another set of parents a public school in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. In the Ohio case an eighth grade science teacher used a device called a high-frequency generator to burn a cross on their child’s arm. The parents sued and received $121,000 in compensation. But get this; the teacher is now suing the school district for $1 million for violating his right of free speech.

Perhaps no industry annoys people with such regularity and panache as the major airlines. Since January 2007, over 200,000 passengers have been stuck on more than 3,000 planes for three hours or more, according to the U.S. Transportation Department. To my knowledge, there are only two entities that include solitary confinement as part of their business model – prisons and airlines. Needless to say, most people take great lengths to try to stay out of prison. Now the airlines are whining that fewer people are flying these days. Hello! Get a clue!

NFL football fans seem to be getting a bit more annoyed than usual and the result is that fewer are attending NFL games. Gee, could it be that the average NFL ticket price of $74.99 could have some fans steamed? According to Team Marketing Research, The Dallas Cowboys average is $159.65 and the highest premium-priced ticket belongs to the New England Patriots at $566.67.

For my money, though, the most annoyed guy in America has to be Dr. Conrad Murray, the former physician of Michael Jackson who is looking at murder charges in the singer’s death. Unsolicited, rushing to Murray’s aid has been Michigan’s own Dr. Death, Jack Kevorkian. Said Kevorkian: "I don’t think he was malicious…the patient got what he wanted. He is the one who said yes or no to take a drug." Wow, with endorsements like that I’ll just bet Murray’s defense lawyers are doing cartwheels.

Ah, well, the bottom line is this. All of us have every reason in the world to be annoyed by something on a daily basis. The key to sanity is to stay civil and look for the good things in life to even out things.

Note: The big KISS Tribute Concert starring nationally acclaimed KISS tribute band Mr. Speed is just a week away. As my hero, Ernie Harwell, always said: "For you fans still driving by the ballpark there are still plenty of good seats available." In this case, tickets for the huge show are still available at the Cadillac High athletics office, the Cadillac Junior High school office, McGuire’s Resort, Toy Town, The Music Station, Thirsty’s and the UPS Store. This will be the most awesome rock and roll show to come to Cadillac in 35 years, so you don’t want to miss it. Remember, all proceeds are going to the Cadillac Viking Boosters. Go to www.neffzone.com/kiss for concert and ticket information.

Jim Neff is a local columnist. Comments to neffzone@gmail.com. Read Neff Zone columns online at www.neffzone.com/cadillacnews.