The old Daily Mirror or maybe it was the Daily News carried a short piece called Pet Peeves, which ostensibly were submitted by viewers. They were short, only a few sentences, and certainly not political in any sense, just minor annoyances.
I have some; here they are:
Why would anyone take the nice-sounding name Braden and stick the letter y right in the middle. Changes the effect.****Why capitalize the word "Black" in descriptions of race. And then, why NOT capitalize "brown?"****Since singular pronouns are "he, she and it," why do people substitute a plural pronoun, they, them, when only 1 person is involved. How about "it"? That is not a bad word, is it?****I mourn the loss of the word "before." Thrown under the bus by "ahead of." Why use 2 words instead of 1? Should we look ahead of the leap? Does pride go ahead of the fall? Do we relate, "The Night Ahead of Christmas?" I could go on.****I heard Kelly Clarkson use the word "literally" about 15 times during one show, in the portion I watched. And she is not the only one. It literally made my head explode.****Some folks take those little internet surveys, almost always composed of a definite number of questions or points of advice----" 7 Home Decor Items That Are Dated And Should Be Replaced," "If You Can Answer These Questions, Your IQ Is Genius Level" ----and seem to think they are legitimate. Some of these carry viruses, or exploit the information you submitted for their own advantage. Even if "legitimate," who do they think writes these articles? Several years ago, I signed up for one of the companies that sells these pieces to the internet. I was paid for a dozen or so submissions, which added up to about $10. I found that some of my fellow writers did it all day long; they have no expertise; they merely glean from old articles from other sources. That's why the topics may seem so familiar, and then they rehash. Maybe that's why some test-takers think they're so intelligent---they were told so.**** Why does the younger set of news anchors, weather persons, late night talk show hosts, and broadcasters, sound as if they never took a speech or diction course? Were they hired on youth and/or looks alone?****I have always admired long hair, even when it wasn't in fashion. As I look at a group picture of the girls in my senior class, only Dorothy and I had long hair. That's a personal choice and who cares. But I notice that women of every age now wear their hair long. The current style seems to be to pull your hair into 2 long strands, and have them hang down in front, one on each side of the chest, with no hair left to hang down the back of the head. I think Marie Osmond may have contributed to this trend. Think Mary Trump. Gravel Gertie?****I don't like to hear the phrase "sooner rather than later." It uses 2 comparatives, so one would cancel the other: If you do something sooner, there would be no later. And if you were to do it later, there couldn't have been a sooner.****And I dislike hearing "That being said" or "Having said that" when attempting to clarify their meaning.**** Another fashion faux pas---leggings worn in public, especially by mature women. And leggings worn as PANTS. Leggings are adorable on children, and we'll give teens a pass because they're, well, teens. And of course we're an informal-wear society nowadays, even before COVID. Leggings are super comfy and easy to wear, and maybe the wearers don't give a care as to how they look. Or maybe they don't realize it's all about the legs, mainly the KNEES. Middle age does no favors here. Not all legs are slim and straight and the knees are the breaking point, subject to bumps and distortions. I think those whose legs are on the skinny side may believe it's a good thing to display them, even though the upper body has expanded in size. So you have a top-heavy figure supported by pipe-cleaner legs: the shape is that of a candy apple. ****And if I never again hear the reference to pets as "fur babies," it will be too soon.
Wishing Larry King a complete and speedy recovery.
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