Things That Are Insane

But Hardly Bother Us At All

Just off the top of my head, here’s a brief, non-exhaustive list of things that are totally insane,but nevertheless we seem to accept as, if not normal, then at very least not terribly out-of-the-ordinary:

In Russia, three young women have been sent to the gulag for an act of political protest. (In case you didn't know, a gulag is a slave-labor prison for people who fall out of favor with the government)

In the USA, the government is actively prosecuting reporters and their sources for reporting news. Not only prosecuting, but holding in jail without bail and in some cases actually engaging in torture.

Also in the USA, you can buy alcohol at a grocery store, but you can spend decades in prison for possessing marijuana.

The Bill of Rights were included in the Constitution of the United States specifically to limit the power and scope of government. Despite this, The 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 8th Amendments are violated consistently and regularly by each branch of government. The 2nd Amendment is under attack, and the 9th and 10th amendments may as well not even exist anymore. That leaves 20% of your “inalienable” rights inviolate.

In the American League, pitchers don’t have to hit. I freely admit this is less important than the others, but still, it’s insane.

In movies and on TV, it’s okay to show a woman being murdered in as graphic a manner as is technologically feasible. But show a naked woman in a non-lethal environment, and people are outraged.

For years, our government has been telling us that fat is bad and carbohydrates are good. In fact, they've been coercing school districts into following their diet dictates, and handing out subsidies to promote that type of diet. Turns out, the opposite is true.

The live-action version of Scooby Doo has a sequel. A SEQUEL! Again, not as bad as some of these, but really, a sequel?

In our education system, politicians make the decisions about curriculum, funding, and facilities, not educators. Furthermore, even though there is no evidence to support such an idea and overwhelming evidence against it, our entire school system is centered on preparing, taking and analyzing standardized tests, to the near exclusion of all other facets of education.

No other country on the face of the earth imprisons more of its own citizens, per capita, than the United States of America. Not Russia, not China, not Cuba, not North Korea.

(If you think those last two items aren't related, you’re not paying attention)

There are more things on this list, naturally, bit I’m going to stop now for mental health reasons.I’ll pick this up again later. But let’s be clear: all of these things are out and out crazy. There’s no way the world should be like this. Yet it undeniably is. What the hell?

Oh wait, one more. Artificial turf.