I’ll admit it – I’ve been cranky lately. 

It’s a combination of being cooped up in the house, working from home, the entire family living on top of each other, and watching the news and social media for updates on what’s happening in the world, the country, my state, and my county.

Another source of all of this moodiness and aggression?  Well, let’s be honest here – it’s all of you.

I’m kind of tired of the public-at-large.

I have never experienced a society so self-centered, selfish, narcissistic, ill-informed, or self-important as I seem to now encounter each and every day.

Friends and folks I’ve known all of my life will send me crazy-ass emails or make some off the wall, conspiracy-laden comment on my Facebook feed, revealing some warped or dark portion of their psyche that has me scratching my head and reaching for the “delete” or “snooze” button.

Now, for those of you that don’t know – I live in rural Western Maryland.  As Gene Wilder would say in ‘Blazing Saddles’ – “these are people of the land”.  You probably know the rest of that quote – and it certainly applies in this situation.  God-fearing, hard-working, gun-toting (and I mean multiple), blue collar, beer drinking folks.  On the whole, not a bad lot.  Actually, most would do anything for you – one-on-one, but brother – don’t get a group of them together and stumble into a conversation about current events or ask about their world view, because you’ll soon be glancing at your watch and turning your feet to get the hell out of Dodge as fast as possible.

First of all, they believe whatever is told to them – by a friend, by the “Tee-Vee”, by their social media feed, scribbled on a bathroom wall – anything (I’d have said “whatever they read”, but I laughed and moved on).  They’ll then pass along their version of what they comprehended as gospel truth to the next poor sap in earshot.  It’s the worst version of that old game “telephone” ever.  The last and loudest voice they’ve heard is the one they are sticking with, by God – and to hell with those who disagree.  I’ve listened to people I’ve known forever string together some of the craziest sentences that you could ever hear, told with the conviction of a Baptist preacher.  Any comment that begins “well I heard…” – you better hang on to something solid because some wild-ass “fact” or opinion is coming in the next ten seconds.  One needs the diplomacy skills of a United Nations negotiator to navigate these conversations and come out of the other side unscathed.

The basic mindset goes something like this:

1. There is an event or situation going on that is impacting a group/segment/millions of people
2. This event or situation is not currently or personally impacting me
3. Therefore, the event or situation described in “A” is not happening at all.

It’s the worst string of logic, and yet I encounter it everywhere.

Take the current pandemic, for example.  I’ve heard it all – from the virus was made in a lab in China, Bill Gates is secretly behind a tainted vaccine program, or that the Netflix series “Tiger King” was strategically released to draw our attention away from a government plot to install solar panels on unused farm land while we weren’t paying attention.  You know, it’s all a deep-state conspiracy designed to prevent every Karen from getting a latte.

Reason, common sense, and facts are discarded in favor of emotion, rumor, and misinformation.

So what’s the response from one of these “informed” locals?

• “I won’t wear a mask in the grocery store” (or wear it wrong). 
• “Why can’t I get a haircut?  I’m not sick.”
• “Chinese food?  Where do you think this thing started?”
• “Gun shops and liquor stores ARE essential and I’m going in there – try and stop me.”
• “I don’t know anybody who’s sick.  This is all fake.”

Ugh.

In addition, the anonymity afforded by internet comments, tweets, and social media postings (with fictitious names) has emboldened the general public to exercise their First Amendment rights in chilling and often hateful ways.  It’s a scary time.

So where does it all end?  What will turn my mood around?  I’m not sure.

Maybe all I need is a sunny day, a cold beer, and an afternoon of quiet reflection.

Let’s hope.