Wonder Why Wednesday - Sticks and Stones

Today's post comes hot on the heels of the announcement that Al Franken has *finally* been awarded his spot.

Love him or hate him, 8 months of debate over a count that showed he won 8 MONTHS AGO is ridiculous. Personally, I think he'll be great. He's got common sense by the square acre, and that goes a long way.

During all the time they were debating the issue, there was apparently a campaign against "Al Frankenstein".



Today's Wonder... Why all the name-calling?

Name-calling in general seems to be an easy thing to do, and I wonder if it isn't a pack mentality, a way to compartmentalize people into societal slots. High School is the worst for this, of course - nerds, jocks, stoners... everyone has their place, and if they don't, a place will be assigned to them by whoever is higher up in the pecking order. More often than not, everyone below will go with it, even the victim of the categorization.

Worse than the high-school name-callers are the people that don't ever seem to get past their school-age need to put people in what they feel is their place, and progress to belittling others. One can only guess that this is done out of a lack of self-assurance about the their *own* place in the world.

Meaner still are those who use those words as weapons. They use names like bitch and slut and racial slurs I won't sully my blog with, and they do it on purpose, to hurt and bring low people they feel aren't worth respect.

Jerks, in other words.

But there I go name-calling and compartmentalizing! Does that make it wrong? Obviously it's not good when people use name-calling as a means to hurt, but it's a pretty large leap from good-natured teasing to disparaging commentary.

I've called *myself* a nerd/dork/geek on this very blog at least 2 million times. Was I belittling myself? Of course not, and I've often called others by those same names without even thinking about it. More often than not, it's a pet-name sort of name-calling, and only done in a familiar way. I'd never call a complete stranger who tripped a klutz... but if The Child did it, I'd rag her a little. She'd do the same to me, and I'd laugh along with her.

Personally, I do try to use "names" only in fun, and when the fun is *shared* - but I don't always succeed. It's definitely something to think about, and the old adages hold true...

Think before you speak, and if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

I would like to point out that in looking for pictures for today's foray into my ever-wandering mind, I came across some serious gems. Thank you, Google Images!


Mexican Rockabilly Metal. YES PLEASE.


Dracula Vs Frankenstein, circa 1971.
I make that face all the time, usually right when someone is photographing me.


This site has blow-by-blow accounts of some of the worst horror movies of all time.
They watch them so you don't have to... although personally had I been alive when Ed Wood was making pictures, I would have been his biggest fan!