Top 5 Most Annoying Things About Society

One of the worst aspects of society and the media is that it is just crammed full of people, who have nothing interesting or important to say. I expect networks like MTV and E! to hang on to every word that celebrities say and monitor everything they do because that is one of the primary reasons that they exist. However it is a shame when reputable news networks like CNN, FOX News, CBS, etc spend so much time fascinated with celebrity news.

I am sympathetic to the news networks and understand that a celebrity death or arrest is actually worth reporting. But my concern is with the amount of coverage and how many days the news networks are willing to bore me. With Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse and so many others, the coverage lasts for months at a time and is just not entertaining or informative for the following reasons:

• When anyone dies, it is not appropriate to harass the grieving families and friends of the deceased to pump them for information. Give mourners a chance to grieve in peace for a few days to a week before speculating about circumstances.
• There is a little thing called decorum, and it would not kill the news media to report it in a 2 minute segment simply stating that their loved one will be missed and left a lasting positive impact on the world. Filling every waking second with speculation about pill bottles, bathtubs, toxicology rumors, or negative actions from the person's life is simply unacceptable. It should be no big shock to people that a celebrity with money and fame thought they were invincible or found out that money could not truly make them happy, and the celebrity ended up overdosing on drugs and alcohol or killed themselves some other way. Keep it classy!
• Even the solely positive tributes to celebrities make me sick for the sole reason that those speaking of them make them sound perfect. Every person has flaws and celebrities simply have their flaws better documented than most. Speak good things about the deceased or celebrity (if appropriate based on their actions), but don't speak of them as if they were saints. If you heard people talk about Whitney Houston, you would think that Mother Theresa, Gandhi, and the man, who invented the polio vaccine, combined could not measure up to her greatness. All I know is that only one person walked on water, and it was not Whitney Houston or any one of us mortals.
• Everything that results from the celebrity death or arrest does not matter to anyone. I don't care what their mug shots or open casket funeral looks like. If the person was smart and created a will, I don't care about how they allocate their savings or who gets custody of any children. I don't understand how the Jackson trials even received coverage because it was pretty open and shut malpractice. Are you telling me that there aren't any real news stories to cover like genocide in Darfur, debt crises, Iran developing nuclear weapons, Kim Jong Ill (in the head)'s son Kim Jong Un being a bat $hit insanely dangerous dictator? (just to name a few)
• Finally, it is annoying when it is like two months after a celebrity has died and it is like "Urgent" news because some new details have been released. "This just in! Michael Jackson is still dead!" is exactly what it sounds like every time MJ is talked about on tv. You could just replace Michael Jackson with any dead celebrity and the same holds true.

Whether it is bailing out banks for making risky loans, voting for the incumbents ruining our country, or watching episodes of Jersey Shore, Mob Wives, The Bachelor, or insert stupid television show based on phony drama here, Americans are rewarding the people who make the worst decisions. The free market principles of capitalism have one key thing that makes it work. People must be held accountable for their actions, and bad businesses and products will be pushed out of the market to increase competition and quality. Making people not be accountable for their own actions leads to a poor quality of goods and services provided and ultimately makes unacceptable behaviors into incentivized social norms.

Every time I think about the doctors, who save lives every day and cannot pay their bills or have to practice in an overly litigious environment, it makes me sad that intelligence and worth of services to society does not correlate with how much an individual gets paid. Athletes get paid hundreds of millions just to play a game; tv show participants get paid enormous amounts to make fools of themselves and manufacture drama; and top company executives get bonuses each year that could balance the budget of a small city. I am happy for those, who land the lucrative deals, but I hate the fact that society offers these deals to exist in the first place. When you think of all of the cures for diseases and good causes this money could otherwise fund, it is sickening to think of the missed opportunities.

This rule also applies to parents, who give their child everything the child wants just because it is crying and screaming. If you give the child everything it wants when it makes a fuss and give it attention every time it cries, then you are just reinforcing the bad behaviors of crying and throwing tantrums. On behalf of fliers, bus riders, shoppers, movie goers, and tranquility enthusiasts worldwide, PLEASE STOP REWARDING THE BAD BEHAVIOR OF YOUR CHILD AND STOP THEM FROM SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF THEIR LUNGS IN PUBLIC. I'm sympathetic to the fact that some babies are difficult to console, but it is not fair to the people around you.

Although the title says it eloquently, this problem does not involve exclusively religious people. Holier Than Thou complex refers to the sense of superiority someone believes that they have because they take a certain positions, which are trendy and contrary to that of the position of others.

The saying originated from a time long ago when freedom of religion was not constantly under attack in this country. People could believe and practice their faith to try their best to live according to the practices of their religion. Some people believed that going to church more frequently made them better than those, who could not or did not show up every Sunday. Some believed that by saying more prayers that they were better than others. Thus, a group of people believed that their ways were morally superior to others outside and within their religion.

Now it is applied to general, secular concepts and a common tactic of Democrats everywhere. It is no secret that I am an Independent voter, who leans slightly right on certain issues, but most people are shocked when I associate this with Democrats. An example of this can be found with the recent Obama mandate that all health insurance providers must include coverage for birth control and abortion procedures. Obama thinks that his views are morally superior to the views of religion and the ability to practice religion freely, so he decided to push his agenda through until bipartisan backlash arose. The same goes for most Democrats with respect to green energy and wealth redistribution. Often times, they act better than everyone else because they recycled some cans and bought some biodegradable clothes to wear (despite the fact that those clothes smell and look awful). I even believe in the need for energy independence through alternative fuels and sources like natural gas, but I don't want to half-a$$ it and waste a lot of time and money on technologies that are ineffective at meeting the demands of the population. And even with nuclear power, which is arguably one of the most efficient and stable alternative energy sources, Democrats often argue that protecting the environment is more important than energy independence and financial stability. Those individuals think that they are morally superior for defending the lives of animals and insects because those creatures cannot "defend themselves", but what they are really saying is that they value the lives of those creatures and habitats over the well being of fellow citizens and a successful future for this nation.

The worst aspect regarding Holier Than Thou Complex is that the person, who believes they are morally superior, will not entertain an open debate on the issue and respect the opinions of others, who disagree with their views. Open discussion of issues leads individuals and countries to the proper decisions and frequently bring about compromises or unique solutions to solve any problem. Since people have stopped being civil towards one another, the progress of this nation and humanity as a whole towards living peacefully and bettering our lives is stalled.

Have you ever heard of the phrase that also serves as the title of this problem? I bet you have heard it in one way or another regarding helping others and being helped in return. However, there is a more sinister aspect to this phrase than one might think. This concept can be an extremely negative thing because it hinders the ability of people to do something unless they are getting something in return. Despite how much the reform or actions would help others, add common sense back into our decision making, and restore the freedoms of the individual over a government run amok, people feel like they have to always get something tangible and worth a particular dollar amount in order to do the right thing.

Whatever happened to doing something out of the kindness of your heart? What happened to doing something simply because your religion and spiritual well being insists that you do it? Call me old fashioned, but I volunteer for weeks at a time per month at various charities and events just so that I can help make the lives of others better. I am not looking to just have something on my transcript to help me get into college (thank God I am done with college), and I was certainly not looking for anything but the peace of mind that I could do just a little bit of what Jesus preached in the Bible.

But even in a political context, this has a devastating effect. If there was a one page bill proposed by the Democrats stating that they want to protect caribou in Alaska, then the Republicans will only pass it if another bill or provision states that there will be a lift on the ban for ownership of assault weapons in the US. If the Republicans pass a bill to lower taxes and reduce regulations, then the Democrats want another bill or provision that gives taxpayer dollars to bail out banks. And the sad part is that for every good piece of legislation to pass that there is at least one equally negative one to pass as well. If I take a $5 bill out of my left pocket and put it into my right pocket, does that mean that I am $5 richer? OF COURSE NOT! But that is the type of game that politicians play when they use this concept of "You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours."

Some of the first words I loved growing up were simplicity and parsimony, and society these days needs to incorporate both into the lives of individuals and the government. My father used to have me struggle to solve math and other problems in my life before telling me the easiest way to accomplish the same task. It inspired me to live my life according to the K.I.S.S. principle, which stands for Keep It Simple Silly (reader friendly version).

It is possible now more than ever to over analyze every detail due to the sheer amount of data collected from scientists and the world around us. There are statistics from the number of times someone has to refuel their car to how many brainwaves they emit during the REM cycle of sleep. The possibilities are endless with respect to what you can measure and what that data can tell you. Even the same set of data can be interpreted different ways to make or break an argument. For example, if 50% of people liked the new Will Ferrell Movie and 50% did not like that movie, then Will Ferrell can say that the majority of people liked his movie and critics can say that the majority of people disliked the film.

Think about long term sustainability, efficiency, and practicality before making any decision. Also make sure that your decision follows the always helpful "Law of Parsimony", which states that if multiple solutions result in the same outcome that the most simple answer is the best choice. Following the Law of Parsimony often leads you to use your resources wisely and prepare for unforeseen circumstances and expected success in your future.

My last word of advice, which goes hand in hand with keeping life simple, is don't be scammed out of your hard earned money. If something sounds way too good to be true, then you know that it is too good to be true. No one ever gets an iPad for $50 or a macbook for $100. SO KEEP IT SIMPLE AND SAVE YOUR MONEY! Those greenbacks would be better off under your mattress than in the hands of a con artist.

Then please read my other articles! Some of my articles are listed below.

How to Save Money:

http://adaus2011.hubpages.com/_2ei0qx971gzy2/hub/Voting-ABO-in-2012

How to Save Money Part 2:

http://adaus2011.hubpages.com/_2ei0qx971gzy2/hub/How-to-Save-Money-Part-2

How to Save Money Part 3:

http://adaus2011.hubpages.com/_2ei0qx971gzy2/hub/How-to-Save-Money-Part-3

Major Flaws in the US Political System:

http://adaus2011.hubpages.com/_2ei0qx971gzy2/hub/Major-Flaws-in-the-US-Political-System

Turn Your Head and Cough: How the Obama Healthcare Legislation is Flawed and My Better Solutions:

http://adaus2011.hubpages.com/_2ei0qx971gzy2/hub/Turn-Your-Head-and-Cough-How-Obama-Healthcare-is-Flawed-and-a-Better-Solution

The Forgotten Law:

http://adaus2011.hubpages.com/_2ei0qx971gzy2/hub/The-Forgotten-Law

Economics Lesson for President Obama and Congress:

http://adaus2011.hubpages.com/_2ei0qx971gzy2/hub/Economics-Lesson-for-President-Obama-and-Congress

The Rise and Demise of MTV:

http://adaus2011.hubpages.com/_2ei0qx971gzy2/hub/The-Rise-and-Demise-of-MTV

Thanks for reading and please refer some friends. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. :)