2073 Fads

Look at me crookedly?

Be apprehensive.

You’re going to find out that

I find it offensive.

Look at me crookedly?

Be apprehensive.

You’ll find out the hard way

It’s mighty expensive.

Social fads come and go. They always leave damage in their wakes. Let's look at a few of them.

--Bell bottoms and men in stacked heel shoes and leisure suits.  Are you kidding?

--Maxi Skirts.  Say what?

--Bright yellow sports cars. “Taxi!!”

--Fedoras? They only looked good on Capone and Madonna.

These, though are only about material things,

How about:

--Just say no to drugs.  Who was Nancy Ray-gun kidding?

--“...only criminals will have guns…” Who is the NRA kidding?

--“If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.”  Who was Obama kidding?

--“Not a cough in a carload.” Who was Lorillard tobacco kidding?

And now, “He made me feel uncomfortable.” That’s a euphemism for “He’s a creepy old man and I know he wanted to ‘do’ me and I didn’t want that.”

That kind of thing has gone over the border and into unmapped territory.

Uncomfortable.

When the shoes are too tight, you’re uncomfortable.

When the pollen level is too high, you’re uncomfortable.

When the armchair is lumpy, you’re uncomfortable.

Since when is discomfort cause for alarm?

Apparently when some dirty old man -- maybe 19, maybe 90, kisses you on the back of the head.

There are a lot of reasons to like or dislike Joe Biden.  And there are a lot of reasons to vote for or withhold your vote from him.  But getting a nose full of some woman's hair and kissing her on the back of her head are not among either.

But this isn’t about Biden, it’s about the life of fads. Once started, a fad will peak and then will see to die, though it will forever be maintained by hard core early adapters.  And sometimes they’ll have a second life. Right now, Ukuleles are making a big comeback.  Bright yellow cars are coming back into fashion.

Coffee, eggs, artificial sweeteners are good for you or bad for you depending on the day.  This issue won’t ever be settled. But the nature of the fad reports will keep rotating in front of the lens.

Skirts grow shorter every season until they start growing longer again.

A big segment of the Democratic Party calls itself Democratic Socialist.  A small but vocal part of the Republican Party are really trumped up fascists. (Look up the definition before you send me a death threat.)

The Inappropriately Touched movement will eventually blossom into the All Men are Pigs movement, barring fair hearings for the Niagara Falls of complaints from victims of real sex crimes.

Fads are flashes in the pan.  But sometimes you can find something in the ashes.  You can still buy a Duncan Yo-Yo. Each year at Christmas time, Alvin the Chipmunk reminds us of the Hula Hoop. Somewhere, there’s a running 1956 Plymouth for sale, or a ‘58 Oldsmobile. You’d have no trouble finding reruns of “I Love Lucy” or M*A*S*H. The Liberal Party of New York is still around, though not running candidates. They sell memorabilia.

And this week, the creator of one of the biggest fads of all died.  He was Dan Robbins of Sylvania, Ohio, inventor of Paint By Numbers.

Color inside the lines.

I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my own but you’re welcome to them. ®

Comments to wesrichards@gmail.com

© WJR 2019