| The scene: Man arrested for DUI with a blood alcohol | | | | meeting a god. But, politicians love to use it saying "it's |
| content [B.A.C.] of 0.00. It is justified by a bevvy of | | | | an awful tragedy". The language is so over the top |
| lobbyists, special interest groups and the lawmakers. | | | | that it borders ridiculous. |
| When one of these, one in a million, cases comes to | | | | My biggest pet peeve of them all is the word hero. |
| light, they trot out the MADD [mothers against drunk | | | | There are no living heroes. End of story! For me to |
| drivers] victims and have them cry on camera. They | | | | call someone a hero, they would have to save my life, |
| then recap the story talking about the poor victim and | | | | teach me Chinese, and fly me to Mexico on their back, |
| his/her tragic story. | | | | all at the same time. Then, I might consider calling |
| It has struck me recently that a lot of legislation is | | | | them a hero. The word is so over used as, again, to |
| crammed down our throats, without so much as a | | | | border ridiculous. It is used so much that when a real |
| doctor, scientist, expert even looking at the claims | | | | hero comes along, no one will think they are any better |
| behind the law. We are bombarded with sentimental | | | | than the other charlatans everyone has been naming |
| emotional drivel and when the crying is all done, | | | | heroes all along. The politicians when pushing forward |
| somehow we are 1% tax poorer for the entire | | | | some controversial DUI legislation will ofter refer to |
| experience. | | | | some police story where and officer rescued a baby |
| They use big words such as: tragedy, hero, ultimate, | | | | from a drunk driving accident. In reality he reached in |
| horrific, amazing, awesome. I'd like to tackle these | | | | the window and pulled the child out, after the event |
| words for you, so that when you hear them, you | | | | was over, but I digress. Hero: a mythological or |
| know what they mean and aren't taken in by | | | | legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with |
| sentimentality. | | | | great strength or ability. Now that we have a true |
| We often hear the Mothers Against Drunk Drivers tell | | | | definition, when we take that magnifying glass and |
| sob stories of losing a 13 year old son / daughter to a | | | | point it at all the jokers who have been called the word |
| drunk driver. And, then the reporter recaps it or | | | | hero, they all fail. Certainly, pulling a child from a car |
| politicians recaps it by saying what a tragedy it is. Let | | | | that explodes 15 minutes later is a nice thing, but as a |
| me define the word tragedy: a medieval poem or tale | | | | firefighter / police officer you are both trained and paid |
| typically describing the downfall of a great man; a | | | | to do that. In fact, you are expected to do no less |
| serious drama typically describing a conflict between | | | | than that. If police and firefighters didn't rescue people |
| the protagonist and a superior force (such as a god) | | | | form burning buildings or exploding cars then we'd |
| and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that | | | | replace them with people that would. |
| elicits pity or terror; a disastrous event. Losing your | | | | Finally, when MADD is trotted out before you and you |
| son / daughter is definately a sad state of affairs, but it | | | | hear their sad stories, do not be swayed to vote for |
| never reaches the level of tragedy, unless that son / | | | | new legislation that is going to stop these awful |
| daughter was about to reveal the cure for cancer and | | | | tragedies for a mere tax increase of 1%. Don't sit idle |
| only he / she knew it and the world was waiting for it. | | | | and tear up when the heroic police officer |
| Sometimes we are told that events are horrible or | | | | singlehandedly stopped 200 DUI convicts and took |
| awful. So let's look at awe: an emotion variously | | | | them off the street. Understand the words. |
| combining dread, veneration, and wonder that is | | | | Understand what they are trying to do. Yes, there is |
| inspired by authority or by the sacred or sublime. This | | | | sadness in this world. Yes, there is hope in this |
| means you would be faced with an event or entity | | | | world. But, it doesn't mean you have to pay for it, or |
| [notice i didn't say person] that makes you speechless, | | | | give up your constitutional rights for it. Sure, go into |
| stops you in your tracks, makes you panic and makes | | | | your room and cry, but come back out and say no |
| you feel like you have reached a state of nirvana [a | | | | thanks. Be reasonable and don't be swayed by big |
| state which is nearly impossible] all at once by the | | | | words. |
| mere presence of the entity. Usually it's ascribed to | | | | |