We’re a country of complainers.
Case in point – the Super Bowl half-time show with Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.
Critics say the dances were lewd, and women were exploited by the props and revealing outfits.
Those who liked the performance cited a lack of cultural understanding. The dances used are part of the Latin and Lebanese cultures, they said, and people should stop complaining and be happy those cultures were featured.
There’s complaints about the Super Bowl ad featuring Cpl. Kyle Carpenter and Johnny Cash’s song about the rugged flag.
Critics said the song was a slap in the face to Colin Kaepernick, the ex-NFL football player who took a knee during the “Star Spangled Banner.”
Others said the video was honoring a young man who served bravely in the military when asked to do so by his country.
Nobody wins this argument except the complainers.
If you’re on social media, more than half of the postings are complaining about something or someone. Whole neighborhoods complain about people who drive too fast or too slow in their neighborhoods or who – gasp – park on the street.
Their license plates are published and people are outraged at this despicable behavior. Seldom are the whistle blowers called out for being complainers.
Lines cause a great deal of whining.
People complain about waiting in line and lines that move too slowly. They complain if they happen to get in the wrong line at the grocery store, if there’s a line at the post office or if there’s a line at the DMV.
Many of us remember the days of standing next to the television set and rotating the rabbit-ear antennae until the signal came in clear enough for our parents to watch “Gunsmoke.”
We all muttered under our breath about our unfair parents and vowed we’d never make our children do that for us.
Yet we’re the generation that asks our kids to go find the TV remote control and bring it to us.
We complained when summer hit and the attic fan in the house couldn’t keep us cool. Then we got window air conditioners and complained the fans were too loud. We couldn’t hear Marshal Matt Dillon and Miss Kitty talking and the electric bill was too high.
So we got central air and heat and we still complained about the bill.
We complain about slow service in restaurants and baggers in the grocery store who put our produce in the same bag as frozen tater tots.
Restaurants are too cold, too hot, too slow or the food’s not up to our standards.
Maybe it’s time we stop complaining, swallow a dose of civility and have a reality check.
If you think the dancers at the Super Bowl half-time show were inappropriately dressed, you haven’t been to the mall lately to see what people wear out in public. It’s a lot less material than what I saw on television.
You might disagree with Colin Kaepernick, but we live in a country where we are free to disagree.
We can complain about the post office, but I can barely read my own handwriting – how they can read millions of personally addressed mail and still get those letters where they’re supposed to go astounds me.
The cable bill might be high, but no way I’m taking “Paw Patrol” away from the grandkids.
Road construction’s no fun, but it’s a short inconvenience for a much-better roadway.
Restaurant servers and baggers in the grocery store barely make minimum wage – let’s see how you’d handle rude customers when you’re not bringing home a decent paycheck.
It’s a lot harder to look past the inconvenience and understand why there’s a line, why people park in the street or why utilities cost so much.
Stop taking the easy way and, for heaven’s sake, stop complaining.
Instead, be grateful and use that waiting time to count your blessings.
This column was originally published in The Fort Bend Herald.