No Excuse

Originally intended as a submission for Helena's/Albert's forum question, "What Makes You Grumpy", it evolved into a dialogue on "Why I have no right to be grumpy."

NO EXCUSE

    The yowling of the alarm, combined with the TV which he had set to come on at six pulled both his brow and the corners of his jowls down. Reaching first for his teeth and then the remote on the bedside table, and settling each in its accustomed cavity, he began his day in the customary fashion: scowling and grumbling.

     Click: A story on CNN about Somalia, and the plight of its citizenry.
     "Well, Jeez, they're hungry? No DUH! Hey, morons, YOU LIVE IN THE DESERT!"

     Click: 'They live in the desert, because they never realized that there is anything else, no-one they've ever known has been over ten miles from there, and everything they've ever owned--damned little, might I add?--was gleaned from that limited universe'

     Click: MSNBC, now--A hurricane in Bermuda, a tsunami in Japan, a conflagration in Texas...;
     "Tough luck you didn't have any warning, like, HURRICANES EVERY YEAR FOR THE LAST HUNDRED!, or anything...and, REALLY? a mountain, in the middle of the ocean, in an earthquake zone? And you choose to live and build on the COAST? I thought you little yellerfellers were suppose to be smart? And fires, in parched meadows, in June...Really, now, is that even news?"

     Click: 'Neither the wind, nor the sea, nor the earth, nor the sun are within your control, apparently. That must seem the greatest shame of all to you! Too bad there's no one who really knows how to make this all work in concert, isn't it?'

     The man, who had been dressing all this time, now pulled on his last garment, a heavy white celluloid collar, tucking it's ends under the collar of his starched, lavender shirt, and straightening the lapels of his grey jacket. His initially grumpy mood had degraded, now, into purest sorrow, as his eyes fell on the painting at the right side of his bed, and perceived that it's object was slyly smirking at him.

      "Maybe...I really don't have any idea what a tough night and a rough morning are all about, after all, do I?"

     The figure in the painting just stared.

Reviews

[bob, small b. aka invs]

i wonder why anyone would deliberately wake up to the news. lousy way to start a day. i think i'd just crawl back into bed.

i like the subtlety of the collar and the figure in the painting.

[Marie]

Very good story. Somehow I like this man and the way he thinks. It shows common sense. I'm not one for blaming the victim, but sometimes people victimize themselves. One suggestion: the possive of "its" is not "it's".

[Marie Anzalone]

Yes, America needs a serious wake-up call from its blame the victim mentality. We seem culturally unprepared to open our hearts to human suffering, probably because it might require some commitment or other on our part. With climate change added to the mix, those of us who study it are finding that all bets are off. There is very little "normal" left in terms of rainfall patterns, droughts, tropical storms, winds, and hailstorms. Or ecosystems. Places that have not flooded in 300 years of human habitation are wiped out in freak storms; fires are showing up in places and months never seen before; wind pattern shifts are changing where hurricanes go and how long they stay put. Like it or not... we are all in this together. To quote the masters of Pink Floyd, "Don't accept that what's happening/ is just a case of others' suffering/ or you'll find that you're joining in/ the turning away."

[Jordan Easley]

Good job. I like the way the character said openly what most people think of privately. I liked the way you presented realistic events that have actually happened and are happening. It made the story seem more real. It was interesting to read from the perspective of a "well-off" human being making remarks on the people of the world that are not so fortunate. It makes you reflect on your own personal values. Nice work.