As we transition to a new year — remember when writing checks, it’s 2014 … not 1996 — people are making (and breaking) New Year’s resolutions. They’re looking back on the previous year to think of what they should have done differently. They’re making lists of things they want to accomplish this year. And pundits are creating lists of things that need to go away.
Marist College Institute for Public Opinion determined that the phrase that most needs to go away in 2014 is “whatever.” I hate “whatever.” It’s basically a printable way of saying something that we can’t print. It’s a means to tell someone off without uttering one of the seven dirty words.
Also on the list were “like,” “you know,” and “just sayin’ “ I’m like guilty of all of those, you know? But I’m just sayin’. Also, I’d add “K” to that list. But that’s just me. Or maybe not. Who knows. Whatever.
A good friend of mine asked on her Facebook page on Tuesday what her friends wanted to most go away in 2014. Answers ranged from reality shows to the Kardashians to Twerking, Bit Strips (if you don’t know what they are, consider yourself lucky), and the Boston Red Sox. My contribution: “apocalyptic weather forecasts.”
Thursday afternoon Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a statewide state of emergency because it’s January out — basically. The reasoning was/is that it’s cold and there’s snow. So it’s an emergency.
The TV news stations in Western New York took the “emergency” and ran with it. Pretty much every newscast began with “hide your wife, hide your kids and hide your husband. Cuz it’s snowin’ out here.”
I turn to the news as a trusted source of information. But in times like these, I feel like every local TV station is WOLF News. No, not FOX News, but they’re bad enough. Nope, this is WOLF News — as in “The boy who cried …”
One of these days we’re actually going to have a weather event. And no one is going to believe it because we’re inundated on such a regular basis with over-the-type hyper-sensitive “Oh my God, the world is going to end” reporting of basic weather.
News flash: It’s January! Bundle up and stay home. Or go out. Whatever. Like, just be safe and stuff, you know?
Scott Leffler is a trusted news journalist who doesn’t make mountains out of molehills. But occasionally does make mountains out of mashed potatoes because “this means something.” Follow him on Twitter or whatever @scottleffler.