Old and opinionated

A week and a bit ago I had another birthday. I knew it was my birthday because my facebook told me so.

I recieved many nice gifts that day, but one of the best was when I was carded buying spirits to celebrate with.

Clerk: Will that be all?
Me: Yup.
Clerk: Can I see some I.D.?
Me: REALLY? OH WOW! Thank you thank you thank you thank you. Here it is.

I can't imagine I have many more opportunities like that left.

Anyway, I know I'm getting older because of opinions. Inso that I hate them. I like to read the public broadcasters internet news feed. I find it better than the drivel placed on MSN/Yahoo News. I'm sure that celebrity celluite religious freakouts are important compared to natural disasters aggrivated by dictatorial regimes. After all, everyone needs a break, especially if it's been a tough day breaking Nevada tickets and finding out who is Victor's latest wife on Y&R.

I take some solace in the fact that people reputably smarter than I am are reporting the world's events in a professional, objective manner.

And then Web 2.0 came along.

For those of you unfamiliar with Web 2.0, it's the same as the internet, but now everyone works together to make crap instead of people putting their dumb ideas out on their own.

Take a well thought out document: An article, essay, opinion column; and then you let everyone comment on it, and then comment on the comments. It is the intellectual equivalent of the two ugliest people in town getting married and moving to a compound, and then inbreeding. I'm not exagerationg.

In the "old" days you only had such lively discussions on bulletin boards, chat rooms, and mailing lists. I learned to avoid these places like abbatoires. I may appreciate the end result of all their work, but I'm sickened by the process.

Now this joy is brought to public broadcasting. And it draws 2 types of people:
1. The ones I agree with but who are ineloquent in their presentation like a dyslexic squirrel who has lost it's nuts.
2. The idiots who I disagree with for the very good reason that they are utter boneheads.

After the first two opinions it resorts to the hallmark moments reserved only for union rallies, religious debates, political campaigning and lynchings.

I'm trying to avoid even looking at these mental trainwrecks. I'm afraid I'll be tempted to join them, and I'm afraid that's all that's separating me from them.

So please, no more opinions, except on my blog, and then it's ok. If I don't like it, I'll just delete it.