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    Viewpoint

    Aug. 1, 2014
    Common Sense and Other Commonalities

    “A keen sense of humor helps us to overlook the unbecoming, understand the unconventional, tolerate the unpleasant, overcome the unexpected and outlast the unbearable.” –Billy Graham

    I have never considered myself an intellectual, nor has anyone else, for that matter. I would suspect I am described, at best, as being blessed with mediocre intelligence and, perhaps, an above average sense of humor. I would be pleased if that were, in fact, true because in the midst of this crazy world, one must either laugh and drink, or the other way around, just to maintain one’s sanity.

    There appears to be an uncontrolled deficiency in common sense plaguing this country. Not that there hasn’t always been a problem with politicians, but I’m concerned it’s affecting so many other elites that it might be caused by something unexpected like bad champagne or, heaven forbid, “climate change.” Whatever it is, they apparently don’t even know it’s happening.

    At first, I thought it just might be a genetic loss of common sense, since such a deficiency could easily explain this increasingly rampant stupidity. But I’m not sure it’s that simple. Since common sense is associated with sound and prudent judgment, that’s probably why the vast majority of people are able to live vibrant everyday lives avoiding jail, media attention and reality shows.

    It’s the other 5 percent (just a guess because the percentage fluctuates wildly on a daily basis) that is of concern and causes me to surmise that there just might be an outbreak, probably caused by a hungry brain cell micro-organism that is affecting those in our society involved in politics, sports, entertainment and other select, special interest groups. Please note I have not included funniest home videos or “Jackass” movies, as that is a category all in itself, and I didn’t want to skew the curve away from those I believe were born without common sense.

    To explain my theory further, allow me to relate a few blatant examples, which are in no particular order, so no one can accuse me of being sexist, racist or having coulrophobia, (a fear of clowns, look it up).

    1. Hillary Clinton testified before Congress in regard to the Benghazi cover-up and stated,“What difference does it make?” when asked the reason for four of our citizens being murdered. (That’s the only politician I’ll mention, because they are simply too available.)

    2. Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Need I say more? (Sorry, I couldn’t resist, but it is the same family, you know.)

    3. Michael Sam, the first openly gay player ever drafted into the NFL, was picked by the St. Louis Rams as the 249th pick out of 256. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but he said the Rams should have picked him in the third or fourth round. Then his actual draft drifted into jeopardy because he didn’t tell the Rams in advance that he already had a reality show in the making with the Oprah Winfrey Network.

    4. Billionaire Donald Sterling, now the infamous owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, made headlines after a “friend” taped him making racist remarks. That’s beyond stupid for so many reasons but does prove the point that wealth and common sense are not connected.

    5. Alec Baldwin, the famous actor, rode his bike the wrong way on a one-way street in New York City. Police arrested him after he refused to provide identification, became belligerent and swore at the officers. He could not understand why the officers didn’t recognize him.

    Now those are only a smidgen of what is in the news this day in May. Aren’t you proud that those in the public eye, with the opportunity to truly make a difference in society, are instead giving the world reason to believe we are all ugly Americans? Personally, I’m not going to take it anymore! I just finished my cave and am moving in tomorrow. I guess that will make me a cavist. So be it!

    Ciao baby, Don Frendberg

    Don Frendberg is executive director of the HVACR Workforce Development Foundation and president of Phase 3 Insights.

    Contact him at 614/208-6801 or dfrendberg@ columbus.rr.com.