Day Eleven: Shades of Hate

It's Day 11 of the "30-Day Challenge" and I'm supposed to post something I hate.  I'm not fond of the word hate, so I've decided to focus on something I loathe.  ToMAYto, toMAHto, yeah, yeah.

There are different levels of disgust a person can have.  For example, just the thought of eating a pickle makes me gag, but I have no desire to firebomb the Vlasic factory.  The urge to commit a felony is much stronger, however, when I see news footage of Westboro "Church" protesting at the funerals of American soldiers.  That being said, I present my "loathe list" with the understanding that each item registers at a different levels of revulsion on my hostility meter.

Spiders - There's no need to revisit this one since I dedicated an entire blog to the little eight-legged demons recently.  All I have to say is if this picture doesn't make you flip on the bathroom lights at night, something is wrong with you, my friend. 

Lousy parents - This category covers a multitude of sins and situations that get under my skin.  Here's a partial list in no particular order.  It may get lengthy.  That's what nine years of teaching will do to you. 

• Don't attempt to discipline their kids or teach them responsibility
• Use their kids as bargaining chips/ammunition against spouses, exes, in-laws, etc.
• Choose not to pay child support just to get back at their ex
• Constantly allow their children to be disrespectful to them or to other adults (or other kids for that matter)
• Don't tend to their child's hygiene or clothe them appropriately
• Have money for frivolous things but mysteriously can't provide for their kids' needs
• Scream and fight in front of their kids (I know parents argue, but there are some things a kid should never hear parents say to each other)
• Allow their kids to bully
• Abuse their kids physically, verbally, emotionally, etc.  This includes neglect
• Cover for their kids when they mess up instead of letting them face the consequences, e.g., doing a project for them that they forgot or lying for them when they're late, absent, etc.
• Abandon their kids
• Disown their child for being gay
• Show blatant favoritism toward one child, especially in the area of discipline.
• Force their kids to be like everyone else
• Try to be their kid's pal instead of parent (even worse when the parent tries to act like a kid)
• Fights with daughter over the same man (you think I'm kidding)
• Teaches their child to be bigots
• Forces the child to be the parent
• Constantly worries they'll make their child "mad"
• Berate their kids from the stands while they're on the field, court, etc.
• Defend their kid's behavior, even when it is blatantly rude, wrong or dangerous
• Don't provide for their children, including emotionally
• Refuse to have difficult conversations (I should not have to talk to your son about hygiene)
• Those who just give up or never try in the first place, especially if they treat the child like it's his fault for being born 

One good soaking away from evil.

Pickles - As I've mentioned in previous posts, I abhor pickles.  It's not the core of the pickle I don't like since I eat cucumbers (and enjoy them in water).  It's the vinegar in which the pickle is soaked.  Just the smell of vinegar triggers my gag reflex.  Pickles are evil and I wouldn't care if they ceased to exist.  I have at least reached the point in my life where I will eat something that comes on the plate with a pickle, but I still cannot eat anything that's touched a pickle.  I don't even like to watch other people eat pickles and have to resist the urge to say, "Don't put that in your mouth" every time I see someone eat one.  And don't get me started on people who drink pickle juice.  When I worked in after school care and the kids were given pickles as snacks, I made them sit in the arts and crafts closet if they wanted to drink the juice. 

Stray dogs - Don't get me wrong, it's not the dogs I can't stand.  Two of my favorite dogs were strays. My Lady was found wandering down Airways in Memphis and my father-in-law found Abbie on the side of a country road in Arkansas.  As the mommy to two fur babies, I just can't comprehend what would make people just throw away a dog.  How can someone adopt (or buy) a furry family member and then just drop them on the side of the road or set them loose and forget about them?   And on a related note, nothing set me off faster while I was pregnant than all the people who told me how my dogs wouldn't matter once Amelia was born (it didn't happen).  Obviously, this isn't the case with everyone.  I've ran into quite a few people whose inside dogs were banned to the backyard once the baby came along.  In one case, the dog was surrendered to a rescue--not because the dog was a threat to the child but because the parents "didn't want to mess with it."  A dog is not a pair of shoes or a jacket that you toss aside when you outgrow them or they don't "fit your style" anymore.  A dog is a living creation and a commitment.   I won't even address how I feel about those who abuse dogs.  My keyboard might not survive.

Poor grammar in certain situations- I don't get all crazy about people using poor grammar (unless it's following a lesson i just taught), but when something cost money, it should be correct.  One of my biggest pet peeves is when advertisements use fewer and less incorrectly.  Three or four times in the past month alone, I've seen television or print ads that used less instead of fewer.  I know that at the least a company paid to run the ad, and they also quite possibly paid someone to develop the ad.  There's also a sign in the parking lot of the local mall that tempts me to pull out the spray paint every time I go shopping [see picture].    It also bugs me when the news tickers have mistakes.  I can forgive it the first time, but when it loops over and over and no one catches it, it drives me crazy.    As for everyday grammar use, the only thing that makes my ears bleed is the misuse of me after the word and.  I would never in a million years say anything to another adult, but I can't stand when people say, "Would you like to go to dinner with Jim and I?"  It literally makes my jaw start clicking. 

Fred Phelps and his cult - I honestly can't even start writing about this.  I get too angry.   I'll just present this picture and assume that you have the same reaction I do.  If not, maybe this isn't the blog for you. 

Tornadoes - I'm not going to discuss this one at length now since I plan to dedicate an entire blog to them in the future.  One of my two phobias, though. 

Finishing blogs at midnight - Once again, here I am typing on a blog that I started hours ago.  It's very frustrating to me, especially since I'm exhausted.  I enjoy writing so much more when I'm not rushed or stressed.  I really have no one to blame but myself, though.  I feel like I owe you more, kind reader. Hopefully you're enjoying this little experiment, though, and won't be adding Bad with Conviction to your personal "Day 11."