Tag: news

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Creative Writing writing

A Perfect Storm of Perfect Storm Clichés

A perfect storm of perfect storm clichés

The other day, I heard it again. Someone on a news segments said such and such is a “perfect storm.” It was the first time that week I heard this and it wasn’t about the same topic. It is time we officially admit we have a problem with the perfect storm cliché.

unrecognizable person with umbrella on beach
Photo by Dziana Hasanbekava on Pexels.com

I went to Google and searched the phrase, “perfect storm.” The results didn’t surprise me. As of January 15, 2022 there are…

Mind you, I expect some of the general search to be about the real life event, the book by Sebastian Junger, and movie. If you search this phrase on Amazon, you get over 930 results. However, are we getting to the point that it is losing its meaning?

News reporters and interviewees are using this cliché to describe supply chain issues, the pandemic, inflation, worker shortages, data privacy, crimes, climate change, and yes, weather events. How many perfect storms can there be? Is everything perfectly stormy now?

Perfect Storm Cliches or Clichés?

It may look pretentious to add the accent mark in “cliché”. But it is one of those words English speakers have borrowed from French. Can anybody pronounce it correctly with the accent mark? Without it, most of us would go around saying “Klich.” Nobody wants that!

I like clichés. They have served me well over the years as an illustrator and cartoonist. I have always loved to take something we have come to expect and turn a phrase or situation into the unexpected. Phrases become clichés because they are so popular, everyone begins to use them.

I don’t recall us having a perfect storm cliché problem before the book and movie came out. However, thanks to Wikipedia, I found that “Perfect Storm” has been used at least since the eighteenth century. There must have been something about the 1991 storm that captured the imagination of Americans. Now we can’t help but describe any bad situation as a perfect storm. I don’t know if the phrase is becoming so overused, it has lost its impact and meaning.

However, what I do know is that so many people have been using the phrase in the last couple of years. Is it starting to lose its meaning? Maybe I shouldn’t care that much, but when I heard it again, the cliché began to sound like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. Wait, I am using another cliché to complain about a cliché. I’m not being very helpful, am I?

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Encouragement History

Making the Best of Today and Archiving for the Future

white painted papers
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

I love it when an article has a positive spin on some of the challenges we’ve all faced in 2020. 

Back in April, this story commented on what one organization is doing during the crisis. It states that The Indiana Historical Society is asking Hoosiers to contribute to telling the story of COVID-19.

This is important because right now, we are all just trying to endure during this ordeal. One day, this will be behind us, and it will be a distant memory, much like The 1918, Spanish Flu Pandemic is for us today. Nobody thought much about it until we had this new pandemic to deal with.

Collectively, our memory can be short, especially when it comes to unpleasant events. Processing what we are going through can help us to make the best of today and remind us in the future how we got through this. And yes, we will get through this! Keep the faith and have the wherewithal to notice and archive what is going on today. If you live in Indiana, you may want to contribute to the archive at the Indiana Historical Society.

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Quotes

Enthusiasm and Perseverance

One man has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another for 30 days, but it is the man who has it for 30 years who makes a success of his life.

Edward B. Butler in Instant Inspiration

Did you think life was supposed to be easy? Who told you that? Surely you didn’t believe all those commercials over the years that promised the good, easy life if you just bought their product, did you?

Right now, it may be difficult to maintain enthusiasm. You’re not going to get much help from the news media or social media. You may find some gold if you filter out all the bad information. But you may have to dig through a lot of manure to get to the treasure.

Keep going, though. Keep going with the right mindset! Life is truly a long journey. It isn’t over until you breathe your last breath. And even then, I believe there is an eternal glory awaiting.

You may fault me for being a person of faith if you wish. But it takes faith to keep your enthusiasm for thirty or more years. There is something better. Keep striving for it. Don’t expect things to be easy now, but know better days are coming.

Categories
motivation

I blew it this weekend…and you probably did too!

"I blew it this weekend...and you probably did too!"

This was a rough weekend. It was difficult to see the riots, the anger and hatred play out in the news. Cities were burning. Both sides were pointing fingers. In the midst of this are the warnings this could make the coronavirus pandemic worse because of the mass gatherings.

Racism is ugly. It can cause pain and death. I have to admit I don’t know much about what it feels like to be on the receiving end of racism, nor do I understand how hate can dominate one’s life. The issues are much too complex for simple solutions. It can give everyone a sense of hopelessness and despair.

I let it get to me.

You probably let it get to you as well. Who couldn’t? And yet, there were some things I had to be grateful for.

  • The weather was perfect where I live
  • I have the love of a beautiful, devoted wife
  • I am alive, healthy and active
  • I witnessed the first manned launch spaceflight from US soil in nine years

But this time, I didn’t count my blessings. I let the news get me down. I let the narrative of the news sour me. It was a mistake. But it was a mistake that I’m sure a lot of us made.

We cannot ignore the hurt and pain. Yet, we cannot let it put us in a place of hopelessness. How can anything be repaired if we believe it is hopeless?

As we start a new month and a new week, let’s pick up the pieces, count our blessings, and remember there is always something to be grateful for. Then let’s fix what we can. There are plenty of things to be fixed. But let us remember to give ourselves and others grace for the things we can’t fix.

Categories
motivation

Step Away From the TMI!

cartoon of a woman tossing her smartphone
Copyright Kevin Spear

This week has been filled with information. It’s taken TMI (Too Much Information) to a new level! Newsday has an article entitled, Coronavirus Conundrum: How Much Information is Too Much Information? In it, the article states the predicament public officials find themselves in.

“The excessive communication [public officials broadcast] is exacerbated by the environment we’re in… But it’s unavoidable because of the modalities of communication now. If they don’t fill up the space, the space will be filled up by rumor, misinformation, and speculation.”

Gerald Benjamin in Coronavirus Conundrum

Officials feel they need to get the information out. Twenty-four-hour cable news networks have news and opinions to give. Everybody has to get their opinion out there. And some opinions are treated as fact without any evidence. Conspiracy theories abound about the origins of the disease and how it’s now being handled. It’s enough to make you want to disinfect your smartphone from the inside as well as the exterior!

But now it’s Saturday. We made it to the weekend. Take a deep breath and step away from all the information. It will be all right. Even if you are reading this on a weekday, it’s okay to step away from all the news right now. Don’t worry. It will all be waiting for you when you get back. Besides, if it’s really important, someone will probably want to discuss it with you. But be careful. If someone claims this virus was caused by space aliens that want to buy Manhattan high-rises at bargain prices, you may want to reevaluate your news source.

cartoon of a woman tossing her smartphone
Copyright Kevin Spear