leave the dirty laundry at home

We've all heard the saying about not "airing dirty laundry in public." It basically means that we don't want the general public to know all our petty little troubles and problems. Today, literally and figuratively, too many people don't care one bit about who experiences their dirty laundry.

This very day, as we roamed around Winco doing some grocery shopping, we were treated to a young man (who's face had at least a pound of metal studs in it) walking back and forth in an aisle as he talked on his cell phone. He was quite upset with some friends--former friends now--who wouldn't give back his boots: "his g*****n boots." Apparently he can't stand these people anymore. Then, as my wife and I were at a Wok and Grill for some supper, I was treated to a woman's cell phone conversation about problems with her children and their "rotten" behavior. Neither one of these people seemed to care one bit that they were sharing their lives with every total stranger around them. I can promise you that I really didn't desire in any way to be a part of their little soap operas.

At the same restaurant, we were also treated to the sight of a young man walking by our table and proudly wearing his pants down to his lower butt cheeks; his somewhat ratty boxers on display for all to see. Of course that is exactly what he wants to show, as that's the fashion. I just wonder why a person would want to show his nasty, skid marked drawers or, in the case of the fashionable female, her stretched out, stringy thong underwear. I'm sure most of these people have something more to share with the world than the fact that they know how to put underwear on. At least one would hope so.

Of course if you look at the soap opera or underwear sharing folks in any sort of disapproving way, they will lose their temper and yell at you for looking at them. Even though all they do is designed to make people look at them. "Hey, look at me, I'm talking on a cell phone." "Hey, look at me, I'm wearing underwear and tripping on my baggy, dragging pants." "HEY, LOOK AT US, WE'RE IDIOTS." But when you look at them as though they were idiots, you're accused of invading their privacy or attacking their freedom of expression.

As far as I'm concerned, if you're not shy about sharing your private lives around me, I won't be shy about commenting about it and if you just have to flash your boxers or thongs, then I just have to laugh at you. That's MY free expression.

So, if you don't appreciate my comments about your "dirty laundry," then don't air it in public anymore.

Thanks