Baseball calls itself America’s National Past time. Football would argue they have replaced baseball as the national past time. I would submit that they are both wrong. America’s real national past time is arguing. It is something that everyone can engage in and gender, race, age, do not determine your access to this event.
I remember as a kid we would play games in the neighborhood; usually involving some aspect of athletic achievement. Sometimes the games would have set rules like basketball or baseball or football. Sometimes the game would be created by us with its own unique rules. The one thing that was consistent was invariably we would spend a good chunk of the daylight time arguing. Were you in or out? Was it fair or foul? Did you foul him or didn’t you? Was that too high? Was it too far? Did you call time out? There was no objective official. We just had to sort it out on our own. When you are a youngster a do over is often the solution. It cuts down on the arguing so you can get on with the game. As you get older do overs become a less satisfactory solution.
What do you think most people spend their time doing on social media? For most of us it is not clicking like on kitten memes. Nope someone has an opinion and we disagree…vociferously and unrelentingly. It can be politics or sports or music or a recipe. We don’t need a topic. Make your point so I can disagree with it.
We have television shows that are centered around arguing. Most political shows are this way. A good amount of sports shows are this way. The same holds true with radio. The best calls are the ones who disagree with the host of the show.
I don’t know about you but my kid feels the need to argue. I mean she will eventually realize we are correct and have her best interest at heart but first it is an argument. Why? Because. That is her default setting. Even shows that depict our nation’s past feature this. I watch Little House on the Prairie and they didn’t argue in the Ingal’s house but they sure did at the Oleson’s Mercantile and home.
Today I got into an argument about the Super Bowl Half Time Show and how Maroon 5 did. There was more passion in the argument then there was in any Maroon 5 song. We all thought they sucked. I am sure Maroon 5 thought they sucked. But I was wrong. Some one thought the criticism was unfair and that Maroon 5 did well. Only in America.
Now some of you are going to say I am wrong about my evaluation. I have two things to tell you. One, you are wrong. Two, you are a fine American.