Christmas? Thank the Overlords of Conspicuous Consumption, that’s over. Bah Humbug. You want a holiday really worth celebrating? Make it January 29th, National Curmudgeon Day. Celebrate the cranky, grumpy, crotchety, tetchy, moody and difficult. Honor the great institution of Curmudgeonry.
Why? Because curmudgeonry is not simply a matter of being ill-tempered. Curmudgeons are champions of contrarian truth, bucking the mindless euphoria of pop-culture drivel. They will declare what others are too afraid, polite or mentally lazy to say. Yes, we risk the ire of others by not toeing the company line and attacking sacred cows. For instance, most curmudgeons know Kim Kardashian is just a talentless fame-whore, trading on her looks, and will say so. We also figured out the “American Dream” is more of a mind-anesthetizing PR campaign than a political aspiration. And we don’t care if pork is the “other white meat.” Who would anyway?
There is a grain of truth to the old bromide, “Ignorance is bliss,” which make the opposite equally true. Curmudgeons, engaged and enraged, know the BS of life all too well. And we’re not buying it. We will not be conned by the feel-good conventional wisdom of lemming-minded mobs.
Yes, some will condemn us as killjoys. Not true. Some of our greatest humorists have been curmudgeons. Think of Mark Twain, Andy Rooney, George Carlin and Lewis Black. Comedy and criticism have a sincere ying-yang relationship. (Just as long as you keep your ying away from my yang.)
Celebrate diversity, not just of people, but also of opinion. Yes, we criticize and complain. Why? Because we want something better for ourselves and others, too.
So crank on and celebrate National Curmudgeon Day!
Click on the image to left for Curmudgeon Day products.
If blatant commercialism is good enough for Christmas, why not make some cranky coin ourselves?
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