{"id":9817,"date":"2023-11-22T22:16:14","date_gmt":"2023-11-22T22:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.webhostlabs.net\/synergy\/?p=9817"},"modified":"2023-11-22T22:17:41","modified_gmt":"2023-11-22T22:17:41","slug":"the-first-class-whines-of-first-world-whiners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dev.webhostlabs.net\/synergy\/2023\/11\/22\/the-first-class-whines-of-first-world-whiners\/","title":{"rendered":"The First-Class Whines of First-World Whiners."},"content":{"rendered":"

Letter From America<\/strong><\/h1>\n

My favorite hair cutter is no longer working at my favorite salon. I MUST find out where he is working now. Oh, the agony!<\/p>\n

When I recently posted the previous three sentences as a status update on my Facebook page, I immediately recognized it for what it was: The whine of a privileged woman living in privileged circumstances in a first-world country. I realized, moreover, that this wasn\u2019t the first (and probably would not be the last) status update in the category of \u201cfirst-world whines.\u201d Nor was I the only Facebook poster guilty of such self-indulgent, trivial complaints!<\/p>\n

Fortunately, I have among my Facebook friends and acquaintances several who recognized in themselves at least a smidgen of the same self-absorbed qualities exhibited in my post. When asked to share some of their own first-world whines, several were more than generous.<\/p>\n

Anne-Marie Cottone complained recently that there was nothing on television worth watching except for a show on one of the premium channels. However, she continued,\u00a0\u201cI only have one cable box in my house, so I had to go ALL THE WAY DOWNSTAIRS to watch the program on another television set!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0On another occasion this summer, Ann-Marie faced and complained about another first-world dilemma:\u00a0\u201cShould I go to the beach or go get a manicure?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Summertime seems to bring out a number of first-world whiners: Kate Reilly was a young adult when she heard from a college student who moaned, \u201cI asked my parents if they were going to \u2018gift me\u2019 this year with a new car to replace my old one, and they won\u2019t make any promises!\u201d Kate, who says she was having trouble making ends meet as a graduate new to the work force, had little sympathy for the other girl. She recalls that her friend\u2019s \u201cold\u201d car was actually a luxury model of recent vintage.<\/p>\n

\n

But students aren\u2019t the only first-world whiners. You might think that teachers would be older, wiser, and always cognizant of privilege. You\u2019d be wrong. My dear friend, Judy Ransom Hubbard, now a retired teacher, recalls this thoughtless remark she once made to a couple who hadn\u2019t had a vacation in years:\u00a0\u201cAwww, man! I have only one more week off before I have to go back to school. Nine weeks just fly by!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Possession of luxury items (or lack thereof) seems to play a large part in many a first-world whine. I was sympathetic when an old neighbor of mine confided in me that she had recently undergone bunion surgery on both feet. I was decidedly unimpressed when she followed up that statement with this: “It\u2019s so hard to find shoes that are comfortable, so when I do find a comfy shoe, I buy two pairs\u2026in every color available!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"\u201cIn the state where I live, you can\u2019t buy liquor in any grocery store! I have to drive all the way across town to a separate store to buy my coconut rum!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0writes one friend. Another complains that she hates it when she has to park in the back row of a Wal-Mart parking lot and walk a football-length field to get to the door. Poor things!<\/p>\n

Mid-year resolution: From now on, I am going to try with all my might to keep my mouth shut when I\u2019m about to utter a first-world whine.<\/p>\n

I have to submit this now; my editor is getting impatient. Oh, DANG! I just broke a nail. Now I have to set the house alarm, get in my car, and drive a mile into the middle of town to get it fixed. I simply CANNOT appear in public looking like this!<\/p>\n

\"\"By Cara Sheridan O\u2019Donnell<\/p>\n

CaraSheridanOD@gmail.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

You can Tweet, Like us on Facebook, Share, Google+, Pinit, print and email from the top of this article.<\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 2015, DPNLIVE \u2013 All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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