To the Editor,
Back in the dark ages when I was a schoolgirl, the jet airplane was a relatively new addition to our fighting force. Jets were fast and powerful, but upon landing, their engines needed a cool-down period.
“Cool your jets!”–in no time at all, when emotions got overheated and threatened a blow-up, this was slang for, “Shut up until you cool off.”
Bring it back! Are you as tired as I am by the exaggerated yammering pouring out of our radios, televisions, and newspapers—anywhere harboring self-righteous “moralists” described as Nazis, homophobes, misogynists, bigots, and/or racists those who disagree with them?
We can hear an idea and think, “I don’t agree with that.” But what do we know about the person behind it? How many of us have actually been in the room with, let alone conversed with, or looked into the eyes of, say, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, AOC, the new Pope, Jimmy Kimmel, Greg Gutfeld—any major “influencer”?
Journalism, verbal, visual, or readable, is partly theatrics. We kind of like truth dolled up. But with those with whom we usually associate, how many do we really “know”? As a matter of fact, how many of us actually “know” everything about ourselves? What we do have are our observations and interpretations. And they are colored by everything we’ve ever experienced. They may be so wrong.
We all need to let off steam sometimes. I find it lightens my wrath to throw “mud” at the tv; even Alexa blushes at some of my language. Try it. But for heaven’s sake, don’t put it in writing, or shout it out in public! Even people who agree with you will think it’s 5th-grade-ish. You don’t want to sound like an oaf. Just—”Cool your jets!”
Carol Gerrond
Neponset, Ill.
