Skewed View of Reality

Sometime today the parents of “Balloon Boy” are due in court to plead guilty to their October hoax which mesmerized the world as a home-made silver balloon raced across the sky.

Richard and Mayumi Heene were so obsessed with becoming reality television stars, they forgot how to be good parents. The Heene’s exploited their six-year-old son Falcon and their two other sons. Richard Heene has admitted he intentionally launched his UFO-shaped balloon last month.

The parents almost got away with their hoax of claiming the balloon took to the sky with peewee pilot Falcon inside. After the balloon landed 50-miles away, the little guy miraculously appeared with the parents -- at home -- saying he had hidden in the attic. That was the story until the alleged aviator vomited up all he had held inside ... uttering the words “You guys said we did this for the show.”

Oops! Nine words uttered by a little boy set into motion an investigation which will culminate with guilty please, fines, and probably probation for the parents. It turns out Mayumi Heene, who is a Japanese citizen, could have been deported for her role in the hoax. Instead, she was hit with a lesser charge while her husband took the fall on a felony charge rather then have her risk deportation. Child welfare workers were involved in the investigation.

What did the Heene's teach Falcon and his brothers during their escapade? How about that grown-up can lie to get what they want, or maybe that it's okay to send the cops on a wild goose chase, or maybe that it's good to get on television anyway possible?

Is this the new view of "reality?" Is this what has become of television? No one is suggesting television go back to the days of black and white screens where married couples had to sleep in separate twin beds and kids were like Wally and The Beaver. But maybe the medium needs to again be respected for the capacity and capability it possesses.

In the end the Heene’s got their moment of reality TV ... making the news for both their hoax, and for their punishment.

... or so this news junkie thinks!

Thank You to United States Veterans

This Veterans Day has a slightly different feel than past Veterans Day.

Maybe it is because there seems to be an abundance of television Public Service Announcements honoring the men and women who have, and are, serving this country. Maybe because there are all sorts of Veterans Day observances across the web. Maybe it is because the United States is presently fighting two wars on foreign soil. Maybe it’s because this nation just suffered a horrible slaughter on one of its largest domestic military installations.

Whatever the reason, this Veterans Day brings out feelings which probably should have been shown and felt everyday throughout the year. Not since the end of World War II have veterans and military personnel been given the ovation they deserve. Maybe it is because the US military has been brought into unpopular wars ... Korea, Vietnam, Iraq.

However, it’s not the war which is to be supported. Instead, it is the men and women in uniform. They are the ones who have volunteered to serve. They are the ones who have left their family and friends at home to stand on foreign soil. They are the ones who have agreed to risk their lives in order to keep freedom alive in the United States and to keep democracy working. From officers to enlisted personnel, from Gen. George Washington to Gen. George W. Casey Jr, the goal is the same ... “to support and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

On this day in November the United States recognizes the men and women who have worn the uniform of its military. And on the other 364 days of the year, each and every citizen should thank the members of the military for their service in protecting the American way of life.

... or so this news junkie thinks!

Special thanks to Marshall Ramsey for allowing me to use his editorial cartoon. Marshall is a two-time Pulitzer finalist and nationally syndicated editorial cartoonist. He is also my Facebook friend.

Be Better

The other day I was in the check-out line of a national discount store. I overheard a conversation between the associate running the cash register and a co-worker. He was making reference to television shows from her “old generation.” Unfortunately, I figured out I was in that same “old generation.”

I asked him if he thought there was something wrong with being a member of that “old generation.” He replied that nothing was wrong, adding he wished he had been a part of that generation. Needless to say, that sparked my brain into “journalist mode” where I continued our conversation by asking questions.

Me: “What do you think was so good about that time?”

Him: “You people had it easy.”

Me: “Easy ... what was so easy? Most families didn’t have two cars, we didn’t have cable television, CD’s, computers, video games, cell phones, iPods, DVDs, microwave ovens, digital cameras, drive-thru windows, or shopping malls”

Him: “It was easy then. It was easy because most of you came home after school and your mamma was at home fixing you a snack.”

Me: “Okay, I’ll give you that one ... most of our mom’s were at home waiting for us.”

Him: “And your whole family ate breakfast together and ate supper together, and watched TV together.”

Me: “Again I'll agree with you.”

Him: “And most of you had two parents at home because girls almost always waited until they were married to have kids, and parents stayed together even if they didn’t want to.”

Me: “You’re right, those things did happen.”

Him: “You guys also didn’t have the pressure we have. Most of you didn’t have to work and go to school. Most of you didn’t have to worry if your family had enough money to pay the rent, or buy food, or buy clothes, or go to the doctor. And you didn’t have to worry about whether your mamma or daddy was gonna leave if things got too bad.”

Me: “Well, I never thought of things that way.”

Him: “And you didn’t have to worry if you were gonna get shot and killed because somebody wanted your money, or your bike, or your iPod, or because somebody is pissed off, or you’re standing on the wrong corner, or wearing the wrong color clothes, or because some dude wants to know what it’s like to kill somebody.”

Me: “You win! We were pretty lucky to live back then. Maybe we were even pampered. It was a very special time. I wish you could say the same about the time in which you live.”

By now he had finished ringing up my merchandise and was asking for my money. Needless to say, I was somewhat stunned by the remarks from this young man. I hadn’t stopped to consider the life of a kid today as compared to the life we had in the 1960’s and 1970’s. He made some rather good points. Considering his point of view on what was wrong I decided I would change the direction of the conversation with a new line of questions.

Me: “So, you’re good at telling me the problems of your generation. Now tell me what can be done to fix and change the situation.”

Him: “It your fault. It’s the fault of your generation. You people don’t know how to be parents and grown-ups. You guys had it easy and thought it was going to be easy being parents. But you were wrong.”

Me: “Whoa ... slow down and explain yourself.”

Him: “All of you take things for granted. If you don’t like something, you don’t do it again. Your parents disciplined you, you didn’t like it, and you didn’t discipline us. You didn’t want us to get disciplined or spanked at school. You guys didn’t teach us to respect our teachers or each other. You didn’t take us to church like your parents took you to church. You people didn’t teach us how to solve problems the right way, so now some of us solve our problems with guns.”

Me: “So you’re telling me that we screwed up and we caused this?”

Him: “Maybe not you. I don’t know if your kids feel this same way. But yeah, your generation screwed it up.”

Me: “What do we do now? If you’re right in you assumption, how do we fix it? What do you want us to do?

Him: “Set good examples. Talk to us. Let us know you care. Teach us how to be good people, to make good decisions, and to solve problems. Make us believe in ourselves and show us we have a future. Teach us how to build good families. Give us the foundation your parents gave you. Be better.”

Me: “Be better? It’s that easy?”

Him: “If it was that easy it wouldn’t be so hard, or that important.”

As this young man handed me my receipt I reached out to shake his hand. He had made an impression. I thought to myself that somebody had done something right with this high school senior ... somebody had taught this guy some of the important qualities about being a decent human being. Maybe this young man was the example we needed to be following ... maybe.

... or so this news junkie thinks!

Break Out The Dictionary .. Please

Has somebody rewritten the meaning of the words “Customer Service?”

I own an iPhone. I love my iPhone. I brag about having an iPhone. And this iPhone is now causing me more grief than I could ever have imagined.

My iPhone is a 3G ... the second generation telephone. Apple being Apple, (and I have been a loyal Apple computer owner since 1992) it has come out with software upgrades for the phone. I did the first upgrade and everything was fine. I did the second upgrade and the problems began ... battery drain and app crashes. I have read on the web many stories explaining the problem which is identical to that which is occuring to my iPhone.

I called Customer Service and a nice young man offered to “replace” the phone. He said somebody would contact me within 24-hours.

The 24-hours passed and no call came from Apple. I called back and that nice young man (Rep #1) was gone for the day. I spoke with Rep #2 who was also not helpful and was a smart-mouth when I asked to speak with his supervisor.

I called a different Customer Service telephone number where I got Rep #3. This one was even worse with the smart-mouth. When I asked to speak to his supervisor, he said he didn’t have one. I said I was going to call Apple, Inc. in California and he said “the chances of you getting a different answer is zero.”

I called California and was told by the operator I was being transferred to “Corporate Customer Service which is above any of the 800-numbers we have.”

That’s when I got Rep #4 who claimed he wanted to help me. He said  “I feel your frustration,” “I understand your anger,” and “let’s say you and I trust each other.” BULL! I finally demanded speaking with his supervisor. Then he informed me he was NOT in Corporate Customer Service. He claimed he was actually BELOW Rep #2, and on the SAME LEVEL as Rep #3.

That’s when I asked for his supervisor. He claimed to transfer me to a “manager.” That became Rep #5 who recited the same lines of all the other guys. I told him I would get to the top of the Apple tree and get this issues resolved.

That’s when I hung up and sent an e-mail to Tim Cook ... the Chief Operating Officer at Apple. As soon as I hit the “send” button, Rep #4 called back saying “let me see if I can get you to see our side.” My answer is that his side doesn’t matter ... I AM THE CUSTOMER WHO HAS PAID FOR THE PHONE.

Here’s the rub ... the telephone is defective with the new software update. Rep #4 said I “should be content to not upgrade and have a working telephone.” Rep #5 says he “personally authorized” my getting a new iPhone instead of a refurbished model to replace my 5-month old phone. LIE!!! It was Rep #1 who got permission for a new replacement instead of a refurbished model.

The "bag of bad apples," Reps #1- #5, want me to charge $500 to a credit card to send me a new iPhone and the charge will be reversed within 30-days. Well, that’s 30-days of paying interest on a charge on a telephone I have already paid money to purchase PLUS reserving funds against the credit limit. In other words, UNACCEPTABLE.

The other option is for me to drive to either New Orleans or Jackson to exchange the defective iPhone at an Apple Store ... that’s nearly four hours of driving with gasoline at $2.29 per gallon. In other words, UNACCEPTABLE.

The next option is for me to send my iPhone to Apple and when they receive the phone, they will send me a new iPhone. Well, that leaves me without a telephone for roughly five days, plus I have no guarantee the phone will get to Apple for replacement. I can only get a receipt for delivery, not what takes place at Apple headquarters. In other words, UNACCEPTABLE.

I offered two solutions: 1) send a telephone to the AT&T store from which I purchased the original iPhone and AT&T will secure the defective phone, or 2) send a new iPhone to me and have the delivery company immediately take the defective product while scanning the packaged item into its computer system.

For some reason, Reps #3, #4, and #5 each laughed at me. Now I go back to my original question: “Has somebody rewritten the meaning of the words “Customer Service?”

Actually, I don’t think the meanings of those words have changed ... only that the concept of “Customer Service” has never been taught to the people who deal with the customers who purchase their products.

... or so this news junkie thinks!