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I have lots of love for the confused texter who didn't know what LOL meant.
Being somewhat new to textspeak, I've made many embarrassing errors myself. And in the scope of all social media, even moreso.
But you have to laugh.
I'm serious. You HAVE to laugh.
Back in the '90s, at the beginning of the Persian Gulf War, I was a reporter who had the unenviable task of gathering local reaction during the buildup to the war, the announcement of war, and covering war-related (anti-war, pro-peace, Support the Troops) rallies every weekend. And when I wasn't reporting it, I was reading about it and watching it on CNN for round-the-clock coverage to stay informed. After awhile, it got to me, mentally and physically. I called it the CNN Effect (although that term has since been used with a different definition).
The only thing that got me out of my funk was a dedicated daily dose of Bill Watterson's "Calvin and Hobbes" and Gary Larson's "The Far Side."
I felt like I was going through some Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Further research shows that it's more along the lines of Secondary Traumatic Stress, which can come in the form of:
* burnout (characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced feelings of accomplishment),
* compassion fatigue, and
* vicarious trauma (which is effects on a therapist from empathetic engagement with a traumatized client).
And since these effects, for me, came from the news, I guess I'd call it my own Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. (I'm a big fan of the Washington Post.)
As we face the onset of the Trump age in America, many people on different sides of the political spectrum are feeling similar effects from the constant barrage of negative and divisive comments on news media sources. Even more damaging is the barrage of semi-anonymous comments and posts on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Where are Watterson and Larson when you need them?!?
Retired.
So I need to find a new source of LOL therapy. That's why I brought my website, The lol Lounge, out of retirement. When I began it a few years ago, I set out to post a brief video daily so that teachers (a career usually listed in the top 5 of any list of most stressful jobs) could take a breather in between classes and laugh. I ended up missing two days, but otherwise accomplished my task. I tried to be positive, sensitive and nonpartisan, and, for the most part I think I succeeded (with possibly the exception of some Inappropriate Friday posts).
Time constraints forced me away from maintaining a regular site, despite a couple of attempted restarts. But now it's time to start again.
As with each restart, my inaugural speaker is one of my favorite poets, Taylor Mali. His teaching background, represented in his famous poem "What Teachers Make," is my go-to video when I'm having a bad day. I also think it should be must-see viewing for Betsy DeVos to see the passion of America's teachers.
Welcome to this site's inauguration. Stay tuned. Come back often. It's time to make American laugh again.
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