Friday Five #16

More Unpopular Opinions (AKA, More Reasons to Hate Me)

I had so much fun with my first post detailing my unpopular opinions, and you all had such fun interacting with said opinions, that I decided to continue my list. (Seriously, I have never heard from so many of you—both in real life and via email and comments and texts—as I did after that post. It was a delight!) Without further ado, here are other opinions that may raise your hackles:

1. Pop music peaked in the 80s. Maybe it’s because I was born in this decade, but 80s music makes me happier than music from any other time period, and I never tire of hearing songs from this decade (not ALL songs from the decade, of course). I think in general that songs from the 80s have much better staying power than today’s current songs.

2. Sparkling water is the devil’s elixir. I don’t care how many people love LaCroix or Waterloo or Bubly or some other poorly-named brand, it’s not for me. I associate carbonation with soda, and sparkling water tastes nothing like soda, so therefore I’d rather drink plain old water than some weak flavored junk. It’s disappointment in a can.

   

   I don’t hate myself enough to drink this. Photo by Chris Abney on Unsplash

3. Neighborhood fireworks are a nuisance. I know, I know, such a statement practically makes me un-American, but every year 1-2 days prior to July 4 the racket starts, and then it continues 2-3 days AFTER the holiday. The noise causes dogs and cats much stress, not to mention all the babies and toddlers that are awakened from their slumber by these overprice noisemakers. And let’s not forget all the parents who have to deal with said unhappy awakened children. There are so many public fireworks displays now that if you want to see them, you can, and usually it doesn’t require you to spend $500 that will be gone in approximately 2.3 seconds.

4. Summer is the worst season. I have given this a lot of thought (honestly, more thought than is reasonable for such a topic), and summer loses every time. I hate being hot. I hate going in stores and restaurants in the summer because most of the time the AC is cranked up, which means I wish I had a sweater but of course I’m not wearing one because as I mentioned, it’s a furnace outside. It’s also nearly impossible to be cozy in the summer, and cozy is my preferred state of being. I hate that as a working mom I don’t get any of the fun of summer: no lazy pool days or sleeping in or sprinkler sessions in the backyard, no days with my girls that have no agenda. Instead, I get to pay an exorbitant amount for childcare (I can’t even think about the amount without wanting to throw up), my husband and I have to literally put notes on our calendars about who is picking up what child where and which kid has what camp on which week, and I spend way more on groceries since there are no school meals in the summer. The only good thing about summer is that it comes before my favorite season, fall.

5. The word “impactful” has no impact and should be removed from the public consciousness. I can’t pinpoint exactly why this word bothers me so much, but I noticed its usage increasing over the last 5-7 years, and I don’t like it. There are better, more precise words you can use (e.g., “powerful,” “affecting,” or “poignant"). Why use a mediocre word when you can use a first-rate word instead?

Now, tell me: which of these offends you the most? What is one of your unpopular opinions?