What Is A Curmudgeon?

 

I’ve been dancing around the edges of this subject for years.  At times I freely admit the classification and other times I shy away from the obvious negative connotations that most people seem to have for the word.  Since the beginning of this blog I have chronicled the many irritations, aberrations and downright stupidity that I have encountered.  Still, I know my observations come across as far more surly than the actual confrontations usually transpired.  I usually keep the venom to myself unless someone goads me to explain my pique.  It is usually only later in the telling of the event that I get truly sarcastic and vent my feelings.

 

In recent conversations with my brother and a close friend I was somewhat astonished by their view that I somehow relished being nasty to people.  I don’t see it that way at all nor do I agree with the often twisted dictionary definition of “curmudgeon”.  I guess you have to be there.  I simply do not view offering my honest answer or opinion as being nasty.  I suspect many people take it that way because it may be unsociable to point out the various observations I have made, but I think it more a means of self protection.  People often immediately see my logic and understand it, but can’t bring themselves to voice agreement with behavior out of the norm.  So they find it easier to think ill of the messenger when they might privately agree with the message.

 

In the midst of this perplexing subject I turned to the Internets and immediately found a wealth of information very similar to my own thoughts.  I find that my thoughts and ideas are not remotely original and, in fact, my thoughts of writing a book on the subject were immediately quashed.  It’s been done.  And with the heart of a true curmudgeon the subject is closed with the thought ...
“It’s been done ... why do it again?”

 

I offer here the preface of author Jon Winokur in his book “The Big Curmudgeon”:

 

 

You will now experience “Back to the Future” because I went back in time and gathered up some of the Pet Peeves, rants and raves littered throughout the blog to pull them all into one curmudgeon collection.  And from here on out I hope to keep them quarantined in this one location for future reference.  They will still pop up from time to time in the course of events, but this shall be the central repository to come dredge them up again if you feel the urge.