Communication skills for the crazy

The Jokes About Aaron Hernandez Are Sad

by Bill Brenner June 27, 2013 News

Update April 15, 2015: Hernandez has been convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole. A lot of jokes are making the rounds after the arrest of former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez on first-degree murder charges. It’s human nature to do this sort of thing. But it’s also sad. Mood music: One of the more popular jokes had to do with Hernandez switching from tight end…  [Read More]

Paula Deen and the N-Word

by Bill Brenner June 24, 2013 Crime and punishment

I’m not a fan of cooking celebrity Paula Deen. When I first heard The Food Network fired Deen for using the N-word in the past, I figured she got what she deserved. But part of me feels sorry for her. Here’s one of three apology videos she made: According to various news reports, including an item in The Huffington Post, Deen’s troubles stem from her admission that she used the N-word in the past. She…  [Read More]

The Little Boy, the LEGO Gun and a World Gone Mad

by Bill Brenner May 29, 2013 Communication Skills

I understand the anxiety educators feel over guns, especially after the horrific events in Newtown, Conn. What I don’t get is how absolutely stupid and unreasonable grownups have become over every little thing. Case in point: a 6-year-old boy getting in trouble for carrying a LEGO gun barely the size of a quarter. Mood music: [spotify:track:2bkpCVvOn2XZGhzA4fPyuZ] I already sensed we had gone off the deep end when a high-school girl got the book thrown at…  [Read More]

‘Dude, You Are Pathetic’

by Bill Brenner May 1, 2013 Communication Skills

I don’t always respond to readers who call me names in the comments section, but sometimes it’s necessary. Mood music: [spotify:track:0xfaolnQFiBRZLff8vvkUK] When I wrote a post the other day about being released from mental therapy, a guy named Jerry had this to say: Dude you are pathetic. Be a man, work out your issues outside, or in the gym. Talk to your friends and family. You don’t NEED anything, you just tell yourself you do….  [Read More]

When People Don’t Like A Discussion, They Call It Drama

by Bill Brenner April 17, 2013 Communication Skills

Since I write a lot about how we talk to each other in this blog and my professional one, I hear the word drama a lot. It’s almost always used to describe something people don’t want to discuss. It’s a one-word arsenal meant to shoot down anyone you disagree with. I get shot at a lot. And I’m perfectly fine with it. Yesterday I publicly took a local newsman to task for relishing his coverage…  [Read More]

People Without Filters

by Bill Brenner April 10, 2013 Communication Skills

My closest friends know that a true sign of affection from me is when I pick on them. For one friend’s birthday recently, I called him a “broken-down barge” on Facebook. He loved it, because he knows that when I talk that way, I cherish the friendship. I’m all too aware, though, that this trait is a double-edged sword that can cut deep when turned the wrong way. Mood music: [spotify:track:4xTjyX1PVTZJftjY2dUzBi] I guess you could…  [Read More]

‘This Post Is Escapism and Blame’

by Bill Brenner March 26, 2013 Communication Skills

A dear friend hated the post I wrote yesterday on how we’re all lousy parents. He found something in every paragraph to disagree with and found the opening particularly offensive. He told me: “Not all of us were raised by lousy parents. Not all of us ARE lousy parents. No matter how one was raised at a certain point your life becomes your own responsibility. Not your parents. Not your genes. Not your phobias. This post,…  [Read More]

Hey, Tom Duggan: You’re Doing It Wrong

by Bill Brenner March 7, 2013 Communication Skills

I like Tom Duggan, editor of one of my local newspapers, The Valley Patriot. Against heavy odds, he started his paper nine years ago to compete with The Eagle-Tribune, the dominant daily of the Merrimack Valley region, and it’s been a big success. Mood music: [spotify:track:1qGiiSb3RgkDdkZOmAd8UZ] As a former Eagle-Tribune editor, I’ve enjoyed Duggan’s effort. I have bad memories from my days there, much of the grief self-inflicted, some of it the byproduct of spending…  [Read More]

‘Help’ Might Be the Best Four-Letter Word Out There

by Bill Brenner March 6, 2013 Mental health

A topic I’ve visited often here is the shame people feel in asking for help. When we do so, we think we’re being weak, selfish and all-around pathetic. But, as I’ve said, that’s bullshit. Another blogger made the point so eloquently this week that it must be shared. Mood music: Jennifer Pastiloff is a writer, retreat leader and yogi with a popular blog called The Manifest-Station. Monday, at the very end of “Bitch Slap It,”…  [Read More]

Horse Platitudes

by Bill Brenner March 5, 2013 Communication Skills

PLATITUDE: A banal, trite, or stale remark —Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary CNN online has an article about “instant outrage,” something that has reached absurd levels in this age of social networking. In such moments of outrage, we’re dropping platitudes all over the place. A good example came after the Sandy Hook massacre, when the debate about gun control was re-ignited. Those against more gun control trotted out the old, tired, “Guns don’t kill people. People kill people.” Mood music:…  [Read More]

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