Given the serious, important, or painful things going on in the world, it seems to me that we spend a lot of time, money, media, and cyberspace on things that don’t matter. Perhaps it’s irony, but I’m going to do it too, but just for this list. Here’re my nominees for unimportant things that get way too much attention:

--Charlie Sheen – Whether for real or a charade or self-parody Sheen isn’t a star, he’s sad. Inside Sheen is a person that is important, but what he’s doing to himself and offering the world is toxic.

--More New Kinds of Pet Food.

--“Blessing of the Animals” - Fountain Street Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan, part of Palm Sunday service, which happened to be the closest Sunday to Earth Day. People brought dogs, guinea pigs, cats, an alpaca, snakes, etc, to church “to be blessed.” Meanwhile there are hundreds of children within five miles of the church who need its help and blessings.

--“Reality” Television – Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Jersey Shore, ad nauseum.

--Political Correctness – Really just another way to force-feed a liberal view of “correct politics.”

--Westboro Baptist Church, Topeka, KS.

--Another Megachurch Building Campaign – Do we really need another multi-million dollar complex duplicating similar facilities across town?

--More Enormous New Professional Sports Stadiums, tearing down still useable older facilities – ala megachurches.

--Celebrities.

--Wrestlemania and Professional Wrestling.

I’m not suggesting all these things are “bad” or that there’s no redeeming social value in any of them. It’s just that by comparison to other issues the world faces—human trafficking, wars, budget crises, unemployment, hunger, poverty—these things seem superfluous and a waste of time and money.

© Rex M. Rogers – All Rights Reserved, 2011

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