[JohnZ]

A lot of the posts I've been reading on this forum lately are either a complaint about something or a pet peeve comment or some other kind of belly-ache hooey. Crime, poor restaurant service, poor food, speeders, bad drivers, children in the community, dog poop, yapping dogs, dogs in general, noisy neighbors, trains, too much development, not enough development, lack of distinctive architecture.....yada yada yada. Its wayyyyyy too negative people and I, for one, am tired of it. And with THAT negative comment, I will have posted my last negative one. I'm taking a happy pill with a beer chaser and I'm gonna make nice with the big kids in the school yard. I don't want to become a cranky, difficult to please, stubborn ol' coot. I've got a lot of "hav'in a great time" bunch o'days ahead of me and I'm not worrying and complaining about small stuff. Yeah, and it's all small stuff. Read the book with that title if you haven't already. Learn something. It's an imperfect world.........and we seniors should have learned that by now. Happiness is a mind-set. What's between YOUR ears?

[Talk Host]

John,

You may call it "Hooey," but there are real issues that people wish to discuss. If it were not for the spirited conversation here, there would be no conversation at all. If you wish to tell us about the great golf shot you had yesterday, we're all eager to hear it. If you wish to talk about your cold beer, more power too you. But don't expect anybody else to be too excited about it. The local paper is a great outlet for that kind of stuff.

There are more realistic people around who are concerned about speeders, drivers blasting through stop signs, waiters sweating on their food and so on. The purpose of this forum is for people to talk about anything they wish. Oh, if only it were so easy to sit back, watch the sunset and let life just roll by without any obligations or responsibilities to improve the quality of life.

I for one am sorry that we will no longer have your input on issues that negatively impact our quality of life here. I always enjoyed reading your posts. But I will look forward to hearing how your flowers are growing.

JLK

[JohnZ]

I didn't say that I wasn't going to post. What I said was that I wasn't going to post anything negative anymore. A better phrasing of my last post might be to say that I'm not going to contribute to the negativity so often expressed in this particular forum. I'll lurk for a while and follow the threads. If a topic and post appear worthy of a positive response.......I'll most certainly post a response. I've never been hesitant to do that.

[Talk Host]

I am fully aware that you didn't say that you were going to stop posting. Re-read my response. I said I am eager to hear about how your flowers are doing.

[dandt]

You both have valid points, in my view. People do need a forum to express concerns, but I agree with John that for some (too many, perhaps) it's just easier to bitch about things rather than do anything to make the situation better. As a volunteer in some activities, I hear some really rude comments about "service," but when asked if they'd like to volunteer they either become more rude or just disappear.

I read very few entries that start out positiively, although there are those who "come to the rescue" once an issue is raised. It would be nice to see more of the positive, but I know that does not sell papers.

[Talk Host]

I've thought alot about this topic. People are interested in the "unusual". They are not so interested in the "usual". It is true that unusual events find their way to the front page of most papers and television news. With the exception of the villages paper, no news organization has ever been successful by reporting events that do not arouse the curiosity of the customer. The only reason the Villages paper reports what they do is because it is an organ of the sales department. AT their own admission, they are in business to sell house and to sell the life style in the Villages.

Think about it. Every thing in life is an inprovement on the current way. New products that are introduced, are never..."exactly the same" as all the others. They are unusual in that they are different or better. Things are made better because someone took the time to point out the shortcomings in the current system.

There is plenty of room on Talk of The Villages for chatter about Clubs, Organizations, and Churches.....you know, the usual, non controversial stuff. They are empty for the most part. Only , here, in general discussion where people can do as human nature dictates, call to action, is there any activity. Go figure.

[JohnZ]

So often the media trades in bad news: fear, problems, issues that have negative impact on our lives or the potential. Why? There bad things out there....sure. But there are lots of good too. Striking a balance shouldn't be that difficult. Are they catering to our basal instincts?

[Talk Host]

Originally Posted by JohnZ

So often the media trades in bad news: fear, problems, issues that have negative impact on our lives or the potential. Why? There bad things out there....sure. But there are lots of good too. striking a balance shouldn't be that difficult. Are they catering to our basal instincts?

John, I have been in the the media business for 45 years. I have been the host of talk shows all over the world. I have been a television news anchor and the host of radio and television morning shows on many big stations in the US and abroad. Never, ever, have we been successful when the focus is on the "good things" out there. Striking a balance is difficult, if not impossible. Given the opportunity, people will aways gravitate to the unusual. This is an age old argument. People always criticize the media for "not" reporting the "good" news. Believe me, speaking from many decades of experience, if they did, they would be out of business.

This is not to say that we want Talk of The Villages to be exclusively a negative tabloid, but it is intended to be a vehicle for people to talk about anything they wish (in the bounds of good taste). It will take on a life of its own. I hope people will talk about their block parties and church functions. Their golf leagues and tournaments. Their children and grand children. Their home towns and jobs. But look at the topics here and the numbers of views and replies. We posted a topic about grandchildren, and 5 people replied. There were 199 views. We asked what you like least about the villages, 28 replied and 895 people viewed it. So much for that.

[swrinfla]

You guys are having a lot of fun, and each of you hits on a favorite subject or on a sore point, depending on how I'm feeling today!

On what I consider a positive note, especially as it concerns our very own Daily Sun, is that I think I see there a much greater attention to worldwide and national news in the last few months than I can remember from when I first subscribed, way back in January 2004 (almost a year before I closed here). The neighborhood news is still there (indeed, it has expanded just recently), but there's also more to keep us all current without necessarily having to put up with all the talking heads on the boob tube!

[Faith]

Let's faceit - some people get their "jollies" by bitching about anything and everything. Maybe they should spend more time being thankful for what they have. No-one's life is completely bad - just being alive is something to be happy about!

[GERALDINE]

:bigthumbsup:
AMEN to that Faith!!!!

[Talk Host]

Originally Posted by Faith

Let's faceit - some people get their "jollies" by :edit:ing about anything and everything. Maybe they should spend more time being thankful for what they have. No-one's life is completely bad - just being alive is something to be happy about!

Just because we live in a retirement community it does not mean that we can abdicate our responsibility to be good citizens. Being thankful for what we have is wonderful. To turn a blind eye to irresponsible social behavior is unforgivable. There is a lot of ground between complaining about anything and and ignoring everything. If we do not safeguard the good of the community and its residents, who will. I for one will continue to attempt to right wrongs until the day I die. To pass by somebody breaking the law without becoming involved is wrong. To say, "I'm just thankful for what I have," is selfish. We are all entrusted with keeping the order in society.

[Faith]

I agree that ignoring wrong-doings is evil. However, don't be difficult without accepting the responsibility of actually doing something about it. If you see someone breaking the law, call a policeman. If you see someone abusing a child, tell them to stop. I think it's the people who go away, grumbling under their breath about how things are, should take action. Or stop grumbling.

[JohnZ]

I think some folks may have missed the point of my original post. I said nothing about ignoring problems. I simply felt that much of what is posted here in the General Discussion forum lately (at the time I made the post) was negative in general. And I feel that we need more positivity. My post generated feedback....and I consider that a good thing for the forum. Don't get me wrong, have some pet peeves too.