Single In Sandpoint: See ya later, 2017

By Scarlette Quille
Reader Columnist

It’s time to say goodbye to 2017.

Suffice it to say, 2017 had its low points. That being said, we are looking down the barrel of a new year, and I have hope that as a society we can turn our failures into learning opportunities.

I think we all need to cut ties with 2017 and move onto something better: 2018. However, this is a “singles” column, and thus we must acknowledge the mistakes that were made in 2017, and not drag them into our relationship with a new year. In order to have the proper closure, I have written a list. Please feel free to start your own.

Mistakes, and Lessons Learned from the year 2017:

1. The archaic, corrupt manner in which USA presidents are elected.

I’m not going to use this column as a slam-Trump forum. There is no point. The man is president of our country.

Whether we like it or not, we as a country have allowed a governmental system to be flawed to the point where voters believe that there are only two choices in a presidential race, and that a vote for anything other than ass or elephant is a wasted vote. Neither choice, nor party, reflects the viewpoint of the average American. I hope as a country we have learned that voting for the lesser of two assholes is a pretty shitty way to choose a president, and it comes with consequences.

2. Smartphones are the new cigarettes. 

I think 10 years from now,  we will  look back and see a society that was addicted to a device that kills people. We will look back in disbelief that we allowed children to sleep with their phones, take their phones to school and manage the very adult world of social media and search engines as minors.

We  have seen the steady rise of teen suicide and the evidence that it is related to the popularity of smart phones. We will look back at this era in disbelief when we see pictures of people at work, at the dinner table and driving while using cell phones, just like we do now when we see people smoking cigarettes at the diner or inside the hospital.

I can’t blame 2017 for all of the cell phone madness, but I do think cell phone usage will peak and then decline within a couple of years. We will need to learn to control our addiction to electronics if we want a happy healthy society.

3. High-waisted pants. 

Why? Why would we continually recycle a fashion trend that’s biggest draw is that you can sport a camel toe and flat ass all at once. These pants are abominations. Let them die. No one looks cute with a two-foot-long ass. Hopefully people will take a good hard look at this fashion trend and finally let it  rest in peace.

4. Fidget spinners. 

I have no problem with them as a toy. However, when you give them to a child complete with a justification of why they should be allowed to constantly play with them, that’s a dicey situation.

Most kids do not need something to fidget with. They find plenty of things to mess with on their own.

What I hope is learned from this mistake is kids need to how to prioritize tasks and gracefully handle boring situations. Adults are tasked with teaching them this mundane reality.

However, when you give a child something to play with during a time when playing is inappropriate ­— like school — then we are contradicting  ourselves and sending mixed messages to our kids: “School is important, pay attention, get good grades, but also here is a toy so it won’t be so bad.” WTH.

Part of the human condition is that we occasionally are expected to respectfully handle boring situations. Let your kid learn to handle their boredom. As an educator, I beg you: We have enough shit competing for your kids’ attention. There is no need to send them off with a toy and a mixed message.

5.  Government’s role in our personal lives.

We have a government whose primary job is to serve and protect us. Yet, they spend a lot of time judging and chastising people’s personal choices.

As a contributing adult member of society I should be granted the personal freedom to decide whom I have sex with or choose to marry, what public restroom suits my needs and what kind of birth control works for me. I got this.

What I could use the government’s help with is the prosecution of sex offenders, taking reports of sexual misconduct seriously and putting convicted rapists behind bars.

The year 2017 taught us that there are a lot perpetrators out there, and  their victims are uniting. In 2018, I hope no matter how rich and powerful you are, you will think twice before “grabbing her by the pussy.”

Thank you for another year of support.

Cheers to 2018! XOXO

Scarlette Quille