By Bonnie Brown

I have always been inquisitive.  I’m sure my mother had to answer question after question when I was little.  And even more as I got older.  I want to know the why and the where, the what, and the who and the when.  And let’s not forget the how!  

When I worked with college students, I would always remind them to be curious.  After all, the answers are as close as your fingertips given the technology that is so readily available.  If you are curious about something, ask.  Find out the whole of the story.  Nowadays you don’t even have to go to the library for answers.  

So, I have lots of questions that I need help with that I have not found elsewhere.  Let’s begin.

Why do football players skip around the field after making a touchdown or play in the end zone?  I mean, they look more like 6-year-olds on the playground than big ol’ athletes.   

Why is it stylish for men to wear a long, narrow piece of material wrapped, then tied tightly around their neck?  While I know it’s appropriate career dress for many men, and certainly wearing a tie is considered essential for a dress-up occasion, I’ve never heard a single guy say he enjoys wearing a tie.  Why do ties remain a fashion accessory?

Why do drivers think they have to weave in and out of traffic, risking a dent or ding to their pricey vehicle—or even worse, injury to their person—when I will see them at the traffic light just ahead?  I don’t understand.  According to what I’ve read, the National Association of City Transportation Officials says that the average time spent waiting at a red light is 75 seconds.  That’s not an unreasonable time to wait.  Certainly not when you consider the idiot who thinks they don’t have to stop at the red traffic signal.  Then there is the possibility, even likelihood, of an accident that results in injury to the drivers and likely damage to both vehicles—possibly significant injury and damage.  There’s no need to drive like your hair is on fire—unless your hair is on fire!

Why is there always the “curtain call,” which brings the performer back on stage at a concert or performance?  It’s never spontaneous, always staged. Why can’t it just end when it ends? If the audience simply got up and left, would the performer come back on stage? Awkward.

When did we become so attached to our phones?  I remember back in the day we had a telephone connected/tethered to the wall.  We talked to one another on these devices. Nothing more. Just conversation. Then came the cell phone. Again, just conversation. Then the cell phone morphed into a device that would allow us to type messages (text) to one another. And then the cell phone changed once again to include a camera. Who knew so many of us needed to take photos of ourselves and document commonplace activities, then go to the trouble of publishing the photos on social media and encouraging comments about them?  Why? 

Why is there so much litter?  I hate to see the litter that is scattered along the highways, in parking lots, in our neighborhoods.  When someone tosses their trash out their car window, who do they think picks up after them?  And why can’t they dispose of it properly?  How can this practice be stopped?  

How is it that my fellow shoppers don’t recognize they are blocking the entire aisle in the store?  People are swerving in and around trying to get about selecting their products only to be stalled out by a thoughtless person taking up all the space!  And, please, if you are there to shop, don’t share your cell phone conversations with those of us who are trying to concentrate on our shopping list.  If you have reserved the grocery store for your catch-up conversations, please do it quietly. I don’t care to hear your chit-chat.  And please pay attention to your surroundings.   Spatial awareness, people!

Thank you for allowing me to share. I know these never-ending questions can be exhausting!  

Bonnie Brown writes a weekly column for The Oxford Eagle. Contact her at bbrown@olemiss.edu.