By Joe Rector

Oh my, folks have such little sense these days. They also seem to be looking for something over which they can throw a conniption fit. Many of these individuals remind me of whiny little children who throw fits when they suffer for the acts that they’ve committed.

Take, for instance, the recent rash of misbehaviors by plane passengers. Sure, folks have plenty over which to complain: soaring ticket prices, surcharges for luggage, charge-for-everything plans, and overbooking. Still, no one can condone the fights that break out during flights. One man took to fisticuffs when the passenger in front of him crunched his knees with a reclining seat. A simple “Please move your seat up might have worked much better than a brawl. In the end, the goofball wound up being jerked from the flight and now faces possible legal problems.

Even more recent is the brouhaha that occurred on another flight. Some woman decided to snooze during her flight. She laid her head on the serving tray on the back of the seat in front of her. The woman’s rest was abruptly interrupted when the person in front of her decided to recline the seat, an act that bonked the female I the noggin. She comes up fighting and throwing a fit. Her demands were soon honored as the plane landed. However, I don’t much think she expected to find authorities waiting for her at the airport.

The world is going to hell in a hand basket in many places, but one of the major stories the last couple of days is the stealing and publication of celebrity photos. In case you’ve been comatose or shipwrecked on some remote island, the story is about how nude or compromising photos have been illegally taken from iPhones, as well as other electronic devices. Then these photos have been posted on web sites for others to view. The subjects of these photos are raising a stink about having their likenesses stolen and then distributed for anyone and everyone to see.

I don’t know about you, but the last thing I do is place my trust in an electronic device. Too many individuals smarter than I am can always figure out a way to steal information. In this case, the “iCloud” seems to have been hacked and nude photos (selfies?) were taken. HMMMMMMM! The victims are shocked that such a thing could happen. I look at the situation in a different way.

Years ago, Lewis Grizzard did a comedy routine about Vanessa Williams and her loss of the Miss America title. Williams said of the nude photos that appeared in Penthouse that she was young when she’d posed for the magazine. Grizzard didn’t miss a beat and quipped,

“I don’t know about you, but where I’m from, nineteen is old enough to know not to take your clothes off.”

Okay, let’s follow this same logic. These celebrities, as well as all other folks, probably would never stand nude in front of a crowd. Oh, yes, some celebs would if it were in the context of a movie. At any rate, these people strut around their homes and other places and snap selfie after selfie of themselves in compromising poses. Then they share them with some friend or loved one. Go figure. I contend that that, like Vanessa Williams, these individuals are old enough to know not to take off their clothes.

The problem is not with the “cloud” or any technological thing. The dilemma lies squarely with people who don’t have any filters. They simply do what they want and post anything they choose. Then, when something goes wrong, these half-wits cry foul and immediately blame someone or something else for their simply stupid choices.

The key to solving the hacking of nude photos is to quit taking them and then sending them into cyberspace where hackers wait to grab them. Just a little modesty, common sense, and forethought can quickly stop this so-called injustice. If people choose to continue taking such photos, then I ask them to please hush the whining and outrage. The world has more pressing issues than your right to take nude photos that are stolen and shown around the world.