Duh! or Huh?

     In Stanley Fish's essay, Why You Won't Find The Answer in Strunk and White, Fish writes about the difficulties in understanding the well-praised book The Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr. & E.B. White that was published in 1959 by Macmillan Company.  Fish acknowledges that "Strunk and White's advice assumes a level of knowledge and understanding only some of the readers will have attained; the vocabulary they confidently offer is itself in need of an analysis and explanation they do not provide."
     I agree with Stanley Fish.  While highly educated English Majors may understand the contents and say Duh! while reading it, many other students (such as me) read the book, scowl and say Huh?  For years, the book sat upon my shelf and every so often, I would grab the book and flip it open in hopes of fixing that bad sentence I just wrote.  Each time I flipped the book open, I was disappointed all over again.  Now the book sits untouched on that same shelf.
     In 1986, Mamillan publishing company strived to get it right when they published "The Elements of Grammar" by Margaret Shertzer.  Aspiring writers who struggle with the difficulties of grammar rushed to the bookstores in hopes of learning and improving our writing styles.  Well, Macmillan, you published another disaster and failed me yet again.

The Blame Game

     In the essay, Don't Blame the Eater, the author David Zinczenko makes a strong argument of not placing overeating upon the indulger.  Instead, he blames the calorie-packed foods being served at the fast-food joints.  Fast, easy and convenient foods are what makes people fat.  He then goes on to do the calorie counting at the golden arches.
     While I agree with Zinczenko on not blaming the eater, I disagree with pointing the finger at the fast-food industry.  As I see it, good healthy eating habits begin in the home.  Yes, blame the parents.  Parents need to shoulder the responsibility of teaching nutritional values to their children.  As a parent of two boys, I know the stresses of working full time and attending college and cooking nutritious meals can be overwhelming but I find it easy to stock my kitchen with healthy foods.
     Here is where I could go on a rant about the parents in California suing McDonald's because their children are screaming and crying for Happy Meals with toys.  These parents want the toys taken out of the Happy Meals.  I say, keep the toys and tell your children to be behaved.  Come on parents--PARENT UP!