Don’t Shoot the Weatherman!

Our friends and family members in the Midwest have been suffering through a horrific storm season.  Some predict flooding along the Mississippi River will surpass that of the Great Flood of 1927.  I wasn’t alive then, but I have seen some of the water lines on the walls of buildings that survived.

Lives have been lost.  Livelihoods have been destroyed.  Lifetimes of memories have been washed downstream. 

This is serious business folks!

If there is a silver lining in the pain people are experiencing, it is that satellite imagery and early warning systems have kept the death toll relatively low.  Of course, this is of little comfort to those whose loved ones didn’t escape, but for many who have had time to seek shelter there is reason for thanksgiving.

Perhaps this is why a TV weatherman recently lost his cool and lectured his viewing audience.  Meteorologist Jamie Simpson of Dayton, Ohio, had broken into regular programing to follow the path of a tornado that was approaching his community.  Soon, he began receiving unkind comments from those who were upset their show had been interrupted.  Some told him to “just go back to the show”.  Others accused him of staying on their air to feed his ego. 

The show?

“Bachelorette”.

I will be honest and tell you, I would personally not get upset if “Bachelorette” was interrupted for a tornado warning.  In fact, I wouldn’t mind if it was preempted by a cattle auction. 

Ok, so I might be a little upset about the cattle auction.

I know.  I know!  I’m the same person who can watch a marathon of hunters shooting alligators in the head on “Swamp People”.

It just never gets old.

Let’s move on.  Here is the quote from the weather forecaster: “This is a dangerous situation, OK? Think about if it was your neighborhood. I’m sick and tired of people complaining about this. Our job here is to keep people safe and that’s what we’re going to do. Some people complaining that it’s all about my ego – stop. Just stop right now. It’s not. I’m done with you people. I really am. This is pathetic.”

Good for him!

Please don’t misunderstand.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with feeling disappointed because our evening of viewing pleasure was messed up by a tornado warning.  It’s just that the healthiest solution to disappointment is redirection.  When something as simple as a television show is interrupted, we should be able to find value in our circumstances and discover something of equal or greater value to occupy our time. 

It’s ok to be disappointed, even if our losses are trivial.  But the weatherman is correct in calling out my pathetic existence if a TV show defines my happiness. 

How would I tell a family their loved one died because my local weatherman listened to my complaints and asked his station to return to my favorite show?

Is one more bullet in an alligator’s head really that important?

No. 

In fact, it might be just a bit pathetic under any circumstances.