by Machelle Williams

Created on: January 04, 2007   Last Updated: March 29, 2012

The hardest thing about this list is narrowing it down to ten. Many things in our society are a double-edged sword. The things that make me want to scream at the top of my lungs are the very things being lauded as the greatest achievements since sliced bread. With that in mind, I have narrowed my list down to things I absolutely would abolish without a moments regret or hesitation.

1) Unbridled Affluence. I hate this drive we seem to have to achieve more, and accumulate more and more and more. It seems that the moment we achieve something, the very next moment we are plotting how to get the next thing. We don't enjoy our lives, our families, or our communities. We just want more, bigger, better, faster...it's disgusting.

2) Cell Phones. Actually it is not the cell phones that I hate, it is the bad manners employed by those who use them. What ever happened to the notion of a private conversation? I am constantly being assaulted with loud conversations that contain information I would rather not know. It used to be that you could have silence in a book store, on an airplane, sitting alone in the mall. Those days are gone. Everyone feels the need to constantly be "in touch" with those around them shattering my peace and quiet. I hate it.

3) Narcissism. Every since the baby boomers ushered in the decade of decadence, every subsequent generation has taken the notion of "ME" to the next level. We even have cute little t-shirts that proclaim "it's all about me." The problem is it is not cute, it's abhorrent. Whatever happened to loving your neighbor? What ever happened to community service? What every happened to giving a damn about the guy next to you?

4) The Cult of Celebrity. Three years ago Angelina Jolie was tattooed freak with a vial of blood around her neck. Now, she is the poster child for philanthropy traipsing around the world adopting poor children of color....PLEASE! How did this woman become anyone's role model? These people change personalities more often than schizophrenics, and we just keep going along for the ride.

5) American Politics. Anyone who believes that there are two political parties in this country is an idiot. There is one group of really rich people looking out for the interests of all of the other rich people. The two parties are basically a joke, and serve only to distract the rest of us from what is really going on? When was the last time an issue of any substance was the focus of the political discourse? It doesn't happen. Every four

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