Today's Evil Beet Gossip

I Know Recycling Is Cool, But This Is Out Of Control

I’ve had it.  I know we’re supposed to conserve and reuse but I still get aggravated that I now have to ask for the little cardboard collar on my Starbucks cup so that I don’t burn off my fingerprints while drinking my Tall.  Though I understand the merits of recycling, I don’t want it to apply to my morning beverage and I don’t want it to apply to my entertainment.  Selfish, I know.

It’s bad enough that I’ve had to suffer through the movie remakes of bad seventies shows such as Charlie’s Angels and Starsky and Hutch.  And I am trying, unsuccessfully, to work towards acceptance of eighties videos being transformed into Broadway shows.

Now, NBC is doing a television series called Parenthood.  Does this sound at all familiar?  It should.  Parenthood was a 1989 movie starring Steve Martin.  That movie resulted in a short-lived 1990 television series spin-off with Ed Begley, Jr.  You may not remember the show because it was on for, like, twelve minutes.  And now that’s being remade.  Again.  A remake remake.

I have a message for all these nostalgic, retro-happy, fresh out of ideas Hollywood execs: Einstein’s definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Just think about it.

17 CommentsLeave a comment

    • Oh, and up here in the Great White North of TO they are charging a nickle a bag at the grocery stores. Nice.

  • buy a coffee mug with a built in finger thingy.

    i know, thats probably occurred to you and you may even have a few stocked but bringing them requires a level of foresight that we mothers just sometimes dont have.

    also, i love parenthood the movie. one of my favorites.

  • We here in the States haven;t come anywhere near recycling insanity IMO. I lived In Germany for 3 years and there I had 4 different trash cans for different recycleables (spelling I know) and a can for food trash. Also if you went to a grocery store without your own basket or canvas bags 9 times out of 10 you were unloading your shit right from the cart to your trunk, and the other 10% of the time you were carged for each bag you used. I have to say it was annoying as all hell at first, but after I got into the swing of things it was really no trouble at all, and even after being back int he States I recycle as much as I possibly can. I typically only put out 1 or 2 bags of actual trash a week and the rest os recycled, and that’s for me, my wife and my son. It’s that kind of selfish, “I don’t wanna put this in a different can so it can be recycled,” or “I want to use a plastic bag each for my bread and eggs everytime I go to the store” attitude that puts us so far behind the power curve in the realm of recycling and keeps ppl like Al Gore in a job.

  • Yup, nothing but watered down versions of crap that sucked the first time around. Even ‘good’ shows, like The Office, seem to be knock-offs. Creativity has gone catatonic.

  • So in addition to all of these fun RECYCLE things Starbucks is doing (withholding drink holders, monitoring the number of napkins taken, controlling the amount of sugar packets people take, etc.) they have cups that say “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!” “Go Green!” and all kinds of other cute, catchy phrases. Too bad they don’t have any kind of recycling containers in their entire stores, anywhere. They sell Ethos water, Izze Soda, and all kinds of other treats in recyclable bottles. If they want us to recycle so sad, why not just help us out with it?

  • So in addition to all of these fun RECYCLE things Starbucks is doing (withholding drink holders, monitoring the number of napkins taken, controlling the amount of sugar packets people take, etc.) they have cups that say “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!” “Go Green!” and all kinds of other cute, catchy phrases. Too bad they don’t have any kind of recycling containers in their entire stores, anywhere. They sell Ethos water, Izze Soda, and all kinds of other treats in recyclable bottles. If they want us to recycle so bad, why not just help us out with it?

  • We produce one bag of trash every 3 weeks and it’s mostly packaging. All aluminum, steel, paper, glass and cardboard are recycled and the food is composted. God, how tiresome it can be.

  • Dear Eve L; Use an insulated travel mug and enjoy;

    1)All retailers washing it for you *and* charging you less than retail for your drink, since you are ‘saving’ them a cup/lid/insulator

    2)Your drink of choice staying hott/colder longer

    3)Spill resistance/prevention

    4)Never having to look for a recycling container when done drinking

    5)Your kids calling your travel mug; “Mummy’s Sippy Cup”