I have caught flack on more than one occasion for voicing my distaste on the delicate subject of open mics at weddings or funerals. My experience has been that there are some people who, when handed a microphone, haven't the slightest idea of what an epitaph means: "a brief statement commemorating or epitomizing a deceased person or something past." It is not an opportunity to see who can prove they were closest to the happy couple or the recent dearly departed, with tales or jokes. Such attempts at humor, or worse - self-aggrandizement at the expense of someone else's name or reputation - are sadly nothing more than a display of poor self-esteem or poor upbringing.
Unfortunately, the compulsion to grab a moment of fame isn't restricted to the reception hall or funeral parlor. More than one person, given a platform - be it social media or guest spot on a talk show - has proven that s/he has no business handling a microphone until they have spent some time with Miss Manners.
Those who seize their right to be offensive should not be shocked that others take offense. - Miss Manners
I don't care which color you are on the political rainbow, rudeness and bullying of any family member of someone you don't like is nothing more than ill-mannered. And the recent brouhaha over Ivanka Trump Kushner's post of her sweet baby followed by her condolences in the wake of Kate Spade's apparent suicide has left me wondering if those jockeying for spots in the media limelight even own a dictionary, or know how to use Google to discover the meaning of a word they are so smartly battering around.
Feck is a Scots term that means "effect" or "majority" and comes from an alteration of the Middle English effect. So, something without feck (or feckless) is without effect, or ineffective.Hardly an apt description of a woman who graduated cum laude from an ivy league university, speaks three languages, uses her talents and resources to support Boys and Girls Clubs, National Urban League and other charitable organizations dedicated to helping children with cancer and EMS organizations. Ineffective? Not by my definition.
Maybe her critics are getting "feckless" confused with another archaic word that also begins with F? I cannot say. One such critic seems to have decided to forego higher education in favor of hogging the mic in pursuit of those accolades that the "Entertainment Industry" enjoys bestowing upon itself in recognition for numbing the masses with their dog and pony shows. I suppose that is considered "feck", or effective, in some circles. To me, it only serve to reinforce my mother's adage: If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.
But I doubt you would receive a Grammy or an Emmy for that.
