Having spent all of 2023 writing about my opinions, ideas, and recommendations, I would like to end the year with a list of things I just don’t understand. Let’s start with a phenomenon that’s pervasive on the other side of the pond.

British Things I Don’t Understand 

Prince Harry and Megan Markle: What’s with the fascination here, especially on the part of Americans? A prince of the British Royal Family rebels against his position, his responsibilities, and his family to marry a commoner, an American, an actress, and a mixed-race woman. He checked all the boxes in turning his back on his birthright and now lives as a commoner in America with his wife and family. That’s called rebellion. Okay, got it. Can we move on now?

Hating on Megan Markle: I don’t know the woman except for having watched her on Suits. Some people say she’s a nice person while others excoriate her for a variety of real or perceived offenses. Do they know her? No, they do not. Why waste time, energy and emotions hating someone who has never offended you and probably never will?

Reading the British Tabloids: For some reason, Brits love to read the tabloids that publish rumor, lies, predictions, conjecture and photographs about the British Royal Family. Here in the States, we look at the absurd headlines in the supermarket check-out lines, shake our heads, and get on with our day. If you don’t like “entertainment” media saying nasty things about your Royal Family, don’t read the tabloids. If enough of you do that, it will take away their money and, thus, their power. End of story.

I Don’t Understand Misogyny

Misogyny: I truly don’t understand why so many men hate women. Their hatred may encompass all women or women of a particular type, class, race, or religion. All these male haters had mothers. Many have sisters, nieces, cousins or even daughters. Yet they take to social media and sometimes to the streets to declare their hatred of women.

All it takes to bring them out of the woodwork is a for a woman to become successful, to speak out on an issue, to criticize a man for anything, or to participate in an industry or specialty that men have reserved for themselves.

Not content to criticize women for perceived failings or intrusions, these men break out the B-word, the C-word and the ever-popular “whore” to hurl at the offenders. But why? What is it about women that generates such ire in these men?

Movie Mystery

How can Keanu Reeves, who is by all accounts one of the kindest, most considerate and generous of the A-List actors, make the John Wick movies? These four films glorify violence and murder with almost non-stop fighting and bloodshed.

It doesn’t make sense and I don’t understand how he can participate in movies that promote values so different from his own. There’s money, of course; but Mr. Reeves has lots of money already. (No, I don’t watch them but my husband does.)

Remakes: Why does Hollywood waste time and money remaking children’s movies from old books when there are so many wonderful new books to inspire them. Clearly, someone thought it was a good idea to remake Dr. Doolittle, Willie Wonka, and Peter Pan. Really. any children’s librarian or bookstore owner could give them better and more relevant recommendations.

Sex and Things I Don’t Understand

Pedophilia: Why do grown men want to have sex with children? Why do so many grown men want to have sex with children? Even babies. It’s not rational. This is not a recent phenomenon; it has existed for centuries. I have never seen it explained in a way that makes sense to me.

Threesomes: Currently in the news, these erotic connections elicit one simple reaction in me: ick. I don’t understand and don’t care to.

Who Cares About?

Someone must care about the following list of people and items, but I don’t understand:

• What Donald Trump thinks, feels, says, threatens, or smells like.
• What any member of the seemingly endless Kardashian family is doing, saying, or selling at any time.
• Rap music
• TV shows about people I wouldn’t let into my house, much less spend time with, such as Shameless and Schitt’s Creek Possibly Succession, although I might give that a second chance. The show has received so much critical acclaim that it must have redeeming qualities.
• Body horror
• Doing shots of tequila
• Reading all of a bad book just because you started it. I don’t have enough time to waste on a bad book.
• Getting high. The world is a wonderful, fascinating place. Wasting one’s life sleeping, dreaming, or otherwise lying around in a daze strikes me as time wasted when you could have been learning something.

Moving On to 2024

That’s it for today and for this year. I’m sure 2024 will present me with more things I don’t understand, Sometimes, I scratch my head because, frankly, I don’t care to learn about them. Other times, I simply can’t grasp the attraction.

Maybe you know the answers. If so, please comment—as long as your comments don’t include nasty language. We all get enough of that in the real world.