Dear Sir,

We tend to use “moron” to describe people who say or do things that do not fit within the ‘normal range’ of a nice society. The actual English Dictionary definition is: “foolish or stupid person; person with a low intelligence quotient”.

Well hopefully very few people in Newton Aycliffe actually fit this definition, but it’s surprising how many ACT as if they do, and we can’t blame it all on our younger residents. Yes, we still have the children and teenagers who do not know how to say please and thank you, how to use a rubbish bin, or move out of a four person line up on a narrow footpath to allow someone coming the other way to pass, but then, as always, this comes back to poor (or moronic) parenting.

What chance do some of these kids stand when we see and hear parents yelling and screaming at them in the street – I even heard one woman using a variety of four-lettered words to a child in an Infant School playground recently – what a MORON!

To the list already given above, I would add the following actions perpetrated by those I personally would label ‘MORONS’:

(1) Cyclists on the footpath who do not give way to pedestrians (surely the clue is in the name: FOOTpath!)

(2) People who hold conversations with whoever they are with – or worse still on their mobile – at the top of their voices, which means everyone within a 100 metres feels ‘dragged’ into that conversation!

(3) Those who part company with a friend, or family member, but continue their conversation as they get further and further apart, till in the end they are shouting to each other. This is also the case when one ‘moron’ spots a friend in the town centre and starts a conversation from say outside Herons, when the other is outside say Select, what happened to just walking over to them?

(4) Drivers who do not indicate at junctions and roundabouts when only pedestrians are about – pedestrians also have a right to know which way these drivers are going!

(5) Cyclists on the path (again)or the road who have their dog on a lead beside them – I believe this is actually against the law.

(6) Drivers who have their radios turned up so high that even with all their windows shut I am forced to listen to their noise pollution.

(7) People who ‘push in’ to shops as others are coming out – common sense should tell them that there will be more space inside once those leaving are outside.

Oh sorry, I forgot, my definition of MORONS weren’t issued with common sense, just a gene labelled ME, ME, ME, and to hell with everyone else! The list could go on and on, I’m sure you could add to it. I’ve stopped shaking my head when I see and hear these actions – it would be so often that I’d develop a pain in the neck – yes, pun intended!

The world generally is a sad place much of the time. Why can’t we all just try a tiny bit harder to be nicer people, perhaps then I’d have MORE ON the good side to write about!

Midweek Moaner

(name and address supplied)