On Tuesday or Wednesday evening this week, I sat down to write a blog about all of the crazy shit going on in the world: North Korea’s nuclear test, the Pope’s resignation, the poopy cruise ship debacle, gun violence, our rape culture.  I didn’t finish the blog—it’s still here on my laptop, languishing.

I thought I’d add a couple of more batshit crazy items to the list today and wrap it up: the meteor exploding over Russia for starters. The apparently imminent downfall of Oscar Pistorius.  

I rolled over in bed this morning—it’s my Friday off—and squinted in the dark at my smartphone Twitter feed only to discover that the sky was falling.  I wish I knew Russian as I would have loved to know what people thought as that bright bright meteor lighted up the dark northern skies. What did they think was happening when the sonic boom followed minutes later? I can’t even imagine.

That’s nature for you—wildly unpredictable with nary a concern for humanity. How many mornings have we awakened to such surprises? The Haitian earthquake, the tsunami, too many hurricanes to mention, snowstorms, tornadoes, etc., etc.  You’d think that given so much random natural chaos, humanity in general might work harder to ameliorate manmade chaos, but no.

Crazy North Korean dude sets off a nuclear test that registers as a 4.6 magnitude earthquake.  Crazy ex-policeman starts gunning down innocent offspring of his former coworkers. Men, famous and not so much, routinely kill their wives, girlfriends, and children. And NRA fanatics decry gun control as unnatural and antithetical to freedom.

Call me overly sensitive, but I find untimely and violent death at the hands of a “loved one” unnatural and antithetical to freedom. We live in a rape culture that glorifies the subjugation and domination of women.  Have you watched any television sitcoms lately?  Even my most favorite (Big Bang Theory) has devolved into advocating forcible sexual conquests (last night’s episode, Raj’s outburst as he leaves the comic book store).  Don’t get me started on Two and A Half Men, and even The Middle’s Valentine’s Day episode smacked of misogyny. 

I’m exhausted. Tired of being indignant. Frightened for my daughters’ futures.  Appalled that I find myself laughing at the ubiquitous anti-woman jokes before I catch myself.  Wait, what? Why am I laughing? This isn’t funny. Stop it.

Just stop.