I’m just asking.

Why do men—and it must be said—men of a certain age begin to yell at the TV during news broadcasts?

I know no women who do this.   (Not saying that there aren’t any—just that I don’t know them.)

Is it, perhaps, because their early spectator training is ball games?  Where yelling at the ref is part of the experience?

It just seems a singularly futile thing to do.  To say nothing of clearly being bad for one’s blood pressure.

Can’t we all agree that the pundits are going to talk over each other?  That they are going to focus on domestic politics when you want to know about the Middle East?  Or spend all their time on the Middle East when you want to know what happened with that hurricane?  That the ones with whom you don’t agree are going to say utterly ridiculous and stupid things—while interrupting the ones with  whom you do agree in a singularly crass and boorish manner?

And can’t we further agree that all those people in the little box?  They can’t hear you.

I know when you were children—or, in some cases, when your children were children—that Miss Sally may have looked through her magic mirror and read off your name.  And, yes, you could draw a bridge that helped Winky Dink cross the river.  But, generally speaking, you really have no capacity to affect the behavior of those on the goggle box.

(The Kool-Aid Bunny Man did come to our house once.  But that is another story, and nothing to do with yelling at the television set.  In fact, I’m pretty sure the Bunny Man would have frowned on that. )

I’m sure the men I’ve heard yelling at the TV don’t think they’re really making a difference.  I’m sure they are just blowing off steam.  I just wonder where the dividing line comes between the point where you observe television quietly and the point where you launch into diatribes.

Hint:  I think it’s around retirement age.

Maybe it comes with the gold watch?