Each year, I try to craft a short list of what I consider the cream of this blog’s annual crop. So here are my best posts of 2022.
I occasionally see Facebook posts from a former TV personality in my hometown who retired after more than 50 years on the air. He still has a following and still much beloved in the community. He sometimes jokingly ends his Facebook posts with the phrase, “in my opinion (which I value highly.)” I mention that going in because this list of my best posts of 2022 shows the posts that are — in my opinion — among my best.
It’s hard to quantify exactly what makes a post a “best” post. It’s very subjective.
Some posts might make the list this year because I find the subject matter to be important. Others might be influenced by the reaction to them. I try not to let that be the sole decider, of course. Sometimes — and every Facebook marketer has seen this — a post, that by all measures should be a “hit,” bombs horrifically. Likewise, some posts you spend less time writing or thinking through suddenly take off, comparatively speaking.
In any case, a post like this allows me to take readers on a quick tour of the blog, pointing out what might be bright spots they may miss since the spots occurred so long ago. So without any further rambling by me, let’s look at the posts that make up my list of Best Posts of 2022…and I will add that these are not ranked in any particular order at all.
1. Before You Name Your ‘Salary Requirement,’ Get Real!
If you’ve ever been in a position to hire someone, this post might resonate. This post was actually inspired by a recruiter’s post on LinkedIn on behalf of an applicant with less than two years of experience at a local TV station. The applicant also had “a few months” of experience at a “recently closed network.” The person sought a “senior role” in a major TV market with a salary of between $80,000 and $100,000.
At my TV station here in Charleston, which is about the 90th biggest market in the country — which the industry would label a “small market,” we have applicants for different positions with little experience yet who ask for starting salaries in the $60,000 to $70,000 range.
I hope they get it somewhere. They won’t get it here. They probably won’t get that kind of money with that little experience anywhere. If you’re going to apply for a job, research. Be realistic. There’s no reason to throw out a number so outrageously big that it gets your resumé tossed before it’s ever seriously considered.
2. Pastor’s Error Leaves Thousands of Baptisms Invalid
This is a perfect example of legalism in churches run absolutely amok. The story goes this way: A priest in Arizona resigned after realizing that the statement he made during baptisms made the baptisms invalid. The statement was off by just one word. Instead of saying, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” he said, “We baptize you….”
That little error, as far as the church is concerned, was enough to invalidate the baptisms.
Personally, I don’t think that little mistake would bother God at all.
3. It’s Time to Outlaw Straight-Ticket Voting
Several states have already outlawed the concept of pressing one button to cast votes for every candidate in one party or the other. I think the rest of the states should get with the program.
I don’t believe either party ever has a roster of all-perfect candidates. There are some candidates I’ve voted for because I didn’t think the other candidate deserved to hold office because of some kind of questionable statement or behavior.
I think voters should have to go race by race and pick the candidate they think is right for that individual role. Is it more effort? Sure. But if you think the right to vote is so important, you shouldn’t be scared of a little extra work at the voting machine.
4. The ‘Pro-Life’ ‘No Sex’ Response Requires Some Answers
During the debate over abortion rights, some “brilliant” lawmakers came up with this little gem: “If you don’t want a baby, don’t have sex.”
Hmm. That immediately left me with some questions I’d like to put to them while they’re still standing in front of the microphone. I don’t think they’d appreciate the questions, but that’s just because the answers would surely reveal a double standard.
5. My Take on Pride Month? It was Horribly Misnamed.
Oh, yes, I do understand why Pride Month exists. It’s just that some of the people who celebrate it don’t seem to behave in a way that would encourage any kind of bridging of a gap with the people they should be trying to reach.
In fact, I suggested that there’s a much better name they should have used.
6. I Investigate Copyright Infringement Claims…and the Accusers!
I go to great lengths to respect copyright law. So when someone left a comment threatening possible legal action because I’d “stolen” her pictures, I was immediately suspicious. When she identified herself as being with a company that told me they had no record of such a person, I no longer had any doubt.
It’s amazing what you can figure out when you just stop, think, and ask the right questions.
7. Is it Time to Retire the Cancer Fight Metaphor?
How many times have we heard of someone’s death following “a brave battle with” or a “valiant fight against” cancer or some other illness? That phrasing has been around for half a century.
Some health advocates claim it’s a poor choice of words. One of them reached out to me to criticize a story I wrote about a coach. I suspect this person did not reach out to the person’s family who likewise used the metaphor.
Do you agree that it’s time to retire the phrasing or is it something you think some people are overthinking?
8. I Value Human Workers Over Machines…When They Value Me
No one seems to like self-service checkout lines. Some take them personally because they’re a reminder that a human has been replaced with a machine.
I wonder where those people shop. More importantly, I wonder what kind of service they receive.
For many stores, I’d honestly rather deal with the machine. In some cases, the machine pays more attention to me than the people who are supposed to be waiting on me!
9. What Would You Pay for that Twitter Checkmark?
Twitter’s silly flip-flopping over the elusive blue verification checkmark was an ongoing topic this fall. This post sort of set the tone for my take on the foolishness. If you have to pay to be verified, verification means absolutely nothing.
Still, there were some people who were apparently willing to shell out their hard-earned money just for the “privilege.”
I hope they think they’re getting their money’s worth. The rest of us probably aren’t so sure.
10. With So Many Streaming Options, There’s Still Nothing to Watch!
When I was a kid, we had four channels. We always found something to watch. Some time around 1980 or so, we got cable TV. We suddenly had a dozen channels. The number of options have increased year after year…and yet all of a sudden, there’s less and less that’s actually worth watching.
11. Back to ‘USC’: My Alma Mater Announces New Branding
In some parts of the country, the initials USC can only mean one thing: The University of South Carolina. But in other parts of the country, USC is the University of Southern California.
For years, the two schools have argued over the name. There was even a trademark lawsuit over one logo in particular. My USC, the one in South Carolina, tried to rebrand itself UofSC, something everyone hated.
Common sense finally won out this year.
12. What If You Don’t Have Much Time to Blog?
When people find out that I operate a blog that requires four new posts every week, they will invariably ask me how I have the time for that.
The fact is, I often don’t have time. I gave my take on an article on the subject, then gave my answer to the ultimate question of “finding time” to blog.
13. How Do You Handle Singular-They Pronouns?
People get all bent out of shape when it comes to the notion of singular they, the pronoun choice for people who don’t identify as either male or female. As much as most don’t want to admit it, we’ve used singular they in English for years. The difference is it was never used to modify a specific person.
In trying to honor people’s pronouns, the singular they causes problems with clarity and even creates some grammatically-incorrect structures.
There’s no easy answer here, but I gave a couple of examples to show how wrong things can get.
14. What Does Denying Communion Really Communicate?
A story about a church in California denying communion to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi prompted this post. But it had a lot more to do with just politics.
I attended a funeral at a Catholic church. I’m a Christian. But because I wasn’t Catholic specifically, I was not allowed to take part in communion. I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of message the church is actually trying to send with that kind of exclusion, particularly at an event like a funeral that would bring in people from different backgrounds.
If we believers are part of the body of Christ, then we should all be part of the same body, no matter which denomination we claim as our own, right?
15. These Pitches Explain Why I Deny Guest Post Solicitations
Longtime readers know I’ve tried my best to make clear my position on guest posts at this little blog. In short, I don’t allow them…except in the rarest exceptions. What that handful of exceptions all have in common is that I asked the contributor to contribute.
I didn’t accept a solicitation someone sent me. I went to the writer myself. That’s because I believe they had something to say that I felt would be a good fit here.
Still, I regularly receive emails proposing “collaborations” through guest posts. In this post, I dissected a pair of such solicitations — although one of them was sent to my workplace, not this blog specifically.
I think what these have in common make a convincing case about the problem with such posts.
That’s my list of what I think are my best 15 posts. If you missed them the first time around, I hope you’ll give them a try.
I hope you’ll also be back throughout 2023 for more here at Patrick’s Place.
As always, thanks for reading and Happy New Year!
