Fraidy-cats Are Us…
The 21st century may soon be most known for worldwide paranoia. When topics worthy of fright are recorded, the list will spill over to a second page, and maybe a third.
My aged Uncle Mort down in the thicket is a solid example. He claims that there’s been so much “buzz” about misplaced classified documents in Washington, he fears that such issues could drip down to rural areas. What if they search the modest home where he and wife Maude have lived since the 1940s? Might something “important”-- albeit papers that most would consider frivolous--be discovered? He decided to conduct a personal search, starting with upheaval of sofa cushions. He didn’t find any documents, but did come up with a remote control, perhaps--but probably not--for his old Muntz TV that was invented by a sales wizard named Earl (Madman) Muntz, who is a whole ‘nuther story…. ***** What the hey, I’ll provide a bit more “bait” that could cause you to Google the guy, a self-made engineer and sales guru who also wore the “kook cape,” a garment he seemed to enjoy. Credited with shortening the word “television” simply to “TV,” he reduced the number of components in TV receivers, snipping away at tubes and stuff until the screen blackened and speakers failed. (When this happened, he “put the parts back in.”) Perhaps his best-known commercial included his wife’s challenge of the bargain-basement price tags on his TVs. “I wanna give ‘em away, but Mrs. Muntz won’t let me,” he’d often brag, “She’s crazy!”
