The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

I just treated myself to an evening with the Hungarian film White God on Amazon Prime two nights ago, and was blown away - so much so, I still remain speechless 36 hours later. While it's not an easy film to watch at times, it packs so much in two hours, I may need to view it again just so I can provide a proper synopsis. Powerful, ambiguous, and unforgettable, I strongly recommend checking out this film. If curious, you can read critics' and laypersons' reviews at the following links: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/white_god and https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2844798/

Ever since Seinfeld became available to stream on Netflix, I've been binge-watching it. One of my favorite episodes has to be "The Outing" (season 4, episode 17), where Elaine pranks an eavesdropping journalist (not knowing she's a journalist) by claiming George and Jerry are a couple. Word gets out about the fictional couple; they freak out; and every time they deny the rumor, they add the line, "Not that there's anything wrong with that." Curious to see what others thought of this episode and the inevitable controversy surrounding, I decided to peruse IMDb reviews. While it appeared most reviewers understood the point of the episode, some anti-LGBT conservatives had quite the take. Their belief is that the episode was satirizing liberalism by contending how ridiculous it is to force acceptance of the LGBT community. Well, I'm sorry to have to tell them this (not really), but they're sorely mistaken, and may want to lay off the hallucinogens.  T...

Podcast: I Feel Snitty Episode 167: If You Aren't Listening, You Ain't Woke Premiere Date: 10/28/21 Length: 11:36 (2,041 words) Link: https://ifeelsnitty.podbean.com/e/if-you-re-not-listening-you-ain-t-woke/ Transcript:  Welcome to I Feel Snitty, episode 167, entitled, “If You’re Not Listening, You Ain’t Woke.” I’m your host, Craig Rozniecki. Political correctness is defined as “conforming to a belief that language and practices which could offend political sensibilities should be eliminated.” If you had asked me 5 years ago what I thought about political correctness, I would have told you, “While I think it goes too far at times, in the end, I think the good outweighs the bad, for what’s the general motto of political correctness? ‘Try to not be an asshole.’” Fast-forward 5 years to today, however, and my opinion on the subject has wavered and become more nuanced as a result. While the motto for some has stayed true to the original of “trying not to be an asshole,” others have...

The latest episode of my podcast ("I Feel Snitty"), entitled, "If You're Not Listening, You Ain't Woke" is now available! Here's a brief description of it:  Did you hear the one about when a liberal white guy watched every Dave Chappelle Netflix-special and recorded a podcast about it? No? Then click on the link... The episode can be heard in its entirety at this link: https://ifeelsnitty.podbean.com/e/if-you-re-not-listening-you-ain-t-woke/

Podcast: I Feel Snitty Episode 166: Vax Up and Dribble! Premiere Date: 10/28/21 Length: 6:56 (1,210 words) Link:  https://ifeelsnitty.podbean.com/e/vax-up-and-dribble/ Transcript:  Welcome to I Feel Snitty, episode 166, entitled, “Vax Up and Dribble.” I’m your host, Craig Rozniecki. Yeah, I know it’s been a while. I’ve been busy working on books – one in particular; trying to raise a 3-year-old; working out more; and finding some relaxation time by watching football. I honestly wasn’t 100% certain on when I’d start writing and airing these things again, but two stories recently caught my attention and I felt the need to comment on them - the first of which I’ll be addressing in this episode. So, COVID is still a thing. We’ve now eclipsed three-quarters of a million deaths in this country due to it. That’s more than died here during the 1918 Spanish flu and the AIDS epidemic. Vaccination numbers are increasing, but it’s been more gradual than a turtle sprinting up a non-functio...

The latest episode of my podcast ("I Feel Snitty"), entitled, "Vax Up and Dribble!" is now available! Here's a brief description of it:  What do NBA stars LeBron James, Bradley Beal, and Kyrie Irving all have in common? Tune into this episode to find out. I'll give you a hint: rhymes with "HOVID." The show can be heard here: https://ifeelsnitty.podbean.com/e/vax-up-and-dribble/

In Week 7 of the NFL season, I learned that... - ..., after the Denver quarterback's performance against the Cleveland Browns, Weird Al Yankovic will undoubtedly write the parody, "It's Over For Troubled Bridgewater." - ..., if he continues to neglect his hair, Aaron Rodgers will one day star in the Outdoors Channel show, "The Mullet Makes the Man." - ..., if Andy Reid attempted to sell the Kansas City Chiefs defense to The Dollar Store, The Dollar Store would adamantly respond, "We wouldn't even take that crap at half-off!" - ..., if the Atlanta Falcons rookie tight end were to ever delve into politics, his slogan would likely be, "Kyle Pitts Is the Sh*ts." - ...the Carolina Panthers offense without Christian McCaffrey is like a horror film void of stupid characters who somehow think it's a good idea to play Russian roulette with a fully-loaded firearm. It just doesn't work. - ...it's now safe to say the New York Jets-Sam...

One of the NFL's hottest topics in recent weeks has been, "What is wrong with the Kansas City Chiefs?" To my surprise, it seems that most analysts place the brunt of the blame on the team's offense - more specifically, quarterback Patrick Mahomes. They tend to then rebut dissenters by saying, "Their defense has always been bad! What they had was an offense that could compensate for it!" They're partially right, but not telling the whole story. The Chiefs offense needs some work. The offensive line ranks as one of the worst (if not the worst) in all of football. They've all but abandoned the run game. They're still trying to find that third go-to target in the passing game, outside of Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce. In addition to that, Patrick Mahomes has thrown 3-4 of the worst interceptions I can ever remember seeing. Having said that, the offense isn't the biggest concern for Andy Reid and company. Ever since Mahomes has taken over as starti...

In Week 6 of the NFL season, I learned that... - ..., since he won his first NFL game there, the odds are Urban Meyer's girl on the side will change her name to Cayman London. - ...officials now require Kyler Murray to give consent before a defender can tap him on the shoulder. - ..., Cleveland is so beat up, they will temporarily change their name to the James Browns. - ..., growing up in Wyoming, Josh Allen apparently only had access to the yard-game "Slip 'n' Sneak." - ...you can forget smart-cars; the most efficient mode of transportation is Derrick Henry. - ..., if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it's a Patrick Mahomes interception. - ..., after the New York Giants starting quarterback's turnover-filled outing on Sunday, Denny Green has risen from the dead to shout, "DANIEL JONES IS WHO WE THOUGHT HE WAS!" - ..., due to his recent play, Sam Darnold has generated a brand new statistical phenomenon which shall be known as "reg...

Following the backlash he received on social media, I made it a point to watch comedian Dave Chappelle's stand-up specials on Netflix and form my own conclusion. Well, I can now say I've watched all five specials, and am ready to share my thoughts. The only way we can truly learn from one another is by listening. I don't mean just giving another person the time to speak; hearing the volume of their voice; and preparing ourselves for a memorized response. No, I mean actually listening, and if called upon, responding to what was said. This dialogue can't be one-sided, however. It's much more effective for two people to actively listen to one another and engage in a conversation than it is for one to essentially scold the other. So, while I'll be the first to say Mr. Chappelle and others like him need to listen to their LGBT brothers and sisters, their LGBT brothers and sisters also need to listen to them. It's quite something. I'm a self-described progress...

Tell me if you've heard this before: a coach goes for it on 4th-and-short early in a tight game, in his own territory; fails; and the announcers say something along the lines of, "It was the right call. Don't judge the coach on the results; judge him on the decision. It's what the analytics said to do. He's just going by the book." "Analytics" has become like the Bible in football - a supposedly infallible guide, which continually gets edited; interpreted; and used as a perfect excuse if things should somehow go awry: "Hey, it's what the Bible said to do!" In other words, it's just laziness of the human mind and unwillingness to critically-think and take responsibility for one's own actions: "It's not my fault! It was the analytics!" Newsflash: common sense trumps analytics. This past weekend, when the Los Angeles Chargers trailed the Baltimore Ravens 14-0, 1st-year Chargers head coach Brandon Staley decided to go ...

In Week 5 of the NFL season, I learned that... - ...Russell Wilson has given so many people the finger, his middle digit sometimes goes up without him even realizing it. - ...Londoners have officially joined "Cancel-Culture," for after having to sit through the Jets/Falcons game, they want to permanently ban the NFL from their country. - ...Urban Meyer throws a challenge flag like a girl...who doesn't know where she's going in life, yet finds reason in giving an 0-4 coach a lap-dance at one of his restaurants after he consumed several three wise men shots. - ..., if NFL referees were to write a Jeff Foxworthy-esque book, entitled, "You might get a flag if...," it would be so long, it'd make "War & Peace" resemble a haiku. - ...Patches O'Houlihan apparently needs to provide a lesson to NFL kickers, where he will at one point inevitably say, "If you can kick a wrench, you can kick a ball!" - ...the Kansas City Chiefs defense is ...

In Week 4 of the NFL season, I learned that... - ...the New England Patriots outside linebacker's coach and head coach's son will one day star as the central character in these horror films: "The Belichick Lick Project," "Poltergifs," and "House of 1000 Mullets." - ..., since he gets injured so much, a medical condition shall now be named after the San Francisco 49ers' starting quarterback - Garoppolitis. If you reach stage 4 Garoppolitis, you'll be looking for a new job. - ..., if Tom Brady and Bill Belichick starred in a soap opera, it'd inevitably be titled "The Old and the Lifeless." - ...the New Orleans Saints have been prescribed Lithium after getting diagnosed with bipolar disorder. - ..., the Belichick-Brady hug was so brief, Jason Biggs' character from "American Pie" is even saying, "Damn, they got off (the field) fast!" - ...the Detroit Lions have unintentionally parodied the old Michael J...

I love how sportswriters and analysts are playing up the Tampa Bay/New England Sunday night game like it's some kind of soap opera. ESPN's Mike Greenberg even hailed it as the "game of the century." Give me a break. First of all, the storyline centers around two of the most boring personalities in all of sports - Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Also, while Brady is undoubtedly one of, if not the best to ever play the game at his position, there is now some debate as to how great of a coach Belichick actually is. In his 8 seasons without Tom Brady starting a majority of games for him, Bill Belichick's teams have gone a combined 62-74 in the regular season and 2-1 in one postseason appearance. On the flip-side, in 18 seasons with Tom Brady as his quarterback, Belichick's teams have gone 219-64 in the regular season and 30-11 in 17 playoff appearances, including 6 Super Bowl victories. What do sportswriters seriously expect to see on Sunday night, in a game featuri...