Sometimes the best advice is no advice at all

Newspaper advice columnists have way too much sway over gullible readers

It seems as if everyone wants to be an advice columnist these days.

You know, tell people what to do about the neighbor’s dog that regularly poops on your lawn and pretty soon you’ll be nationally syndicated and commanding $50,000 per speaking engagement.

The problem is, there are only so many interesting and unique situations and pretty soon I suspect many of these advice columnists are simply making up the questions themselves so they can keep the column going.

Ann Landers started all this back in 1955 and kept pounding out columns for 47 years that ultimately had a worldwide audience of 90 million people who couldn’t solve ridiculous problems by themselves.

I guess we all like to wallow in someone else’s misery.

So the other day I tripped upon a “Dear Abby” column written by Abigail Van Buren while I was actually trying to find an online newspaper story about an innovative “deer” crossing on U.S. 97 just outside Klamath Falls.

If you think I’m going to admit to actually googling Dear Abby, you are sadly mistaken.

“Dear Abby,” came the question.

“What’s a kind way to let my husband know he’s mispronouncing a lot of common words?”

(I am not making this up.)

“My husband (a college-educated native English speaker) mispronounces a LOT of words, specifically common names, the name of our children’s school and some other frequently used words. How do I politely correct him? I feel this is because he doesn’t pay attention, and I’m sure others notice it as well. — ANNOYED IN CALIFORNIA.”