October 2 will mark a troubling day for America. A day when it will no longer know what it is supposed to hate. That’s because for the past thirty-three years, Andy Rooney has been, through his end-of-show segment on 60 Minutes, telling us just what exactly is wrong with society. And on October 2, it’ll all be over because Rooney just announced his retirement.
Over the years, we’ve welcomed and related to Rooney’s short gripes, which ranged from topics like cats, telephones, athletic mascots, Internet shopping, the economy and horse meat. We’ve also tried to forget a few, such as those concerning Native Americans, homosexual unions and Kurt Cobain’s suicide. Nobody has a perfect record. But Rooney is and has always has been a fixture.
He has been there, week after week, ready with a new subject rife for derision. He has inspired the lot of us with segments on the often overlooked hardships of poverty, and the inexplicabilty of music tastes being generational. And beyond this, Rooney is something unlike any other. Although his rants are sometimes political in nature, more often than not, they focus on life’s mundanities. Where else can we turn in this politics-fueled news circuit, to learn why we really need to start appreciating scotch tape?
So, it is important to celebrate the accomplished career of this one-of-a-kind journalist. A breed so rare is he that he even managed to find substantial flaws with Christmas. This is a talent that should not be unappreciated. Rooney has been an invaluable asset to the world, pointing out problems where none could otherwise be found, shining light on the bad and obscuring the good. It’s a dangerous task, but an important one…probably. And who else has been brave enough to bare that burden? No one. And no one will likely ever be again. So we thank you, Andy Rooney, for showing us all the things we didn’t realize were wrong.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
