seriously, what the hell is wrong with people?

I feel a rant coming on. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Lately, I've noticed a little rash, a hemorrhoidal flare-up, if you will, of meanness in our little corner of the world. Read or watch the political news, and you'll see it. And if you're a woman, especially, you'd better be paying attention to some of the bills being presented, in Arkansas and all over the country. It is open season on you right now. Watch your back.

It's not just in politics, either. I hear it everywhere. People are angry and feel newly entitled to spew their crazy onto anyone they think deserves it. Sexist, bigoted, homophobic attitudes are rampant and, for the first time I can recall in my lifetime, widely and publicly supported by a loud and obnoxious bunch of folks. A whole lot of people are choking on their own righteous indignation. It's scary on a macro level, and sad on every level.

To move away from the political and back into the cultural, I give you this example of pure, unmitigated meanness from the past week.

I am, of course, in Razorback Country, but surely all of you are aware of the time-honored rivalry between my alma mater, the University of Alabama, and Auburn University. Every resident of the state of Alabama has to choose a side at birth, basically. It's serious, serious bidness. Both these deep-South schools take their traditions VERY seriously. And one of the long-standing traditions at Auburn is gathering to celebrate victories among the 130 year-old oaks at Toomer's Corner. So, the Auburn community was understandably devastated to learn that someone had delivered an apparently lethal dose of herbicide to the Toomer's Corner trees.

An arrest was made this week, a 62 year-old Alabama fan who got sufficiently pissed off at Auburn's national championship win to go over to Toomer's Corner with some heavy-duty poison and dose those trees. He called in to a sports talk radio show and bragged about it. Bragged about it! He killed trees several generations old. Just to spite Auburn fans! Pardon my French, but what an asshole.

Obviously, Auburn's faculty, students, and Auburn fans were in shock. They brought over experts to look at the trees and see if they can be saved, but the levels of herbicide in the soil indicate that the amount of the poison applied went way beyond what would be needed to kill the trees.

As a graduate of the University of Alabama, I can tell you that one of the things in the DNA of both these schools - for good or ill - is a deep sense of tradition. So I don't know one member of the Alabama community that is anything but sick about what this idiot did to those beautiful trees. Through social media, a group of Alabama fans quickly created a fundraising drive to help save the Toomer's Corner trees. By the time I joined, it had reached over 10,000 people. As I write this, it's surpassed 38,000. We may hate Auburn, gleefully and enthusiastically. We may cheer when they lose. We live to beat them in the Iron Bowl each year and consider it a losing season if we don't, even if we're undefeated the rest of the season. Deep down, though, we know that our rivalry is what makes football season more fun. And we appreciate tradition above all. So what this man did to those trees struck at the heart of what most binds us to each other. Just plain mean.

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with people?

Want to help save the trees? Click here. Roll Tide.

Now dammit, get out there and play nice. Karma's a bitch, and mean people, trust me, she's coming for you. (And she might have red hair. Just sayin'.)