Boredom is serious business at the Boring Institute
“There’s nothing to doooooooo!!!”
That is the familiar cry that parents, aunts, uncles,
cousins, siblings, and anyone else who gives any kind of care or takes
care of kids during the summer is no doubt already sick of hearing. And,
there is still 8 weeks left before the obnoxious “I don’t know what to
do with myself” brats can be sent back to the teachers to deal with. It
is the reason why some creative parent came up with the idea of 6-week
summer camp. And, if you think the economy sucks and there is a job
shortage, ask any parent. It is nothing like the summer camp shortage and
the reason parents minds get filled with thoughts of, “Hmm, maybe
adoption is an option!!” at this time of the year.
How many coasters can you ride? How many movies can you
see? After the umpteenth trip to the mall you know the only kids you are
going to see have no life and are “totally un-cool!” You defiantly
don’t want to be a part of that scene. Of course, no matter how many
times kids cry out, “I’m bored to death!”, there doesn’t seem to
be a cure for this yearly ritual we all endure from mid-June until the
weekend Jerry Lewis takes over our TVs.
Within all of this it is fitting that July is
“National Anti-Boredom Month. 2002 will mark the 17th time
The Boring Institute will sponsor the month’s festivities.
Alan Caruba, who is anything but boring,
began the The Boring Institute in 1984 spoofing the
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. As Caruba sat watching the parade a
feeling of deja vu came over him. It seemed all the bands were the same
and they played the same music in the exact same manner as last year. The
same balloons crashed into the same light polls. The same clowns made the
same little kids cry. The same celebrities made the same insipid and
stupid TV commentary.
Caruba decided to have a little fun. He put out a little
press release that claimed The Boring Institute had researched the parade
and found that the TV networks were in fact replaying a ten-year old
videotape year after year on Thanksgiving morning. The streets of New York
were in fact empty and all New Yorkers were snug and comfortable in their
homes laughing riotously at the rest of the country.
Editors, who normally do not have a sense of humor,
found this to be hysterical and ran the story the next day. This little
beginning led to yearly spoofs on celebritydom with annual list of the Most
Boring Films and the Most Boring Celebrities of the year.
What started out as an attempt at levity and a
spoof-a-roma at the media has turned into serious business for The Boring
Institute founder, Alan Caruba. If you think boredom is, well, boring, you
may want to spend a few moments reading the plethora of his writings on
his web site.
Over the years the Boring Institute has left behind its
days of levity and merry making. Their annual sponsorship now focuses
their attention on a "self-awareness"
event that encourages people to examine whether they, co-workers, family
or friends are experiencing "an extended period of boredom" in
their lives. The Boring Institute identifies this as "a warning
sign" of problems that include depression, self-destructive behavior
and even suicide.
In addition to
suicide and depression, Caruba says that boredom is tied to social
problems that include addictions, crime, divorce, school dropouts, loss
productivity on the job, and much more. When teenagers get into trouble or
kids cause mischief they often site the fact that they were bored and
looking for something to do, for some excitement. Caruba say that the next
time you hear someone say, “I’m bored to death” to take it
seriously.
The Boring
Institute publishes Beating Boredom. The guidebook offers advice is
offered on how to avoid and overcome the boredom that can cause such
problems. It offers 10 basic guidelines to help people overcome and avoid
boredom along with nearly seventy ideas of things you can do.
Additional
information can be found at the Boring Institute web site, www.boringinstitute.com
and their sister site, The National Anxiety Center, www.anxietycenter.com.
For
more information, please contact: The Boring Institute, Alan Caruba,
Founder, Box 40, Maplewood, NJ 07040. Phone: (973) 763-6392. E-mail:
acaruba@aol.com.
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