The "vintage" whiny-toned "petty-squabbles" bu**s**t that Abigail VanBuren "recycles" from question-letters that she received way back in the '60's and '70's... sawdusty-dry boring "outdated" crap that we modern and more-socially-enlightened folks "know better now" than to create or encounter, but that we're all forced to suffer through on Abby's daily column, as if it's actually still valid "current-times" stuff.
An example of the "quaint quibbles" that are seldom an issue nowadays, but which still seem to irritatingly form the bulk of Ms. VanBuren's column:
Dear Abby,
I am getting married to "Sam" in June. My future mother-in-law, "Claire", wants to be our wedding-planner; she reasons that since she is hosting (and largely funding, as neither I nor my fiancé have spare cash) the wedding, she should be allowed to dictate the wedding-arrangements, and to choose which guests to invite. "Claire" comes from a strictly-orthodox and conservative background, and so she wants our wedding to be formal and dignifierd, whereas my husband-to-be and I prefer a simpler and more-casual setting. In addition, "Claire" has really atrocious tastes when it comes to decor; frankly, her house resembles the inside of a ghost-mansion, with dark curtains, drab wallpaper, etc. So "Sam" and I fear that "Claire" will ruin our wedding with her cheerless presentation-ideas, plus she has occasionally hinted not-so-subtly that she disapproves of many of our friends, claiming they are too "trendy" and undignified. We want our "special day" to be just that --- special, which means being surrounded by the people we enjoy, not just the insipid and overly-judgemental folks whom "Claire" approves of.
Abby, how can we preserve our amicable footing with "Claire" (she will soon be part of our extended family, after all), while maintaining the enjoyment of ourselves and our wedding-guests?
Distressed in Detroit
Dear Abby,
I am getting married to "Sam" in June. My future mother-in-law, "Claire", wants to be our wedding-planner; she reasons that since she is hosting (and largely funding, as neither I nor my fiancé have spare cash) the wedding, she should be allowed to dictate the wedding-arrangements, and to choose which guests to invite. "Claire" comes from a strictly-orthodox and conservative background, and so she wants our wedding to be formal and dignifierd, whereas my husband-to-be and I prefer a simpler and more-casual setting. In addition, "Claire" has really atrocious tastes when it comes to decor; frankly, her house resembles the inside of a ghost-mansion, with dark curtains, drab wallpaper, etc. So "Sam" and I fear that "Claire" will ruin our wedding with her cheerless presentation-ideas, plus she has occasionally hinted not-so-subtly that she disapproves of many of our friends, claiming they are too "trendy" and undignified. We want our "special day" to be just that --- special, which means being surrounded by the people we enjoy, not just the insipid and overly-judgemental folks whom "Claire" approves of.
Abby, how can we preserve our amicable footing with "Claire" (she will soon be part of our extended family, after all), while maintaining the enjoyment of ourselves and our wedding-guests?
Distressed in Detroit
by QuacksO April 16, 2019