Severe weather barreled through Iowa last night, prompting the local TV stations to interrupt regularly-scheduled programming to provide storm coverage. A quick search on the world wide web will show you that storm damage was widespread over the viewing area, from Clarksville to Colesburg and everywhere in between. The weather coverage most certainly kept people out of danger and may have even saved a few lives in the process. However, our society is plagued by an alarmingly-high number of buffoons who were disappointed that they didn’t get to watch their favorite shows last night. Never mind the tornado threats, golf ball-sized hail, straight-line winds, and flash flooding; some people lost their marbles because they didn’t see who got kicked off “The Bachelorette.”

If you look at a TV station’s Facebook page during storm coverage, you will absolutely lose brain cells. It’s mind-blowing to see the comments that some individuals are willing to publicly attach their names to. My favorite one from last night was a woman who had this to say:

Here’s my translation of what she said:

“I AM A SHALLOW HUMAN BEING WHO DOESNT CARE IF TREES ARE FALLING ON PEOPLE I NEED TO SEE WHO GOT A ROSE I NEED TO KNOW RIGHT NOW THIS IS SO IMPORTANT THAT I DONT HAVE TIME TO USE PUNCTUATION”

I don’t care how much you love a show; there is no excuse for this sort of behavior. The people who post these irrational comments are lacking at least one key ingredient of a decent person: compassion. Even if the storm is nowhere near your town, you need to have compassion for the people who actually are endangered by the severe weather.

How do we convince these senseless souls to open their eyes and see the bigger picture?

Do we make them stand outside with 70-mph straight-line winds approaching? Probably not, because I’m sure that falls under the “cruel and inhumane” category.

Do we show them photos of last night’s storm damage? Probably not. I’m sure they’d say something like, “That doesn’t affect me because it wasn’t in MY town.”

Do we respond to their comments on Facebook by giving away what happened on last night’s “Bachelorette” before they get a chance to watch it themselves? Probably not. Sure, it’d tick them off AND would most likely cultivate some new obscenities, but it means that one of us would actually have to watch that worthless show to find out what happened, and nobody’s got the intestinal fortitude to withstand that special kind of hell. As my buddy Robert put it, “I would rather watch severe weather coverage for the rest of my life than ever see one single episode of The Bachelorette.”

Maybe it’s hopeless. In the words of comedian Ron White, you can’t fix stupid. Maybe our best bet is to use common sense regularly and lend a hand to the rest of mankind as often as possible, in the hopes of drowning out other people’s ignorance and lack of compassion.

A heartfelt THANK YOU to all of the meteorologists and other station employees who put in extra hours last night to help keep us safe. I say this to all of you dedicated individuals at the local TV stations: please disregard the fools who sit at their computers and smartphones, posting insanely hollow demands while you work tirelessly to inform us of impending severe weather.

For those of you who blew a gasket because you couldn’t watch “The Bachelorette” last night, here’s a completely accurate recap of what transpired: