Sad Bastard of the Week: shiny happy people

Posted at 1:24 PM Oct 14, 2008

by Andrea Grimes

The economy's gone to hell and we're all broke and stocks are crashing and holycrap we're bailing out the jerks who got us into this mess. We are a nation full of sad bastards indeed. So it's no surprise to me that the advice columns over the past week have been decidedly mild; can we take any more? Must we? I don't know the answer to that, but I do know I've dedicated myself to finding the saddest bastards seeking help in any given week, and I'll be damned if this stock is going to tank.

But over in Savage Love, a 17-year-old girl makes a pretty great decision after her boyfriend pulls a fast, condomless one on her, and the New York Times' "Social Q's" opens with a guy who actually realizes how obnoxious he is. And so we turn to Annie's Mailbox for "Colorblind" and her adoption dilemma:

"We are open to adopt a child of any race. Everyone is supportive of our decision, with the exception of my husband's stepfather. "Bruce" has been married to my mother-in-law for four years. He told her that he if we adopt an African-American child, he will not allow the boy into his home. He says he can't help the way he feels. He also went on to tell her that if we do adopt a child of another race, it will be the last stake driven into their marriage."

I know! Who the hell does this guy think he is? And what person in their right mind would let such a kook dictate their lives in such a way? Oh, family dynamics. The Annie's Mailbox response to how "Colorblind" should handle "Bruce's" attitude is straight-up straight-talkin': "You ignore it."

I've always thought mothers-in-law got an unnecessarily bad rap; here's a father-in-law to take the cake.