This week’s episode of 60 minutes featured 92-year old Andy Rooney who gave his final rant upon his retirement from CBS News. Since 1978, he asked questions, challenged everyday assumptions, and questioned logic.
If you did not have the pleasure to enjoy his contributions at the end of every Sunday evening episode, then you have missed a treat. Let me tell you how he has paved the way for modern commentary and the art of blogging.
Like anyone taking the lead in his or her profession, Rooney asked questions about everything. He did not accept the status quo or the general guideline. Whether it was the onset of the genius of Bill Gates and supercomputers at the mercy of his typewriter or the reduction in packaging of foods, he had the question. He also had his answer to counter standard thought.
Also, Rooney did not take himself too seriously. Often he made jokes about his physical appearance. Most notable were his distinct eyebrows that he refused to trim. In a 1996 episode, he said “People are so busy criticizing what I look like that I don’t think they pay any attention to what I am saying.” With the observation, Rooney continued to make candid commentary on the mundane, obscure, outrageous, and necessary.
Finally, he spoke directly to the issues. He did not mince words. He did not spoon-feed the public with rhetoric or hogwash. He kept it real and made us think twice about the difference between truth and reality. It seems he always had a new angle for the listening public to ponder or consider. He pontificated about holidays, life’s seasons, and everyday living. Who could not sit back and chuckle at his eloquence and at the same time appreciate his candor?
Thank you, Andy Rooney, for taking time to make us think and laugh. As CBS news reporter Charles Osgood said of Rooney on the CBS Morning Show “Andy, you’re the best.” But, above all, let’s be thankful that he led the path to help us all appreciate the art of good commentary.
Dawn McCoy
author of Leadership Building Blocks: An Insider’s Guide to Success
