Collarel Damage

Yes, yes, I know the correct phrase for the headline is “collateral damage.” Retirement doesn’t diminish your grammatical skills.

I chose to be cute with the headline as a way of revealing an unintended consequence of my no socks regimen.

It seems that after one and a half days of wearing socks—part of a traditional synagogue garb for Yom Kippur services that included a collared shirt and tie—my neck is chafed.

Now don’t go blaming it on a fatter neck. I haven’t gained any weight. Nor is my shirt collar sized too small. Apparently my neck no longer is used to being constrained by oxford or broadcloth shirts cinched together at the neck by a tie.

Actually, the anti-tie disposition predates my no socks retirement. My former employer went everyday dress down several months before I retired. So I’ve been tie-less for quite some time.

But it sounded a lot better to link no socks with an irritated neck, and therein lies a cautionary tale for any budding journalists out there, and their audience. If your source does not provide full disclosure, often it is most difficult to ascertain the truth, the proper sequence or relationship of events. For those old enough to remember, think Gulf of Tonkin resolution (for those not old enough to remember, look it up and gain further understanding of our lingering Vietnam legacy).

When truth is obscured, or fudged, we all suffer, individually and collectively.