It seems like the ‘70s are always a huge target for public mockery. The clothes, the catchphrases, and even the interior design, form a trinity of comedic fodder. However, if we as a culture aren't careful, the ‘10s (or whatever you want to call this decade) will be next in line for mockery.

1) Auto-Tuning: Does anyone really sing anymore? Apparently it doesn't matter, because no singer will ever again sound "a little pitchy dawg," as Randy Jackson is famously known for saying. It seems that all pop artists' songs are now so auto-tuned, that it doesn't matter if they couldn't hold a note in a wet paper bag. This isn't singing; it's karaoke on steroids. I'll bet that if you were to head into T-Pain's studio and belt out "Rubber Ducky," you'd have scintillating vocals (added to a dope beat). That's not cool and it needs to stop. Former "singers" like Brittany Spears (and a litany of others) have been audio assisted for several years, and sure, there are still strong voices that need no help like Christina Aguilera or Adele, but they both look set to eat themselves into self-induced coma, so how much longer can we count on them? Speaking of obese...

2) Wii Fat or Kinect to Obesity: We've been the fattest nation in the world for decades. It's estimated that 1/3 of American children will develop diabetes just from poor eating habits! How disgusting is that? Can you imagine telling a starving Ethiopian that our tots have so much grub that they're turning into real life Augustus Gloops from "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory." So what's the solution? Have the children practice healthy eating habits or (Lord forbid) go nuts running around having fun outside like every child did not so long ago? Nope, let's get them a Wii or a Kinect and have them wave their hands (and sometimes) feet around for 15 minutes before they dive back into a bag of Doritos and 24 ounces of Pepsi. Listen, I own both a Wii and XBOX's Kinect and I love them. My argument isn't with them being a fun diversion, but their use in exchange for a child engaging in fun, caloric burning play. That's a parent failing to take responsibility in their child's health.

3) "Epic Fail": Just when we thought we escaped the immensely overused phrase of the last decade "Extreme," we now find ourselves mired in the dredges of two new overused phrases. It's not enough for someone to make a mistake, they now make an "epic fail." Do you want to know what an epic fail really is? Try the audacity of the Titanic's proclamation of being "unsinkable," or FEMA's response to Hurricane Katrina. Those were failures of epic proportions. Failing to stay upright on a bicycle, failing to avoid a car accident or failure to look "sexy" in a photo (hell, who hasn't that happened to?), those aren't "epic," you morons.

4) Driving While Texting: There's a reason why teenage drivers are statistically more likely to die in a car accident than any other cause. In the ‘90s (the halcyon days before mass texting), you still had underage drinking while driving and a wide assortment of reasons why teens had their eyes on anything but the road (e.g. fixing their hair in the mirror, swapping out their Pearl Jam CD for Snoop Dogg's, etc.). But texting while driving, that's a whole new level of Russian roulette for other drivers on the road. Most states have already outlawed the practice (for adults as well), but while empirical evidence appears to confirm our fears, can we conclusively prove that a teen isn't looking downward due to being amazingly infatuated with their crotch (insert sophomoric joke here)? There are thankfully, phone apps that prevent texting while driving. Are any teens going to use them? Um....no. Can someone develop a cell phone shut off device (a cellular breathalyzer if you will)? I sure hope so, because this problem is only going to get worse.

5) Sexting: Is youth wasted on the young? Perhaps, but if you're thinking along those lines, you're probably a curmudgeon who's soaking up so much of my future social security money, I'll need a nest egg the size of Kansas just to afford 3 meals a day. Is foresight wasted on the young? Well no; how can you have knowledge if you haven't had experience? More and more kids are sharing their (not so) private parts via cell phones. They don't understand the damaging ramifications any more than they understand Einstein's Theory of Relativity.

One of the more outlandish theories being proposed is to have children watch porn to appease their carnal feelings, but at that point, why don't we satiate their love of violence by handing out flaming chainsaws? Here's a thought that has a snowball's chance in Phoenix of succeeding: Take away your child's smart phone and replace it with a phone that only allows them to call home, 911 and 1 or 2 other designated numbers (Firefly Mobile's "Firefly" cell phone started this trend).

6) Cyber Bullying: A wisely Canuck named Bill Belsey coined the term (frankly he should have copyrighted it) and most of us know it to be kids using the Internet to harass, ridicule and outright embarrass other children. It can also delve into a more ominous land of racism, alleged sexual accusations or physical threats. It's like a technologically amplified high school nightmare for teens, but according to several sources, it's beginning to be used by children as young as 8 or 9 years old. It should also be noted that while male children are more likely to engage in physical bullying, 67% of cyber bullying is done by girls.

Hey, we all need to take our social lumps (and most of us did growing up). Adversity creates mental fortitude and frankly, we all know that adult world isn't filled with cotton candy and rainbows, but to dump a tsunami of negativity onto a young adult is as gross as the last time you used a Port-O-Potty. We can't isolate our children against other children who see this as a potent weapon of social destruction, but we can, as parents, teach our children morals and ethics that reduce their likelihood of your little one being on the business end of this cyber terrorism.

7) Reality TV's New Standards of Entertainment: Here's a prime example: Animal Planet's "Hillbilly Hand Fishing." How on earth does a bunch of rednecks catching fish, while being partially submerged under muddy water, qualify as entertainment? How or why would Animal Planet even make multiple episodes of this? What's next "White Trash Eating Pop Tarts"? or "Rednecks Watching Paint Dry"?

Have we as a culture become so devoid of taste that anything will satiate our entertainment needs? Has everyone forgotten about how much joy reading brings (obviously not you since you're reading this article)? I hate to say it, but as much as I hate sitcoms, at least they have protagonists, antagonists and a story arc that pulls everything together in a half hour. With "Hillbilly Hand Fishing," I don't understand if I'm rooting for the hillbilly or the fish to drag him down into a muddy mess for stealing 30 minutes of my time (I'm actually leaning toward the latter). It's a shame that witty reality TV shows like "The Mole" get cancelled, yet "Ice loves Coco," and "Kendra" are consumed by viewers at a ravenous pace.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a soapbox the size of an overgrown elephant that I need to hop off of.