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"Outrage." That's the headline the Chicago Sun-Times-along with other national papers-chose to run Sept. 12. It's a very accurate description of how I feel. But not about terrorism.

I experience mounting outrage nearly every day with mainstream media, and here's why: Never before have I been told how I feel, with such off-putting frequency and presumption.

There are many things we can't have right now, like world peace or a clear definition of what constitutes "unusual and suspicious behavior." So let's work toward what we can achieve. Let's ban the use of "somber" and "nation" in the same sentence.

Implying that our country's emotional range is limited to (or dominated by) a single emotion is about as accurate as saying our nation's flag is red.

Yes, I was outraged by Sept. 11. But that doesn't even begin to capture the range of my emotions or the nation's. We're simply not that one-dimensional. It's insulting and ignorant to imply as much.

Our friends at the New York Post clearly have a bad case of somberitis. A recent insightful headline reads: "The New Dress Code: Black is Back on the Once-Colorful Party Scene." The article attributes the proliferation of black dresses to the "somber mood" of post-Sept. 11.

Come on, people! Some things change-dramatically so-but some things stay the same. Black has been a perennial favorite of fashion cowards long before the dawn of this millennium (I should know; I've been part of their ranks for years). Please, let's not give credit where credit isn't due.

I think of the people who didn't make it through Sept. 11. What would they want for themselves? For us? I doubt the answer would include a patently somber nation.

I'm not saying I get up each morning and do a little joie de vivre jig before skipping to work. My days have not been somber-free since Sept. 11. I'm filled with doubt and uncertainty-lots of it. I live in Chicago and work a block from the country's third-tallest building. On Sept. 13, I saw the Sears Tower, our nation's tallest, blow up in my mind's eye as I drove to work. And am I the only one who thinks fire engine sirens sound more ominous now?

Surely not, but life continues. The Abba tribute Mamma Mia! reportedly has sold $27 million in advance tickets for its Broadway run, No. 2 on the all-time list.

The Producers and The Lion King also are selling out; football stadiums fill up each weekend; and around here, at least, parking at the malls is as bad as ever.

Have these people forgotten Sept. 11? Of course not, but they also haven't crawled into caves, as many in the media would have us believe. To say that is, of course, outrageous.