Writings

 Stuck sick at home one Friday evening I forced myself to watch 20 minutes of Big Brother. I now know better the cause of my previous abstention. In just a short time I observed more backstabbing betrayals and expletive packed outbursts than one might anticipate as a cumulative culmination from Jerry Springer’s “guests.”

To think that our “fine minds” in the entertainment industry continually take the easy way out with all of these so call “reality shows” which seem to always gravitate towards the lowest common denominator of human behavior or standards in general. The industry executives say it is much cheaper to produce these programs, however it would seem apparent that the absence of any effort or initiative is hardly sufficient justification for their morally and mentally bankrupt prime time product.

After the same people had lied to, sworn, screamed at and betrayed each other three times I figured I had finally seen enough. The voyeur in me stopped the channel changing at some “reality dating” program only the premise of the show’s concept would make our European friends blush. This so called “date” consisted of 4 women and one man going out on the town together and the women soon degenerated into a degrading contest to see who could lose their self respect the fastest, all in some misguided attempt to temporarily win a man who made Alan Greenspan seem exciting and attractive by comparison.

The low-point in my brief observation of this program reached a crescendo of classlessness when the male asked the four women to show him all their underwear, as they were even out in public no less. The first three women quickly undid their clothes and showed the man their panties faster than Clinton could lie under oath or quicker than a partisan food fight erupts at a “House mark up meeting.” When one woman of the four conducted herself with some dignity and said she would rather not display her underwear to strangers in public on television, her three female co-horts immediately mocked and accused her of wearing “granny panties.” At this point it was again time to change the channel.

I ended up watching an excellent movie on AMC, which possessed a civil war setting and an invading union army, is forced to take captive a southern belle and her slave after they are caught eavesdropping on union battle plans. The abduction is necessary, as the two ladies would do anything to tip off the Confederates. In this film the writer allows us to sympathize with the plight and perspectives of both sides. The courteous and human treatment afforded by John Wayne’s union character is reciprocated by their Confederate colleagues and we are left with the distinct impression that, as John Wayne’s Yankee troops are hightailing their escape just before the arrival of Confederate forces hot on their trail, that he will come back and marry the Southern Belle he had been forced to take captive.

One wonders why we are forced to take refuge and seek escape from modernity in all these magnificent classic movies? We all remember the great sitcoms of yesteryear like Sanford & Son, Threes Company and All In The Family. Why is it that 15 or 20 years ago there was such a high level of quality in some of our sitcoms and today our options consist of Big Brother, Survivor, Chains of Love, “Elimidate” and all these other so –called “reality shows?” This total lack of even attempted screenwriting or original thinking does not bode well for our popular culture or its LCD promulgating producers.
Recently the NY METS were flying back from the west coast when a loud and raucous cheer spontaneously erupted from their section of the plane. Fearing the worst, an airline stewardess ran back to them and somewhat indignantly asked Mike Piazza; “WHAT’S GOING ON HERE” When he happily told her that, “We Just Got Uday and Qusay” the stewardess said, “oh um I don’t know much about baseball, are those guys any good?”

I shall forever remain proud to be an American and my jingoistic patriotism takes a back seat to no one. However, it would seem self evident at times, that our current “ignorant, inept, intransigent, dumb and dumber, lowest common denominator, contemporary culture leaves a lot to be desired!