"Culture"

I turned on the TV the other day. Started with FOX. A handsome, young, black man was the guest of conservative political commentator Sean Hannity. He was identified as “Democrat Strategist.” Hannity was becoming rude and blustery, talking over the top of his guest. I actually wanted to hear what the Democrat Strategist had to say, but it was obvious that Hannity did not. I can’t abide people who interrupt and cut another off; it’s the equivalent of an emotional assault. Disgusted, I flipped.

On a liberal channel, political commentator Bill Mayer was snarling and launching F-bombs in every direction. I have no idea what his message was, as I could not separate it from the offensive language and manner. When did saying the F-word on TV become okay? Moving on.

Honey Boo-Boo’s obese mom was upset about the pet piglet squealing for breakfast at 5:30 a.m. Seriously – a pet PIG kept in a toddler’s playpen, in the house. Click. We have dirty, drunk rednecks making moonshine on some show about the hillbilly lifestyle. Click.

A man has brought his great-grandfather’s military uniform jacket to the pawn shop. An expert was brought in to analyze it – 1902, U.S. Army, a red stripe for artillery, a cream stripe for actual combat, expert surmised had to be the Philippines at the end of the Spanish-American War, insignia intact. The shop owner offered $200, and the other man’s face fell. The “pawn star” gave the man a combative, hard look, and said “it’s missing the belt.” Silently, I begged the other man to pick up the jacket of his forefather (who survived combat and was lucky enough to come home and have a family so the man could eventually be born and live his stoopid life) and walk out of the den of the mercenary merchants. I couldn’t bear to see the disappointing outcome. Click.

A show titled “Ridiculousness,” a montage of video clips of the stoopidest people alive smashing their faces into bicycle seats, fences, board ramps. Pregnant teenagers. Shrewish middle-aged women in jewels and thick makeup talking about sex. COPs chasing and busting druggies with fried brains driving haphazardly down the street. A skinny woman with blue hair pulls down her pants to bare her ass for the tattoo artist. The camera zooms in. There were drug interventions, alcohol interventions, over-eating interventions, hoarders, cheaters – everyone crying.

Please tell me when the rednecks, white trash, toothless hillbillies, shysters, mentally deficient, sex-obsessed, disgusting, drug-addled, criminal, and sick became the stars of TV? This is what we glorify and hold up as worthy of our attention, time, money? We don’t value the intelligent, the creative, the brave, honest, hard-working, MORAL – I guess that’s boring.

Do I need to connect the dots? Is our art reflecting us, or are we reflecting our art? Whichever, it’s apparent what we value. We love how sick we’ve become. I felt as if my soul had been sucked out of my body. How about some local news?

I guess another child committed suicide in my fair city today because I saw school administrators and fellow students insisting he was not bullied, representatives from parent grief groups, the suicide hotline people, a psychiatrist urging every parent to talk to his child tonight! I can only assume that a child committed suicide (the “real” news) based on all this other “coverage.” This is what the newspeople do when they’re not sure about the real news themselves.

Someday I wish to live in a house with no TV. I’ll cook and garden and dust, and the Anti-Culture will not be allowed in to poison my soul. No, I have a better wish! I get my own TV show, so I can have the forum to scream at the top of my lungs for everyone to STOP IT. “You, get yourself to rehab, and you, pull up your pants, and you! Read a book!” Truly I’ve never seen it so bad. Is this what the decay of society looks like?