One Good Rant Deserves Another...

First off, happy birthday to my dad, who turns, well, I won't say in case I'm written out of the will. He's not an old guy though, so don't get that idea in your head. Anyway, happy birthday, dad.

I decided that since I was on such a roll (?) yesterday with my rant about advertising that I'd give 'er another go tonight. If you're not in the ranting mood, then I'll say my hearty goodnight at this juncture, and we'll see you next week.

For those of you still with me, I have two words: American Idol. I have to preface by saying that my comments herein are derived entirely from anecdotal evidence given to me over the phone by my wife this evening, and subsequently checked in Google (the fountain of all information; the veritable Oracle at Delphi of the internet). I do not watch American Idol, nor do I plan to, especially this season. I'll admit to periodic interest over the past few years--hey, I'm a musician, I appreciate musical talent, and some of these kids can actually sing, which is quite pleasant--but I no longer want to be tormented by that demon. Especially after how this season kicked off.

Don't tell me you've never watched the first few episodes--the auditions. These preliminary shows are supposedly given to show us the run-up to the top-100 auditions in Hollywood, giving us an idea of the talent and lack thereof in the audition process. However, as the seasons have progressed, these episodes have become increasingly spiteful. It's gotten so bad that this year, one journalist characterized it as, "taking train-wreck TV viewing to a whole new level." Evidently, one of the high points was Simon Cowell making fun of the physical shortcomings of one potential contestant, and the entire panel of judges insinuating to another that her boss--who paid for her and her sister to be flown out because he really thought she was talented--was supporting her career for an entirely different reason, if you catch my drift. After they were done with her, they called in her boss (who also flew in and was sitting outside with his wife) to make the same accusations to him. All on national TV with millions watching.

And that's just the problem. Millions watching, all knowing that this is the episode where they make fun of all the stupid people, and tuning in with expectancy. Is this reprehensible to anyone but me?

Apparently not. I have an unlikely ally in the form of Rosie O'Donnell, who, besides being a militant lesbian, is an outspoken critic of, well, everything, it seems. And although I could care less what Trump and Ms. America were doing, I have to agree with her take on this one (you can read her comments here). Is this what America considers entertainment? Yes, and they're lining up for more.

It's a sad commentary on the state of our society. When millions queue up to watch their fellow humans get verbally abused and take satisfaction from it, that's sad. It's too bad that in order to be viable, our entertainment has to have a victim. The people who watch this garbage and enjoy it are no better than the schoolyard bully, who is so insecure about his own shortcomings that he has to point out the folly of others to make himself feel better. And we're breeding a whole generation of young people who think this is normal. It's bullying writ large, and because we can't see the immediate effect it has on the real-life people involved, we just don't care. It's the same thing that's happening with all the suffering in the Sudan; because we don't see inhabitants of third-world nations as people on the same level as us, we can easily ignore it and put it away in a separate compartment.

Getting back specifically to Idol, some say that if the people didn't want to be made fun of, they shouldn't have gone for an audition. I don't buy it. That argument sounds a lot like the famous "She was asking for it by dressing that way" argument. The problem is that the makers of Idol have sold the American public on a dream, and that dream is stardom. "You'll be rich and famous," they tell the wide-eyed starlets who don't have any talent. The problem is that even no-talents (I'm looking at you, Paris Hilton) can have careers nowadays, and so everyone has an inflated sense of self-worth. And then, having been baited by the call of the American Dream, they come and get publicly sacrificed on the idol of entertainment. What's a few destroyed dreams and ruined lives? After all, nobody was holding a gun to their heads and telling them that they had to come out and audition--they asked for it, didn't they?

No. No they didn't. And it's deplorable for us to think that we can excuse this kind of "entertainment" with this attitude.

We've come to the point where the age of the individual has meshed with the age of anonymity in a startling way. Just find your way into any chat room on the internet, and you'll find insults being traded that wouldn't be acceptable anywhere else, but are okay because (a) you hide behind your virtual identity, and (b) you don't actually have to think of your fellow combatant as a human being, but rather a number. In fact, some of the worst places to find such insults are, and I'm sad and ashamed to say it, Christian chat forums.

Are we really that pent-up? Does it honestly make us feel somehow vindicated to take out the rage that we feel inside on some other anonymous person? We feel that just because someone's on TV, they somehow cease to be a thinking, feeling human being with friends, parents, husbands and wives, and kids, all of whom regard this particular person in high esteem. When did we lose the whole ethos of not saying something about someone we wouldn't say to their face? Put another way, would we accept someone saying something like that about our own kid? Then why is it okay for us to do it to them? What's wrong with us?

Although I'm not trying to solve all the world's problems (and I'm probably preaching to the proverbial choir), I do have to say that there is a root to all this, and I think it lies in a lack of effective catharsis that our society is enduring presently. We are unequipped with the tools necessary to deal with stress and frustration, and so instead we bottle it up. Becuase our society is now of the opinion that we can do whatever the heck we want to do and it's nobody's business but ours, we lack the vulnerability to be open about things, even with our closest friends or our spouse. In fact, we're of the opinion that our problem is our problem alone, and nobody has the same problem so nobody will be able to help me deal with it. This problem is seen in adolescence, but I dare say it's infecting the adult world as well.

Simply put, we need places to turn to when we hurt so that we can in turn administer that healing to those around us who need it. Not to be utopian, but what would the world be like if we took heed of hurt and tried to heal it instead of revelling in the fact that that person's hurt is greater than ours? This is why we need Jesus, and a caring community of a church, but one that's manifested in the way it was meant to be--caring, loving, supportive. Maybe the solution starts with recognizing that and holding on to it.

Since I'm beginning to speak with strokes that are soon to be too broad for me to paint with, I will stop there. However, I will share with you what I'm doing to be a part of the solution. This semester, as part of my courses, I have to submit a series of growth goals and be accountable for the progress of those goals throughout the course of the semester. One of my goals this semester (and for the entire year) is to be more optimistic in every situation; I think that's one of the ways I can start being part of a solution. Maybe it's as simple as a bunch of people making a commitment to not taking joy out of the misfortune of others. In any case, that's my commitment this year, and I hope you'll take up some of it as well.

On that, it's time to stop. Hope I haven't exhausted your tolerance for rants. At the very least, I hope this one makes sense. Have a pleasant weekend, everyone, and I'll see you back here on Monday.