Lost TV: The Final Chapter

This week gave us the final episodes of Lost and some other show I have never seen and don't care about. I waste enough time watching the Cubs wallow in mediocrity via my DVR to more than compensate for all the other television programming I consider myself fortunate to miss.

I also don't watch David Letterman, Jay Leno, or any of the other talk show wanks. I've seen a few minutes of Dancing With The Stars, although their definition of star and mine seem to differ. I don't idolize anyone who appears on American Idol and don't sympathize with anyone who wants anything to do with Donald Trump or is three hundred pounds overweight. Along with Campbell Brown, I've given up on CNN. It was getting too painful watching Wolf Blitzer pretend to be a journalist when all he has become is a tabloid TV host. The History Channel seems determined to repeat history as well as the same episode about Hitler ad infinitum. On and on, through a seemingly infinite number of channels the large media corporations that control the public airwaves have managed to take an amazing medium and reduce it to so much pond scum.

I remember when cable TV was on the horizon and it was billed as revolutionary in the sense that since it was "pay for view" there would be no commercials. How did that work out? For my roughly seventy dollars a month I get Vince the Sham Wow guy and the Progressive Insurance bitch. They can't even let Billy Mays RIP; he's still screaming at me about some goofy device or product nightly.

Television like most innovations (with the possible exception of the shopping cart) has never come close to reaching it's potential. Television could educate, inform and oversee. If used wisely television could put an end to corrupt government and public education could be accessible to every household, regardless of SES. Real public debate could be had over crucial issues that effect us all and we could finally become a true democracy. Instead we get garbage faux reality shows, Jerry Springer chastising boyfriends for cheating on their girlfriends with transsexuals and Maury Povich outing baby daddies.

Welcome to America. We are truly Lost in this country. We could demand so much more, but settle for so much less. The mediocrity in this country is palpable. Instead of striving to be the best and the brightest, we have become the fattest,most illiterate and uninformed. Television could provide us with so much more. Instead of Jillian Michaels screaming at fat people, there could actually be intelligent programing on how the average person can lose weight and get fit. CNN could actually hire investigative reporters and expose the hypocrisy that goes on in Congress and start holding the politicians feet to the fire. How about assigning one reporter to "embed" with each legislator and follow them daily? Educators could appear twenty four hours a day conducting classes for all levels from kindergarten to graduate school.

Contrary to popular belief competition does not breed excellence it breeds mediocrity. and mediocrity is the byproduct of greed. Unlike Jonas Salk, most of those with the answers are in it for the profit. As a society we have all bought into this Gordon Gekko mentality that greed is good. Just look at sports as an example. Instead of striving to be the best, athletes look for ways to cheat to gain an advantage. Greed and cheating has made a joke out of the baseball record book. When the proverbial national pastime is exposed as a sham, what does that tell you? Enjoy your notoriety and wealth Lance Armstrong, you have revealed yourself. Pretty soon Tiger can have all the barmaids, strippers and porn stars one man can handle. But, what he will never have is a clean reputation and a wife who truly loves him and supports him.

Television not only reflects this trend in society it feeds it. The bar comes down lower every day and no one seems to care. Good values and strong morals are for suckers. So it follows that television is for suckers too. I've about had my fill....just as soon as baseball season is over. There is no bigger sucker than a Cubs fan.

What's So Supreme About It?

It seems like Obama is trying to think outside the lines about appointing a new Supreme Court justice. Taking into consideration the trials and troubles Presidents face when trying to get anyone confirmed, he opted for a safe choice. The Republicans have little to challenge this woman on and will just appear silly if they draw out the process, probably annoying most women voters along the way. She has no judicial history, and so far all they can come up with is her apprehension about allowing military recruiters on campus to solicit students.

I think it is a good idea to appoint someone who is relatively young, brings a fresh perspective and might actually consider the practical aspects of ruling on landmark cases. It is obvious that Roberts and the boys are oblivious to the real world implications of what they do . Last time I checked corporations are fictitious entities, but according to Roberts et. al. corporations have the same rights as individuals to express free speech under the Constitution. What next, Santa Claus can run for Congress? Oh, wait, Congress already acts like Santa Claus when it comes to giving away tax dollars and friendly legislation to donors.

The Supreme Court should be the voice of reason and wisdom when it comes to the dog and pony show we see in Congress more often than not. They shouldn't be political and should reflect the national conscience when it comes to things like making war, interfering with personal liberties and legislators basically taking bribes from contributors. Guys, most of us on main street are against it.

It has frequently been stated that if women ran the country there would be no war. Maybe this woman will bring the right influence and temperament to the court that is sorely needed to make that a reality.

Substitute for Logic

For the past two years I have been substitute teaching. The money is not good, but I do get a great deal of enjoyment out of interacting with kids when given the chance to actually teach.

What I do not enjoy about substituting is the fact that I find most students to be grossly disrespectful of teachers, disorganized and unwilling to listen and follow direction. It is not unusual for kids to come into a classroom, notice that a substitute is there and rudely ask "what's your name" or "are you a sub." I'll stand in front of the class sometimes for five to ten minutes just waiting for kids to take their seats and terminate conversations. Several kids usually wander in late. It is not unusual for half the kids to not have necessary books and materials for class. Often kids will bring food into class or play with their text messaging or IPod.

I doubt that most of these kids are required to give much respect to their parents or any adult. They come into the classroom feeling entitled to be there instead of feeling privileged. I doubt that they are given any direction with regard to respecting adults at home and view teachers as lesser adults. I wonder how many of these kids value anything when they are carrying around IPods and IPhones and wearing expensive trendy clothing.

It doesn't help that most teachers dress casually in class, don't bother to take care of themselves physically and asthetically and refuse to require respect from the students. Many of the classrooms are good examples of sensory overkill with all manner of garbage pasted to the walls, desks that are stuffed with papers and overpriced video instruction systems that add little to lessons and garbage on the floor. There is little innovation. I'm seeing books I read when I was in school forty years ago.

When did education become a joke? Except for a few students who get it and parents who discipline their children to do well in school, the vast majority of kids are not getting educated, they are being provided day care.

It is unfortunate that funding for schools is becoming scarce and so many teachers, staff and administrators are losing their jobs. However, maybe this is a good time to take a long hard look at how these schools are really run. Let's start with a dress code for kids, a closed door policy at the bell with those tardy excluded and a mandatory behavior code that imposes the obligation on children to respect adults. Let's require teachers to wear business clothing and clean up their classrooms and organize.

I doubt if I would last long as a regular teacher. Just last week in a literature class I read a passage from a pulp novel to illustrate how a good author can use descriptive language to convey a picture. A couple of students who didn't like the fact that I required them to sit in their desks, listen to me read and basically act respectful, complained to the principal that the novel, which pales in comparison to what these kids view on the Internet and cable was too graphic. That's what innovation and creativity gets you in today's schools. The inmates are allowed to run the asylum and the classroom.

William Ayers, Please Go Away

Now Bill Ayers is going to sue the University of Wyoming for not letting him speak. If this is a breach of contract case and Ayers wants to be paid, I support him. If he is just trying to make some social/political statement, then I wish he wouldn't.

Fact is, we all must live with our pasts no matter how much good we do in between then and now. Ayer's past has a little more infamy that most of us, so it is no surprise that it has followed him into the present. Apparently, Ayers has done some good things in the field of education. Glad to hear that, but if the activist itch is still there, then he is going to have to play the cards he dealt himself.

I don't see any reason why Ayers can't go to Wyoming and stand somewhere on campus, set up a soapbox and talk all he wants. I don't think UW (or is it WU) can prevent him from doing his free speech thing there. If he is interested in doing something political by suing the University, then I wish he wouldn't. Ayers got a new life of sorts by virtue of his association with Obama. Maybe he was content to be underground for all these years and didn't want his new found notoriety. Regardless, he seems to be getting that ole' urge to be socially active again. I wish he wouldn't.

Bill, please go away.

The Cubs and The City

I became a Cubs fan because my father was a Cubs fan. As a boy, I would hurry home from school to catch the end of games on WGN and then go out in the yard and replay what I had just seen by turning the picnic table on it's end and endlessly throwing a rubber ball against until I heard my father pulling in the driveway and I would have to return the picnic table to it's intended use.

I grew up believing in a sports team. I grew up believing that the owners, players and managers truly wanted to win for their fans and played for the love of the game. Boy was I naive. The truth about professional sports is that it is a business, nothing more, nothing less. For all the lore and storybook magic that authors want to assign it, professional baseball is grown men dressed up in costumes, performing for money and being paid by a corporation to make money for it.

If the fans show up, as the Cub fans do year after year, there is no incentive to improve the product. The Cubs' ownership makes only the changes they feel are necessary to generate enough interest to keep the fans duped and coming out. They run the corporation the way good businessmen/women should run a corporation, to benefit and profit the shareholders. Why pay a player ten million when you can pay another player five million and pocket the difference? The players put forth the effort necessary to preserve their professional status and to keep getting paid. It is no mystery that players in the final year of their contract seem to always have "career" years. It is also no secret that when you sign a player to a guaranteed contract for multiple years you can expect that player to underperform and pocket the cash.

I don't begrudge players getting whatever compensation they can. They are the elite at what they do. When teams fail to achieve, as the Cubs have mastered, it is the fans fault. I haven't paid to see a major league baseball game in many years. I refuse to reward mediocrity and give my money to some corporations shareholders who sell an inferior product.

The midwest was once described as the place where settlers, settled because they were too scared to go west and too tired to return east. This is relective in many of the things one sees in Chicago. The sports teams seem to fear success yet relsh mediocrity. The politicians are allowed to steal from the people because the people are too afraid to challenge them or too tired of the endemic greed and scandalous activity to do anything about it. They have their guaranteed contracts. Other cities build beautiful stadiums, Chicago builds architectural nightmares and passes off a crumbling ballpark as "quaint" because nobody cares.

Mediocrity is everywhere in Chicago, from the lame effort to bid the Olympics to the goofy "off broadway" theater that is sold, to the wasted landscape of the lakefront. It wouldn't matter except for the fact that maybe we deserve better. Maybe there should be better schools and city services. Maybe there should be a real effort to curb gun violence, street gangs and drugs in the inner city. Yet, like Cub fans, the people just keep coming out and supporting the same mediocrity. People die, kids get cheated by the school system and the shareholders/politicians are the only ones that profit.

News at The Speed of a Tweet

I don't use Twitter, but from what I know of Twitter it seems to represent a new cultural phenomenon, in that, it encourages those who have trouble putting together a sentence a way to communicate without all the hassle of having to actually pen a thought and use grammar. Little creative thought is necessary to just report random ramblings and opinions can be expressed with little to back them up. However, I suspect something more sinister is happening here.

Twitter also is reflective of how news is handled in our current culture. What amounts to a major news story seems to have a shelf life of only two to four weeks and then...puff; something else comes along to replace it. There are exceptions, of course. Health Insurance reform (not health care reform) was around in the news for months upon months, thanks to a Congress that cares more about getting/staying in power, than about representing the interests of the American public. But, most stories like Tiger Woods, Sandra Bullock, fade into oblivion in no time at all.

I suppose we should be happy that the tabloid nature of media news is not that resilient. After all, the stories do get old in a hurry given the fact that there is little about them that is real news. Those caught up in scandal only have to wait it out and let the "date rape drug" nature of the public consciousness kick in. What does amaze me is that we hear next to nothing about Iraq, Afghanistan and stories that should matter. The whole "sky is falling, we are all doomed" banking industry collapse thing also seems to have gone away. Toyota seems to have weathered it's product liability/public image storm and John Edwards is yesterday's powerful man self-destructs story.

This is disturbing in the sense that we are not only forgetting history, we are forgetting current events. This must explain why Illinois governors continue to follow their predecessors to prison and why celebrities don't seem to understand that text messages can out them and women scorned are not to be trusted not to hire Gloria Alred and appear on Larry King.

The focus on the public is directed by the media content that the public is given. Unfortunately, the media gives us Tiger Woods and does not give us the arcane machinations of our legislators. What this means in the grand scheme of things is that the truth, albeit out there, is getting harder and harder to shift out from the garbage that the 24 hour news cycle feeds us. I need to see less Obama as the Joke signs and more of who in Congress is getting what amount of money form what insurance company/bank/defense contractor. Journalists, like politicians are more concerned with keeping their jobs and careers going than investigating and finding the truth. I get it, but then they should find something else to do with their lives, since freedom of the press was the trade off for integrity in investigative journalism. Without the minions of the media out there digging, we are exposed to all manner of chicanery.

Poor Sandy.

Thanks Jessie...Your buddy Tiger.

Seems like a week doesn't go by without one jerk taking over for another by cheating on his wife and creating a scandal. One would think that having Sandra Bullock for your wife is all one would need, but I guess Jessie just wasn't satisfied. I would be happy to come home to Halle Berry, but for her husbands the novelty wore off in a hurry.

Times were that people cared about their reputation. Now it is all about entitlement; who has how much, who can get what and who cares how we are perceived by others.

I have a hard time feeling sorry for the victims in all this. The women are, after all, adults and should make responsible decisions. When they don't, they have to live with them. Elin Woods married a narcissist, Sandra Bullock married a guy with whole body tattoos who was married to a porn star. What did they expect? Public humiliation comes with the territory from leading a public life. At least they don't have to pretend they are something they are not. They are just a couple of stupid women who thought they could trust rich and powerful men to be faithful. Ladies these guys didn't get rich and powerful by being honest and good!

The irony is how these victims tend to profit from being victims. Sandra Bullock's career will prosper more than before. Elin Woods will be richer now that she is in control. The politicians wives write quickie books and do the talk show circuit. Being a victim pays quite well. Even the perps, the porn stars, the strippers and the other women seem to do better than before. I guess there is no such thing as bad publicity. Of course, these public martyrs don't have to raise three kids on child support post divorce like average victims. They'll thrive.

I would be disingenuous if I were to say that I didn't enjoy watching all this unfold. To me it is tantamount to having court jesters perform for our amusement. When bad things happen to rich and powerful people it does give us little people some sense there is a balance to life. I just wish we could all take more moral guidance from all this, but we don't. Nothing changes. Commitment in relationships seems to be a bygone concept and defecating on oneself in public no longer seems to carry a stench. Christian values seem to elude the Catholic Church and wedding vows are for losers.

Are any of us really surprised by this state of affairs. I think Bill Clinton pretty much lowered the bar to where it is today. The most powerful man in the free world caught, literally, with his pants down and lying to us on national TV, taking us all for fools. Hasn't seemed to hurt him much in the grand scheme of things, he's a humanitarian, except when it comes to his wife. What is Hilary a cyborg?

There is a price to be paid, however. Being an atheist, I'm not a spiritual person with one exception. I do believe in Karma. I don't think anything good comes from hurting someone else. If bedding strippers and porno stars is what you need for emotional fulfillment, then there has to a deeper issue there, why the need to flagellate? Maybe Tiger will fill us in once he has completed his sex addiction therapy and gets a handle on it all. Or maybe this man who has made a billion from the public will just tell us it's a private matter.

We live in a strange society where all sorts of things that were once considered taboo and perverse seem to be okay now. But, living fast and lose takes it's toll; reference Ted Kennedy. That guy looked like a walking corpse twenty years before he died. Is it any wonder his head exploded? A life of debauchery does tend to catch up to us. Oscar Wilde understood that. Eventually the picture emerges from the attic. These flawed men who find women who love them will probably only find them once. In the end they will live and die alone with no one close to them who really cares and the past never forgetting them. Clinton will be known for Monica, Teddy for Chappaquiddick, Tiger for....pick a slut and Jessie for Bombshell McGee. From now on cheating on one's spouse, in urban vernacular, will be known as going for a hike.