An observational rant
[Editor's note] Running a blog like Jerry Curl keeps you pretty well-aware of all the goings-on in the world. Unfortunately, a lot of what's going on lately isn't very pretty. The more I learn of the world, the less I wanna know.
In whatever part of the world you look there's violence, intolerance, extremism, and a general disregard for people, animals, and the environment. Just this morning I read a horrific story about a 17-year-old boy who bludgeoned his parents with a hammer and then hosted a party for his friends while their bodies lay in the bedroom upstairs. Where the hell are we going?
I try never to answer convoluted questions like that. I don't like talking "big picture" because simple answers don't exist. That is to say, I avoid making sweeping generalizations of what this or that will mean to society because frankly, I don't know the answers. But it does seem more and more obvious that our general trajectory isn't good.
Whether it's the lynch mob calling for Casey Anthony's head on a platter, or the lynch mob calling for President Obama's head on a platter, or the lynch mob calling for Rupert Murdoch's head on a platter, it's become resoundingly clear that violent, blatant aggression is the order of the day. And the people we trust to give it to us straight-- namely the media-- are the leaders of the pack.
To this casual observer, its seems as though level-headed people are few and far between these days. Things like peace, integrity and privacy have gone the way of CDs and VHS players. And the few people who read, think, and make up their own minds on the issues are all but extinct. The sad fact is that the majority of people don't care to find the sound facts for themselves or believe in reasonable details. Gene Hackman has a great line in The Birdcage that nicely sums up what I'm trying to get at here: "People in this country aren't interested in details. They don't even trust details. The only thing they trust is headlines."
People are spoon-fed a diatribe of opinions and go with who ever barks the loudest. And unfortunately, nothing makes more noise than hate and violence.
I don't really know where I'm going with this other than pointing out something that's become frightfully obvious to me. All I can really offer you is a promise to continue providing some shreds of light in this darkening world. I happen to think that if more art, and music, and films, and good-lookin' boys found their way into people's lives, there'd be a lot less to be angry about. Just sayin'.
In whatever part of the world you look there's violence, intolerance, extremism, and a general disregard for people, animals, and the environment. Just this morning I read a horrific story about a 17-year-old boy who bludgeoned his parents with a hammer and then hosted a party for his friends while their bodies lay in the bedroom upstairs. Where the hell are we going?I try never to answer convoluted questions like that. I don't like talking "big picture" because simple answers don't exist. That is to say, I avoid making sweeping generalizations of what this or that will mean to society because frankly, I don't know the answers. But it does seem more and more obvious that our general trajectory isn't good.
Whether it's the lynch mob calling for Casey Anthony's head on a platter, or the lynch mob calling for President Obama's head on a platter, or the lynch mob calling for Rupert Murdoch's head on a platter, it's become resoundingly clear that violent, blatant aggression is the order of the day. And the people we trust to give it to us straight-- namely the media-- are the leaders of the pack.
To this casual observer, its seems as though level-headed people are few and far between these days. Things like peace, integrity and privacy have gone the way of CDs and VHS players. And the few people who read, think, and make up their own minds on the issues are all but extinct. The sad fact is that the majority of people don't care to find the sound facts for themselves or believe in reasonable details. Gene Hackman has a great line in The Birdcage that nicely sums up what I'm trying to get at here: "People in this country aren't interested in details. They don't even trust details. The only thing they trust is headlines."
People are spoon-fed a diatribe of opinions and go with who ever barks the loudest. And unfortunately, nothing makes more noise than hate and violence.
I don't really know where I'm going with this other than pointing out something that's become frightfully obvious to me. All I can really offer you is a promise to continue providing some shreds of light in this darkening world. I happen to think that if more art, and music, and films, and good-lookin' boys found their way into people's lives, there'd be a lot less to be angry about. Just sayin'.
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