Our harsh "Reality"

That last entry got me thinking about how Reality TV has accelerated the decline of television. It is a virus that is slowly corrupting our culture and turning it into an endless stream of checkout counter tabloids. The pessimist would decry this filth. I'm somewhat of an optimist. Since it is unlikely that our voyeuristic culture will ever turn on "Reality" I have to come up with a way to profit from this genre. If I can't fight'em, might as well write for them.

Here are a few show ideas...

1. Battle of the Religions- This is so obvious and can go in so many different directions that I'm surprised that there already aren't a handful of shows out there that are trying to capitalize on the fact that almost the entire planet believes in one religion or the other. And it would have the ultimate prize. The rest of the planet would have to convert to the religion of the victor.
   
2. Penning for Jesus- Do you ever get amused by the pithy and creative statements on the marquee of your local community church? This show will appeal to the religious right and will feature competitions in order to discover who can come up with the best traffic stopping statements.
   
3. Day Labor Wars- The Hispanic population continues to boom but there is not a reality show that acknowledges this growth. This show will be a virtual iron man that will force contestants to perform such challenges as advanced palm trimming, how to stand out in the local Home Depot parking lot, and practical survival while having no legal identity.
   
4. Pinewood Derby: The truth behind the Blue Ribbon- A candid look at the no-holds barred competition that takes place in this annual fathers and son ritual. Values and social decorum will be cast aside all in the name of collecting the blue ribbon.
   
5. Penalty Kicks- America's search for the all-American mom. A panel of judges will put a group of soccer moms through a grueling set of tests in order to find the perfect soccer mom. Such tasks will be minivan obstacle course, extreme budget grocery shopping, and creative casserole presentation.
   

As our culture continues its downward spiral isn't it only appropriate that we help hasten its decline? This little exercise proves that there are still plenty of great reality show ideas waiting to earn networks "cheap" ratings.

Randomizer Volume IV Series V

Because I continue to have thoughts....most of them random.

• I am reading some Aristotle right now and am intrigued by his thoughts regarding the middle class. Bear with me and see if his comments resonate with our current environment. He argued that a middle class was essential to a proper government. Those who possessed moderate income lacked the arrogance of the rich and the envy of the poor. Furthermore they didn't have "so much property" that they spent their time in leisure nor did they rely on the state for support. Because of this they would "ask the law should rule them." Right now it appears that America is losing it's productive "Middle Class". I agree with Aristotle that this is a very bad thing.

• I watched the US-Mexico soccer game a couple of weeks ago and I am sort of glad that they lost. A US victory probably would have resulted in death, carnage, and revolution down there. This is the one thing that the Mexicans have over us and over the last 10 years it has been steadily slipping away. This article by Bill Simmons does a great job of illustrating Mexico's unhealthy relationship with a bunch of short guys who kick a soccer ball around a patch of grass.

• It has been about 10 years since America was introduced to Survivor and other reality shows. As someone who tries to maintain a certain level of standards I thought that the rest of the nation was like minded and that this trend would end after Joe Millionaire. I was wrong and it looks like I will have to continue to weather the storm. One positive side effect is that it effectively reduces the amount of time that I watch TV. At the rate at which these shows proliferate I predict that everyone in the US, myself included, will have been featured on a reality program by the end of 2033.
  
  

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Gentlemen Broncos

After a lengthy gestation period it appears the third Jared Hess picture is finally due out. Here's to unleashing the creative force that is Ronald Chevalier.

In search of the modern day Pyrrhic victories

I love history. There's much to be gained by studying the feats and failures of past generations. And I've learned that history gets better, or perhaps more exaggerated, with age. Most of my studies center around the Classical eras of Greece and Rome and I'm currently reading something about the Republican era of Rome. There is much from this era that can be applied to the USA but I want to focus this entry on one statement made by one man, King Pyrrhus.

The scene is set during the mid-Republic in southern Italy. Rome is expanding and assimilating land once occupied by Greeks, Latins, and Etruscans. Southern Italy has been Greek owned and they are trying to hold their land. King Pyrrhus is in charge of repelling the Roman onslaught and, to the casual observer he appeared to be doing so. Even though he was technically winning battles he was losing the war. After one such victory he stated that "one more such victory would utterly undo him". Historians remember this statement and situation as a "Pyrrhic Victory" or a victory that ultimately will do more harm than good.

Let's step back into the present day and attempt to apply this term to what we are currently seeing around us. Are we able to see actions and policies that seem like victories but that will ultimately lead to defeat? Do we see people that create victories for themselves that ultimately unravel the bigger whole?

Here are a few things that I could think of....

• Wall Street- We are flooded with examples from Wall Street illustrating actions that benefited a select few while pillaging the general public. Bernie Madoff may have had a few years of astronomical profit for himself but he ultimately destroyed the wealth of everyone around him, causing far more harm then any good or earnings he ever created. Self interest is an important component of a free market but Wall Street has been courting the far more dangerous greed to horrible results. My recent entry regarding Goldman Sachs discusses the overwhelming tendency of these financial firms to act in a manner that brings themselves incredible earnings at the expense of the greater economy.
• Politics- Government has been transformed into an ATM machine for special interests. Lobbyists and Pork Barrel projects are classic examples of political actions stepping into "Pyrrhic" territory. These politicians are focused on their individual parts or interests to the degree that the whole is less then the sum of its parts. There is a definite get in, get mine, and get out attitude in DC. Take the time to track government spending back to its roots and you can see the greedy dance that takes place between Congress and the special interests that buy their votes. This blog is one among many that highlights some of the most egregious examples.
  
• Sports- Baseball has done a superb job of providing exhibit #1 for "Pyrrhic" victories. Steroids gave great numbers and a temporary boost in excitement for the sport but once the syringe hit the fan the sport has become illegitimate and runs the risk of permanently loosing its status as our preferred pastime. Performance enhancing drugs do a great job of providing short term gains at the expense of long term health and viability.
  

Unfortunately we see hundreds of examples in present day society where we are sacrificing our long term health for short term gain. Any time that someone artificially inflates profits in order to get a bigger bonus they are jeopardizing the bigger picture. For each congressman who takes a kickback in exchange for a key vote they are just kicking the crap out of the morals that built this country. Every time we let greed, self interest, or selfishness determine our actions we tear apart the fabric that serves as the binding force that keeps our communities healthy and functioning. Remember that the whole should be greater then the sum of its parts....sometimes we need remind ourselves and our actions of that truth.

Because of heat

Ones loyalty to Phoenix comes into question every time this year. The memories of a 72 degree afternoon in January are all but melted away by the suffocating heat as you sweat your way home in triple digit weather. The fact that July set all kinds of heat records has really put my devotion in question.

To cope with the heat you learn to value the myriad weekend getaways that are an hour or two out of town. It's nice to know that the rest of Arizona isn't a fiery furnace.

This weekend getaway took us through Pine and Camp Verde en route to Montezuma's Castle and Well. Who knew he had both. Both are just outside of Sedona and they provided a nice, cooler change of scenery. They provided a nice understated alternative to the valley. Top off an evening at one of our famed Indian Casinos, Cliff Castle, and you've got a four star weekend.

Montezuma's Well, in particular, offered a placid and quiet place to just relax. It isn't too far off the 17 and a couple of hours there can really clear your head. It doesn't offer anything spectacular on the surface but once you settle in you find that your thoughts flow as freely as the water out of the ancient well.