Superficiality

How come it seems to take events like the earthquake in Haiti for people in this country to think about something other than the happenings on Jersey Shore or The Real Wives of Orange County? As someone who suffers from a mental illness I recognize that we need our outlets in life. We need something that will make us laugh and not think about our travails in life.At risk of sounding like an old fart I am to think back to my childhood and the good old fashioned boob tube. As the t.v.'s have been getting bigger so does it seem to be the amount of boobs on that tube. One of my favorite shows was Happy Days starring Ron Howard and Henry Winkler. This was not an intensely deep show, but it did feature a somewhat functional 50's family with typical challenges. There was silliness with overly cool Fonz, the naive and innocent Richie, comedically challenged Ralph, and silly singer Potsie. Life issues though came up in many episodes. Whether it was the Fonz learning he didn't have to always act cool, the effect of drinking on Richie, unrequited love of Joanie towards Potsie, and standing up to "gangs" that were out to hurt Richie and his pals. The show was a bit masogenistic with the way the girls ran to the Fonz and how they dressed, but this is nothing like what we see on t.v. today. I will discuss a few because if I mentioned everyone that is out there today this would become a novel rather than a blog.

There is a young woman on t.v. named Heidi Montag whose only fame I understand is from being on a reality show based on living in a beach town. She has gone from being a pretty girl next door to a plastic surgery enhanced woman who looks like she should be auditioning for Heidi does Hawaiian Gardens. Apparently her breasts have been changed from a reasonable C sized chest to a gargantuan DDD and her behind and other parts of her also have been adjusted. Now, I admit that I enjoy looking at an ample bosom as much as the next guy and maybe a bit more, but what is going on in this country that we look to bimbettes or overly stereotyped Guidos to watch. This has become the modern freak show with the "freaks" lining up to be watched instead of the circuses hunting them down.

I am getting the feeling that having this kind of entertainment is like opening Pandora's box. We may never be able to go back to a time when in depth news was revered and talented writers and performers were looked up to. However, can't we strive to do better? I know there are definitely quality shows out there trying to make a difference. I personally enjoyed the show V and look forward to it coming back as it questions a lot of assumptions towards "aliens" as well as our desire for a savior. This also is special to me as I was a kid when the original came out. My desire is that my 5 year old daughter will have young women to look up to that have quality characters. Her mother and teachers are my first hope, but of course I know that entertainment does have a strong influence on the youth. The trick is directing her towards the proper examples without forcing it so she rebels. All I can do is present her with values that strengthen her as a being and always be available for her. It is going to be a challenge, but one that is extremely important in this world which is becoming more and more superficial.