Really?
We seem to have a morbid fascination about confusing celebrity with character. We watch “reality” shows which are scripted, reshot, edited, and manipulated. We’ve turned Andy Warhol’s 15 minutes into 15 months. Functionally illiterate people—from “housewives” and Jersey Shore to the revolting people’s courts and survival shows—have become objects of interest dissected in banal “entertainment” shows. As Betty White (I think) commented on one of the ubiquitous “roasts” on a cable channel, “Someone hit me in the face so I can see some real stars.”
Now we have Donald Trump hosting a Republican debate (or trying to, it’s tough to debate when only one person shows up). Mr. Trump’s credentials include investment deals (many of which lost other people’s money), some bankruptcies, a threatened presidential campaign, and hosting one of those reality shows in which you quickly come to hate every single, narcissistic participant.
How is it that a major party tends to move toward candidates who seem to want to debate whether the earth is flat and how many angels can dance on the head of a pin? I can understand martial affairs and ethical lapses—we’re all human, and some of our greatest, legitimate heroes have had their own peccadillos exposed. But shouldn’t they know about, say, world affairs, issues before Congress, and what the euro is doing?
The approaching election is one of the most important in recent history. Respectfully, shouldn’t we be capable of finding wonderful candidates who challenge us to choose among the best of the best, rather than media peculiarities who seem to think they’re in a reality show?
This isn’t a show. This is the reality of our future. Perhaps we should treat it that way.
© Alan Weiss 2011. All rights reserved.
