The new Will Ferrell film, Anchorman II, is one
of the silliest I’ve ever seen, but embedded in the gags and bits is a
commentary about our popular culture, namely, that the dumber it is, the more
people will clamor for it. When the major American media consolidated a couple
of decades ago, and print, TV and radio outlets fell into fewer and fewer
corporate hands, programming honchos figured out that dumbing things down was a
sure-fire path to sustained profits, and in short order real “news” was ditched
in favor of high-speed car chases, celebrity weddings and breakups, features
about cuddly animals, salacious murders, fashion, kidnappings, and stories of
survival. Television shows about television shows sprouted like mold.
I had never heard of Phil Robertson or Duck
Dynasty until the recent dustup over comments Robertson made about
homosexuality, when his bearded face began appearing all over the Internet,
from Facebook to the New York Times. The A&E Network briefly suspended
Robertson from Duck Dynasty, then, under pressure from viewers and right-wing
luminaries like Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum and Bobby Jindal, relented.
Robertson will be back at the head of his clan.
Curious to see what I was missing, I watched
five minutes of a Duck Dynasty episode on-line; that was enough -- celebrating
rednecks, no matter how wealthy or colorful -- isn’t my idea of entertainment.
I read a comment from one dedicated Duck viewer that he loved the show because
the Robertson clan celebrates “Christian” faith and values. Well, that seals
the deal for me.
My wife tells me I must reconcile myself to the
fact that pop culture is a celebration of stupidity. She can watch an episode
of The Real Housewives of (enter name of city here) with serene detachment; the
inanity of the show doesn’t make her apoplectic or homicidal; I can’t muster
anything but contempt and vitriol for rich, self-absorbed, Botoxed women, and
the same goes for pawn shop owners, hoarders, real estate junkies, fashion
designers and chefs. All they do is make noise and create drama where none
exists. Why people care about Phil Robertson escapes me – honestly, I don’t get
it.
It’s not surprising to me that a majority of
Americans believe in miracles, angels, fairies, or that the earth is only 6,000
years old. We celebrate dumbing down at every opportunity and our appetite for
crap and schmaltz is as insatiable as it is profitable for its purveyors; money
is the only reason A&E executives put the Duck king back on his throne.
They’re not going to slice off their nose to spite their face. The Duck man
will be around until he says something truly over the top.
I was thinking I might write something
uplifting and hopeful as we approach 2014, but I’ve succumbed to the blues once
again. Sorry, folks. I thank all of you from around the world for reading this
blog; I suspect some of you stumble across it purely by accident, but for those
who step up and sit a spell, I thank you and wish you all the best in the new
year.
No comments:
Post a Comment