Stop watching the train wreck, and start laying new tracks!
by cusa2July 6th, 2009 at 10:33 AM
Filed under: Consumer Commentary
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Did you hear that Michael Jackson died? It is the current joke referring to the obsessive nonstop coverage of his recent demise. Tomorrow, here in Los Angeles, there will be a memorial service in which a million and half people have registered for a drawing of 8700 tickets to attend the ceremony. Undoubtedly, it will be covered around the world to some degree by most media outlets. Now before any of you Jackson fans get the vapors over my anticipated, sacrilegious criticism of such a cultural icon, allow me first to extol his virtues. He had a unique voice and a wonderful creative style. He was a great dancer. His videos set a new standard for the music industry and his records sold in the 100’s of millions. He even had the reputation of being very generous -especially to children. Concurrent with the above, his dysfunction behavior was equally record-shattering. He personally admitted that he liked to play and sleep with little children. Maybe this was well intentioned even though he paid over $20 million in restitution for which maybe he was framed. After dozens of surgeries, he looked like a bad Halloween mask. I understand he was hoping to look like Diana Ross. He wore a bandage to prevent his nose from falling off. He bleached his skin white. I guess he wanted to dispel the rumor that white men can’t dance. He wore a wig that looked like the picture on a Dutch Master Cigar box. He bought three blond blue eyed children from a surrogate woman, and made them wear masks in public. Finally, he took more drugs than the local pharmacy dispenses in a week. There may be more, but my intention is not to be cruel or insensitive to someone who may have had some psychological challenges. This is the question of the day! Has society lost all sense of values? Are there so few heroes left in the world that this has become an international event that trumps the world’s shattering economic and political crises? I am not saying that we shouldn’t recognize the loss of talent, but this display is so over the top that it must be symptomatic of a deeper societal problem. My own theory is that it reflects the break down of the family, and the virtues that parents have historically passed on to their children. Our economy has required two income households short changing child guidance. Additionally, I believe that when the institutions, in which have traditionally believed, fail us, we seek the lowest common denominator. There has been financial and moral corruption in politics on both sides of the aisle; corruption on Wall Street and in our banking system. There has been moral corruption in the church especially the Catholic Church. We have evolved a public school system that is so horribly broken that we give out awards when reading scores exceed the 30th percentile. We demean our political leaders to the point where the smart people simply avoid public service leaving us with narcissists and self promoters. We have belittled patriotism, calling it corny and anti-intellectual. Finally, separation of church and state gone over the political correctness top by attempting rename Christmas, attempting to take the word God off coins and currency, and denying our Judeo-Christian heritage. The constitution's meaning for the separation of church and state was to protect churches from the government, not the other way around. The canonization of a Michael Jackson type is simply a society crying out for meaning. It should give us pause, when more people voted for American Idol than for the President, and when TV is filled with more and more reality programs promoting trashy, dysfunctional behavior, and when train wrecks cause erections. It should lift us from our proverbial couches and make us yell out, “No More. It’s time to fix things." We are Americans who have a tradition of hard work and rugged individualism. We need to take back our government. California is giving out IOU’s this week. Washington is headed in the same direction and is out of control. China, India and others are calling for a world currency because of their fear of the devaluation of the dollar. I am sorry that Jackson died but let him be buried, and let us move on. We need to stop watching the train wreck, and start laying new tracks. |
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Well said Cusa2.
Thanks Ryan! As I said earlier, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Believe it or not, we probably agree on more than you think. You're just more subtle than I am. I thought when I heard the excerpts from the Staple center that they were talking about Mother Teresa - but then again, Mother Teresa doesn't have records and concert tickets to sell.
I am in complete agreement with you. FUCK MICHAEL JACKSON! I cannot understand why people are glossing over his life. He was a sick twisted piece of shit. Anyone that says different, I just ask them if they would let their kids sleep at his house? nuff said. Well spoken and I am glad that there is one thing we can both agree on. Good work, i would say keep it up, but hey, I'll take what I can get!
Train Wrecks?
"Stop watching the train wreck, and start laying new tracks!"
This is a thought provoking idea that scares me. It is also
a genuine thought among the many articles I have read on The American Critic. I know it is true.
Having retired from the educational industry I have experience for more than 30yrs working with educators at all levels. In almost every school, in every state there are examples of the family unit/structure breaking down, (exactly) like described in the above article where the author cusa2 says, "My own theory is that it reflects the break down of the family, and the virtues that parents have historically passed on to their children."
I am thinking the breakdown of the family units begins when so many adults separate, divorce or have children out of wedlock. It produces a terrible strain on the children and everyone in our society. Follow the life journey of child who is brought into the world, (USA-society) with two loving parents, etc. I don't have to quote any statistics to prove a point about who will have all of the advantages, -Vs- a neglected child, etc.
This example is multiplied everywhere today, why not in the news where it might become more public, open and viewed?
The "horror" is that this breeds generations of absent minded citizens who as the author clearly points out, "crying out for meaning" etc.
1.) When more people voted for American Idol than for the President.
2.) When TV is filled with more and more reality programs promoting trashy, dysfunctional behavior.
3.) We have evolved a public school system that is so horribly broken that we give out awards when reading scores exceed the 30th percentile.
Education begins & ends in the family unit of every household in America.
This author captured the "madness" of Jackson's death news to show us all how far off the chart we have come!
It makes me sick to see more interest in Jackson's death than the time it would take to go to a local "School Board of Education" and demand, (insist) it become more effective.
Where are our values?
Great Article! - Well written and provoking.
Stableman2008
Good article & forward thinking always gets us moving in the right direction. Be present and Lay New Tracks yesterday has passed.