And Still, I get the News I need on the Weather Report
Posted: Wed Jul 10, 2013 9:17 am
Permit me please to go on a little rant about the society we live in.
I've spoken about the wussification of America before, but it is starting to go deeper than that.
I try not to listen to any type of news. I live by the Paul Simon line, 'I get the news I need on the weather report'.
If something important happens in the world, my wife will tell me. In the car, I listen to XM 60's or 70's and the MLB channels. At home, I avoid news channels. Even with all this self-protection, friends and family still talk about current events.
They tell me of how Paul Dean has been fryed, grilled, and pickled by the press for admitting to using the 'N' word a long time ago. Hmm, a woman from the south using the N word. Go figure.
And yet, so called 'songs' with a repetitious deep base and streams of words that happen to rhyme can feature the N word at any time.
What?
I don't get it.
Yesterday, I was at the dentist office. While in the waiting room, I was 'treated' to a news on the hour report over the intercom.
At the end of this little report, the commentator spoke of how George Clooney and his girl friend were breaking up because he did not want a child and she did.
What?
Slow freakin news day?
Or is this what the news is like now?
America has to take a look at what is news and what is not news.
Paula Dean saying the N word, even today, not news.
Because I don't care!
She is a celebrity, so it makes news.
In the mean time, her next door neighbor can order up two maids, preferably black, because they match their decor better, and not a word is spoken.
George Clooney is still relevant? Was he ever really relevant?
He must be, because his choice not to have a child and breaking up with his girl friend over it was important enough to be on the news.
Our press is crossing the line in thinking that celebrities are important.
They're not.
In reality, they are cooks or actors who fair well in front of a camera.
That's all. No more, no less.
I don't care what Paula Dean said. I don't care about George Clooney and his easily replaced girl friend.
We live in a great country. Our forefathers gave us a lot of freedoms. Among them, was freedom of the press.
The press has evolved from newspapers to radio to television to the internet. And in that time, you'd think the press would be smarter in reporting the news.
But now, our forefathers are rolling over in their graves, indignant in that they sure as hell, did not add the words, 'to be stupid' in giving freedom of the press.
It happens in baseball too.
I try watching the MLB channel every once in a while. It's hard for me to watch because they goo goo all over these players as I picture the press doing with George Clooney.
They also laugh at each other's jokes, pretending each line is funny.
Annoying.
These are baseball players. They're very good at what they do. And sometimes, they're not.
Yes, both on the field and in the studio.
MLB does not like to focus on the 'sometimes, they're not' aspect, preferring to make SuperMan out of mere mortals.
When I make the mistake of starting Barry Zito on a fantasy team, I want to be lambasted like Barry Zito should be lambasted for a poor performance.
Instead, 'he had trouble with his command' or he 'left a few pitches over the plate'.
BAH!
WERE YOU WATCHING WHAT I WAS WATCHING?
He sucked!
It wasn't that he did not have his good stuff! He didn't have ANY stuff.
Don't sugarcoat it and say that it was a few bad pitches!
It was a lot of bad pitches! Barry and I should be criticized to the hilt for being horrible!
But, we aren't.
I've noticed that any time Tampa wins a game and that game is closed out by Fernando Rodney, that it is the network's absolute responsibility to capture Rodney with his 'bow and arrow' finish.
However, when the Yankees win a game and Mariano Rivera closes, Rivera does not have to be pictured.
The gimmick that Rodney uses, works.
He gets more air time because he acts like it was he, and he alone, who has brought victory to his team.
In the mean time, Rivera shakes hands with teammates like Barry Sanders scoring a touchdown, taking gratification in that the goal was met.
Rivera gets it, MLB does not.
I did go into the dentists lair and after the 'howdy do's', I asked him if he'd heard the news about George Clooney.
He said, 'What news?'
After telling him, he said, 'That was on the news?'
I said, 'Perfect response, Doc.'
"You can do your worst to me now, it'll be less painful than listening to another damned 'news' report."
I've spoken about the wussification of America before, but it is starting to go deeper than that.
I try not to listen to any type of news. I live by the Paul Simon line, 'I get the news I need on the weather report'.
If something important happens in the world, my wife will tell me. In the car, I listen to XM 60's or 70's and the MLB channels. At home, I avoid news channels. Even with all this self-protection, friends and family still talk about current events.
They tell me of how Paul Dean has been fryed, grilled, and pickled by the press for admitting to using the 'N' word a long time ago. Hmm, a woman from the south using the N word. Go figure.
And yet, so called 'songs' with a repetitious deep base and streams of words that happen to rhyme can feature the N word at any time.
What?
I don't get it.
Yesterday, I was at the dentist office. While in the waiting room, I was 'treated' to a news on the hour report over the intercom.
At the end of this little report, the commentator spoke of how George Clooney and his girl friend were breaking up because he did not want a child and she did.
What?
Slow freakin news day?
Or is this what the news is like now?
America has to take a look at what is news and what is not news.
Paula Dean saying the N word, even today, not news.
Because I don't care!
She is a celebrity, so it makes news.
In the mean time, her next door neighbor can order up two maids, preferably black, because they match their decor better, and not a word is spoken.
George Clooney is still relevant? Was he ever really relevant?
He must be, because his choice not to have a child and breaking up with his girl friend over it was important enough to be on the news.
Our press is crossing the line in thinking that celebrities are important.
They're not.
In reality, they are cooks or actors who fair well in front of a camera.
That's all. No more, no less.
I don't care what Paula Dean said. I don't care about George Clooney and his easily replaced girl friend.
We live in a great country. Our forefathers gave us a lot of freedoms. Among them, was freedom of the press.
The press has evolved from newspapers to radio to television to the internet. And in that time, you'd think the press would be smarter in reporting the news.
But now, our forefathers are rolling over in their graves, indignant in that they sure as hell, did not add the words, 'to be stupid' in giving freedom of the press.
It happens in baseball too.
I try watching the MLB channel every once in a while. It's hard for me to watch because they goo goo all over these players as I picture the press doing with George Clooney.
They also laugh at each other's jokes, pretending each line is funny.
Annoying.
These are baseball players. They're very good at what they do. And sometimes, they're not.
Yes, both on the field and in the studio.
MLB does not like to focus on the 'sometimes, they're not' aspect, preferring to make SuperMan out of mere mortals.
When I make the mistake of starting Barry Zito on a fantasy team, I want to be lambasted like Barry Zito should be lambasted for a poor performance.
Instead, 'he had trouble with his command' or he 'left a few pitches over the plate'.
BAH!
WERE YOU WATCHING WHAT I WAS WATCHING?
He sucked!
It wasn't that he did not have his good stuff! He didn't have ANY stuff.
Don't sugarcoat it and say that it was a few bad pitches!
It was a lot of bad pitches! Barry and I should be criticized to the hilt for being horrible!
But, we aren't.
I've noticed that any time Tampa wins a game and that game is closed out by Fernando Rodney, that it is the network's absolute responsibility to capture Rodney with his 'bow and arrow' finish.
However, when the Yankees win a game and Mariano Rivera closes, Rivera does not have to be pictured.
The gimmick that Rodney uses, works.
He gets more air time because he acts like it was he, and he alone, who has brought victory to his team.
In the mean time, Rivera shakes hands with teammates like Barry Sanders scoring a touchdown, taking gratification in that the goal was met.
Rivera gets it, MLB does not.
I did go into the dentists lair and after the 'howdy do's', I asked him if he'd heard the news about George Clooney.
He said, 'What news?'
After telling him, he said, 'That was on the news?'
I said, 'Perfect response, Doc.'
"You can do your worst to me now, it'll be less painful than listening to another damned 'news' report."
