Politically Correct - or Incorrect?

So recently I was asked to say something that is politically incorrect. I've thought about it quite a bit and I'm finally getting around to putting it down here.



First of all:


(An open note to Craig Ferguson - The Late, Late Show - CBS)



Dear Craig,


First let me say that I find your late night show more entertaining (with some periodic relevance) than almost any program of its genre out there. It's refreshing to be faced with a limited amount of exposure to the 'face-time seekers' that often pretend to stardom. Your short format tends to bring out a little of the more honestly human personalities these people (seem to) actually possess.

Amazingly, I haven't yet noticed any incident of 'THE HOST' trying to shame or degrade 'THE GUEST.' It's nice to see a program that is not totally dependent on shock, innuendo or excessive sexual smirking. (Would you believe that Jay Leno used to be a comedian?)



A very hearty Welcome to you as a new citizen of the USA. Since you've had some time to enjoy this new honor, you are now ready to face the horrible truth. Be prepared.


You should know that 'Brothers and Sisters', Sex and the City', 'Dr. Phil', 'Tyra Banks', 'Oprah', 'Maury Povich', 'Montel Williams', 'Desperate Housewives', 'American Idol', 'So You Think You can Dance', 'Dancing With the Stars', 'The Bachelor', 'Bachelorette', 'Survivor', 'Big Brother', 'Jerry Springer', 'The Next Top Model', 'Regis and Kelly', 'Mike and Juliette', (let me take a breath here.........) - 'Judge Judy', 'Judge Mathis', 'Judge Lopez', 'Judge Hatchett', 'Divorce Court', 'The People's Court', 'Judge Alex', 'Cristina's Court', 'Steve Wilkos', 'American Gladiator', 'Reno 911', 'The Simpsons', 'South Park', 'Family Guy', 'King of the Hill', 'Comics Unleashed', 'Swapping Wives', 'Vacation Swap', 'TMZ', 'Extra', 'Entertainment Tonight', 'Access Hollywood', 'CSI (in every available city!)', 'Cold Case', 'The Unit', 'Law and Order', '24', '911', 'Cops', 'Without a Trace' (and several other real or 'Socially relevant' shows I apologize for having left off the list) are all going to be around for a while. Sorry, Craig.


Those are only from Network TV. I disconnected cable a year ago, so I can't give you a list from that jungle. Have I seen these? At least one episode of each (as long as I could stomach it!) They wouldn't last long as contestants on the Gong Show.



As an added note, IPod, Wii, Blackberry, Blue Tooth, Game Boy, PS2, Text Messaging, You Tube, My Space and a few other technical Marvels are also going to be around for a while.


You shouldn't be surprised if therefore, you encounter an increasing number of 'citizens' who can't read, write, make change, make decisions, stand up for their identities (if they have one left), develop their own ethical standards, distinguish between themselves as 'persons' and themselves as 'commodities', speak clearly or have an opinion or preference that they have actually developed on their own.


The GOOD news?
I'm finding that there are alot of people (of various ages) who are beginning to tire of this stuff. More and more are asking: "What's the point?" Some are asking: "Why is everything I pick up in the store marked made in China, made in Mexico, made in Pakistan"? The questions are beginning to grow from these.


Perhaps more importantly (still GOOD news), we are hearing: "What's happening to our country? How do we find our very own, personal values? How come our kids are so confused about rights and responsibilities? Who's in charge? Who do we vote for? Who do we trust? These have become very American questions.



-and so- The words Politically Incorrect again come to mind.

When I hear those words, I think of what they really mean and I think of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Ashcroft, Rove, Libby, Rice, Hadley, Bremer, Silberman, Gingrich and a continuing list of quiet 'Who's-Who' names left over from the imperial Nixon years. Politically incorrect.



Politic is first and foremost 'of the people.' These politicians are not. In a very few decades, they have determined that Government is something to be kept away from the people. We've been buying it.


The 'Media' keeps telling us that we'll have only a well-financed Democrat or Republican to choose from. What they don't remind us (or you, as a new citizen) about, is that we have the legal right to 'write in' a name on our ballots.


Now most people I've spoken with agree that it would be neat to do, but they have also been convinced that it wouldn't make any difference. Some of them even joke about it. "Yeah, we can put Donald Duck down for President! Ha Ha. They can't make him look any more ridiculous than they do with legitimate alternatives," so let's just give in to the names they give us. I may be wrong, but that defeatist apathy is possibly how we got the Administration we currently have.


So - Politically Correct?
What if alot of people actually took the "American Initiative" and wrote in a name. One they believed in? One that represented real ideas and a commitment to action? They might not win. However, if the number of 'write-ins' were significant enough, might our 'leaders' be compelled to take notice? It would, after all, be both legal and peaceful.


What if alot of people decided that the companies they bought stock from are not being managed as much as being 'manipulated' for the personal wealth of their executives? (Sounds like some of our current political leaders!)


Free enterprise doesn't exist if the rules (and the outcome) are pre-determined. Democracy doesn't exist without the participation of the people.


The 'Politically Incorrect' part of it all seems to be that too many citizens (of this country And of the world) are getting stuck on the idea that "I don't really matter." To that, I suggest that we have an option. We can spend our lives going after what we really want - or just get old.


So Craig. Keep your show as straight-up, diverse and entertaining as it's been. And please feel free to acknowledge the fact that you've decided to become a part of the entity described by those incredibly gutsy people (some rich and influential) of the 1700's. Welcome to America. You're free to have more impact than you might believe.


With Regards,
Robert

Best Quotes and sayings!

Milton Berle once joked "youth is the first 50 years of your life, and the first 19 of everybody else's!"


Marshall McCluhan - I don't necessarily agree with everything I say.


? - a little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men.


? - If not me, then who? If not now, then when?


? - Grapes want to become wine.

Robert Fripp (King Crimson) - Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence.

George Elliot - You are Never too old to be what you might have been!


John Stuart Mill- 'On Liberty' 1859 --- "Precisely because the tyranny of Opinion is such as to make eccentricity a reproach, it is desirable, in order to break through that tyranny, that people should be eccentric.
Eccentricity has always abounded when and where strength of character has abounded: and the amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genious, mental vigor and moral courage it contained.
That so few dare to be eccentric marks a chief danger of our time."

Miles Davis - Don't play what's there. Play what's not there.

Me - Democracy doesn't exist if the people are excluded from participating.

? - If the rules and outcomes of Free Enterprise are pre-determined, it isn't Free Enterprise.

? - the trouble is that you think you have time.


Carl Jung - Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakes.


? - People with opinions just go around bothering each other.


Picasso - The important thing is to DO, and nothing else; be what it may.


Michael de Montaigne - No one is injured, but by himself.


William Stafford - I embrace emerging experience. I participate in discovery. I am a butterfly. I am not a butterfly collector.

Digital 'Music'?

Digital – Good stuff?

A Digit – (noun) sometimes used to refer to a finger.

A Finger – (noun) What some people use to poke you in the eye.

What’s “digital” done for/to music? It created a revolution in what can be done in a studio…and with instruments. Thanks Mr. MOOG! ...(that was 30 some years ago.)

What else? Lately?

Well, people now spend more money on devices to play music than on the music itself! As a matter of fact, that’s become the definition of how great their awareness of music is… “My IPOD holds 11,000 songs!”

Did you know that a local furniture retailer will give you a 3GB IPOD NANO for every purchase over $300.00.

So what does all this have to do with music? (or even furniture!) Nothing. Think about it.

“Hey, I can listen to all my songs in class or at work or even while I’m driving!”

What about listening to a live band at a concert, or even a club? …“Costs too much.”

Oh. Don’t you like to dance or maybe meet people in the real world? …“Nah. Me and my friends all have IPODs.”

Do you ever go out? Go on dates? …“Yeah, we get together and hang out and we can listen to all the music we want!”

What do you listen to? …“Whatever is on our IPODs.”

Why? …“’Cause it’s cool.”

What’s cool about it? …“I don’t know, we just like it.”

What about the bands? The musicians? …“They’re ok. I don’t know. I saw some of ‘em on YouTube. They looked cool.”

What about when you do go out? Who are your favorite bands? …“Um, the ones that play what’s on my IPOD and act like the bands on YouTube!”

What does that have to do with the music? …“I don’t know. Nothing much, but I have 2,784 songs on my IPOD!”

Nothing. Think about it.

When "Digital" becomes the definition of how we interact with the arts, maybe we lose more than we gain. Especially in music, its appreciation includes social interaction, sharing the experience with the 'audience' as well as the musicians. Even though the 'event' (going to listen to music) may be transient, the impact is something that stays with us and contributes to our growth, tastes, appreciation and ability to make our own judgements of quality. We get to share the event with people around us and strengthen our own socialization. Without that interactive participation, music itself becomes just another transient, even meaningless one-shot blink in the day.

An added potential downside is that the number of people who have no musical or artistic training, are randomly manipulating music digitally and then call themselves artists. Their new criteria for the label? I can work a computer.

Nothing. Think about it.