SIX DEGREES OF SMUT
My family and friends tease me about the amount of inane
facts I can regurgitate. In fact, I can freely admit that I know a lot
about the pointless, trivial, and mundane especially when it comes to pop
culture. I am that person that can connect Kevin Bacon in six degrees to Charo
(btw, you can pretty much connect everyone thru the TV show the Love Boat). I can tell you facts about bands, songs,
films, actors, books, old television shows, who’s dating who etc. You see, pointless. In my defense, I’ve always tried to stay in the know because it’s my business as a
writer to know, and the other part, cause it’s fun and it doesn’t hurt my head.
And the latter part has become my go to answer to anyone these days that
remarks on it. Yes, in today’s world, I find it much easier to partially bury my head in
the sand and focus on the mundane as opposed to the macabre – although without
noting on the things that disturb me, I wouldn’t have much to blog about.
Now saying all this, I also consider myself very informed on
world events. I am fascinated by a wide range of subjects and I feel remiss if
I don’t keep up with things on some fronts – I say some, because the world of
fishing, bowling or reality TV shows will never enter my stratosphere. But saying
this, it is becoming harder and harder to stay informed without becoming
utterly and profoundly depressed. You watch the news and know what I’m talking
about; murder, embezzlement, rape, duplicity, torture, and that’s just a
Monday’s news cycle. How the hell is everyone not focusing on the mundane with
sh*t like that out there? Then again, that’s perhaps why the ratings numbers on X
Factor and American Idol are so high and print media is in the toilet. Because
people just can’t take it anymore. As much as we want (and need) to know what
vile torture the Taliban is up to (that’s for you BD), it is very hard to
imbibe one’s morning coffee over the death of an innocent child. In fact, every
time I read about another young life lost in a senseless way, or a woman being held in a basement by some masochistic psycho I get angry…then sad…then post some ranting statement on FB…and then click on some
inane website to cleanse the depressing palette that is my brain.
Is this denial? For certain. Cowardice? In some ways, yes.
And for certain it is partly what is wrong with today’s society – and I can
admit I am part of the problem. People are simply oversaturated from bad news
and depressing events and often that results in turning a blind eye. Now, I’m
not saying I do not get charged up over things because I definitely do. Merely
read this blog and you’ll see I’m a woman of many opinions. My husband would happily attest that I have many hot button issues that send me into a wild eyed rant; but could I do more to put my voice out into the world
to stop these atrocities? Of course I could, we all could.
On one hand, I have to say that I love this generations need to express their every thought and opinion in the social stratosphere as I think it raises issues that
could otherwise be buried and lost forever. But I would like to see us as a
human race act a bit more, and that includes myself. So when I see people
buying sh*tty magazines at the airport, I never judge. I liken it to having a
whisky at the local watering hole to dull the edges of life. It’s a lot easier
to obsess over where you can get those wedge heels Angelina Jolie was wearing
as opposed to wondering who is locked in the neighbor’s basement. It’s pure self-preservation you see.
[Btw, Charo was in Moon Over Parador (a classic underrated comedy) with Edward
Asner, Asner was in JFK with Kevin Bacon. Boom! Two moves].