That's Not Entertainment

Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel should be ashamed of themselves.

Apparently, at their wedding, a friend gifted them with an "inside joke" video of homeless and transgender people wishing them well, under the guise of being "friends" who "couldn't make it"to the couple's lavish nuptials. Timberlake later apologized for the video, and he should have. It was in poor taste. It made light of the lack of money, education, and health care many Americans deal with every day. It harshly delineated the differences between the "haves," the "have nots," and the "have even mores." Really, who partakes in that kind of "entertainment?" 

I mean, other than millions of Americans every day. 

No, I am not saying that most Americans bring home a homeless person to make fun of as they throw pennies. Maybe the Trumps, but not most Americans. However, I know that at least three million Americans are indulging in something similar: "Here comes Honey Boo, Boo." Oh, and that doesn't count the ones that don't watch the show, but still mock her and her family on various websites. 

I know, you're saying "this is sooo not the same thing." Isn't it? No, the viewers and their friends didn't go to Honey Boo Boo's house and film her and her family. They left that to the "professionals" at TLC.  However, they are still tuning in to watch them and laugh at their "antics" so they can feel better about themselves. You know, their antics that include a lack of education, money, and health care. Their antics that would make them not welcome at the tables of their viewers, or a Hollywood wedding. Their antics that make it somehow "acceptable" for grown adults to go as a 7-year old girl for Halloween. 

She's a kid. Not a punchline. 

Now you're saying "but they're being paid." Okay. Great. So, you can laugh at someone if you give them some cash? Because money is more important than dignity? Than humanity? If that is the argument being made then we are on a very slippery slope as a society. 

Maybe we are already going down that slope. After all, while "Honey Boo Boo" is the most visible example, there are plenty of other programs centered on laughing at the protagonists: "Hillbilly Handfishing," "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant," "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding." Pretty much if it's on TLC or the "History" channel, it's one of the genre. 

How can we, as a society, be so anti-bullying, and yet let our "entertainment" choices be programmed with little other than bullying. Are we saying that if a bully throws a kid a buck and says it was a "god show" after calling him "fag," it's okay? I know that sounds extreme, but is it really far off? 

Or should we all be ashamed of ourselves? 

Read more →

E-nough

I really wish Joe Biden would stop emailing me. 

Not just him, either. I'm tired of getting emails from Barack. And Michelle. And Bill Clinton. And even -- no, I can't believe I am saying this -- Beyonce. I want them all to stop with the emails. 

First of all, they really shouldn't be concerned about my vote. If I could have "bleeding heart liberal" tattooed somewhere on my person without using ouchy needles to do it, I would. There is no way I am voting for Mitt Romney. He could fly through the air on a golden unicorn, tossing down hundred dollar bills and birth control, then land and perform a same-sex wedding ceremony, and I still would wouldn't vote for him. If President Obama is one hundred percent sure of one vote this year, it's mine. He doesn't need to keep sending me little "Hey" messages to remind me he's running. 

Okay, so the emails are probably about money. The campaign needs it. I get it. What I don't get? A large paycheck. If I did, I would probably be voting for unicorn boy (no, I wouldn't). I am a local news producer, married to an educator, trying to put a kid through an independent school. The fact we gave anything at all shows just how devoted we are to this campaign. 

Also, I have to say the emails kind of insult my intelligence. Do they really think I believe the President, or even Biden for that matter, was sitting at his desk, worried about the campaign and thought "I know who can help! Libby! I mean, her blog alone reaches tens of people on a yearly basis! She will save the day!" 

I don't. Oh, and I've read all the articles about how using my name in the email will supposedly make me more likely to read it. I guess they haven't read the ones about how everyone knows about cut and paste. 

I think it would be even worse for the President if I actually did believe he and his high powered political friends are sitting around sending these emails out. They're supposed to be running a campaign and the country but they have time to email me? Even the ridiculously stupid version of me would see that's a bad use of time. 

I am glad to see though that the Obama campaign isn't the only one abusing the power of email though. According to Politico Romney is spamming the people who, like me, thought supporting their candidate meant handing over an email address. I can only imagine what's in those emails -- and it's definitely not money and free birth control. 

Read more →

Ch-ch-ch-changes. Or not.

This weekend I slapped on a pair of Spanx, slathered on some BB cream, tried to remember how to use a curling iron, and headed off for my 20th high school reunion. 

Yes, I graduated high school when I was 8. No, wait, actually, I was 6. 

I know what you are thinking.
Yep, my hair was that awesome.
Oh, and it made me 5'8".

I was actually pleasantly surprised to see my classmates. Yes, the one mean spirited boy who liked to target insecure girls is now a mean spirited man who picks the same targets, but this insecure girl is now more willing to let it roll off her back. For the most part though, we've all remained pretty nice people. And, know what's weird? I don't think any of us look that different. 

I mean, we have to. It's been 20 years. We've all gotten older, and our hair has greyed or thinned. Some of us have put on weight. When I looked at these people though, some of whom I hadn't seen since the day we graduated, I still saw who they were. And then I wondered why they were married to people who are so much older than they are. 

Maybe time is like beer. It gives you goggles. Maybe when you know someone in youth you will always see them that way, no matter what the years pile on. After all, no one ever really changes. Sure, they go to medical school, or they develop new world views, or pick up veganism, or decide that an English accent suits them better, but at the core something constant remains. Voices still sound the same. Jokes are told in the same manner. Body language is still familiar. And it's comforting. At least to me. 

It's nice to know that if I still see youth in these people, maybe they still see it in me. Because, really, I don't feel any different than I did 20 years ago. I'm stronger, and I'm more confident, and I pay my own bills, but I know that spark I had in me at 17,  I mean at 6, is still there. The kid in me isn't disappointed in who I became, because she is still there, and telling me that the game isn't over yet, that there is still more to do. 

She's also telling me Spanx are absolutely ridiculous. But she doesn't really want to go to the gym either. 

See? I'm still the same. 

Read more →