Monday, May 05, 2008

With American Idol in full force, I have to say I hate this time of year-- Idol season. I call it the Tyranny of American Idol, mainly in that despite all my attempts at not caring at all (I have never watched it nor had any inclination too as I see it as one big karoake show full of middling talents) but since everyone thinks everyone cares, I have to constantly hear about it. In the blogs. In EW. Even on PTI.

At this point, we're almost on the cusp of the "Tyranny of the Hills." I do not care one whit about Heidi and Lauren and Spencer yet I am supposed to care because everybody is supposed to care. The fact I even know who Heidi and Lauren is upsets me. What have these people done to merit such attention, even grabbing covers of gossip magazines as if the state of the Heidi and Lauren feud is equal to our relationship with Iran. Jesus Christ, America.

Harlan and I like to watch VH-1's "Best Week Ever" which for those of you who don't know is a show in which the week's pop-cultural moments are shown and a crew of talking heads snark on it. It's like "I love Last Week." Lately, however, the show is depressing me. For me, part of it is the fact that the whole irony/snark thing has turned to snarking on something as infetisemal as something on the Tyra Banks show. But mainly because the crap that is out there in the vast wasteland is almost offensive in it's awfulness. It's people out there celebrating the lowest of low brow without any sense that what they're watching is insulting.

Thing is, though, is that there was a point where I kinda hopped aboard all of this. In the mighty words of Elvis Costello "I used to be disgusted and now I try to be amused." But now, I'm back to disgusted
I walk around the office a lot. It's part of my job. And as I walk around, I invariably see the same or so people time after time during the day. So the question is, how many times does one have to smile to be socially acceptable? Is one the first time they see them enough? Do you have to smile everytime you see them?

Just curious