Is Life Becoming Like Cable TV?
In the entertainment world, when a TV series is said to have
"jumped the shark" it means that the producers have exhausted the premise of
the series and are proceeding to go over the top on their way out. The series is then canceled and the viewer
is left to look to other cable channels for new distractions. I am beginning to wonder if the
Two things I have noticed here in the past few days at TPM
have led me to this thought. The first
is that the Café, led by the indomitable Mr. DickDay, has been having some fun with demented
speculations. That in itself is not such
a surprise since there are a lot of talented and imaginative contributors
here. The other thing I noticed is the
dominance of "deep thought" entries and other snarky headlines on the front
page. It is as if both the creative
spirits here and the diligent experts have come to some mutual realization that
perhaps the
The Justice
Department staff has concluded that other Justice Department staff should not
be prosecuted for even the clearest violation of the laws governing the
behavior of its staff of lawyers. So
what exactly is a Justice Department all about, outside of law
enforcement? I won't even get into the
"We don't torture any more except we still do." thing. It has just become a macabre play on words.
Then there is party affiliation. Senator
Specter, a Republican has become a Democrat, except he hasn't, except he will,
and on and on. It raises the question of
how would a new citizen of the U.S. rationalize his/her choice of a political
party if the most senior incumbents in
those parties can not? And while I am on the subject of citizenship, without
Habeas Corpus how is the
There is also the matter of the banks not having any money. Well I don't have any money. Does that make me a bank? If so can I get a zero interest loan from the Federal Reserve? And anyway if a bank has no money is it a bank or just a store with nothing for sale? There are two wars going on in pursuit of some unstated purpose other than they have been going on before today. Or are they even wars any more?
I'll stop. It seems the poets are laughing and the expert analysts are laughing. Maybe the whole thing has become laughable and it is time to move on. I wonder what is on the Animal Planet channel. Oh god no. It is probably worse there. I think I need a vice.
Really good piece, Larry. I agree. Right now, the shitstream just seems endless:
Specter says I won't be a loyal Democrat, votes against us, and... he's welcomed. So yadda yadda, people rationalize this, and apparently, it's a marginal gain. Fine. But then.. Torture. We're against it, except now we don't think anyone did anything wrong. And even if they did, Pelosi & Gates & our other friends knew about it too, so that must mean it can't be bad. Best to look ahead. Focus on the economy. The Banks. They're solidifying, which is good, because otherwise the crooks that run them wouldn't have anything to do all day. So that's a clear plus. And Afghanistan. We're going to rebuild those people by blowing all their women and children to pieces. And we highly recommend this course to Pakistan. Sure, our own homeowners are suffering, but we think that rather than direct assistance, in the form of, you know... cash money... the most important thing we can achieve is bankruptcy reform. It's just that, we don't want to vote for it. An finally, Health care - which is good for everyone! And in this new era of listening and inclusiveness, we'll listen to all voices. Except those that want health care for all.
Now, I know it's our guy Obama in charge, and the GOP would be worse, but Holy McShit - there has to be a way to speak back when this sort of idiocy just keeps coming. In the absence of that, I guess I just consider the shark... jumped.
Therefore... Let The Games Begin!
May 6, 2009 8:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Right on neighbor. Thing is they jumped the shark. We're just watching. I think they don't believe it anymore and just want to cash out. Which leaves us - well where?
May 6, 2009 9:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I ran across a Simpson dealy and Lisa goes into the future on the internet and checks newspaper headlines:
LAST POLAR BEAR ON PLANET HANGS HIMSELF WHILE IN PRISON. hahahahahahaha
Look Larry. The dems passed new labor laws, new health laws for the kiddies, a great stimulus package that will be added to the next four years, a vague but scary (to the repubs anyway) ten year plan,
a budget will be passed soon (both houses passed the resolutions)
Still I cannot get free cigs
But health is going to come through. A start. It will not fix the health crisis, but it will be a start.
We do not have a racist in charge of the Civil Rights wing of the DOJ.
We do not have EXXON running the EPA
We do have a labor person in charge of the Labor Department.
ITS NOT ALLLLLLLLL GOOD.
But you have to admit its getting better. ha
May 6, 2009 8:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
You are pitch perfect here Larry. It's like when the economy got shot to sh#t, the curtain got pulled aside, and whoa! it's just a little white haired guy pulling levers, and everybody is running around trying to cover it all up and convince the rest of us that they're on it. Not to worry, just keep sending money. WTF?
May 6, 2009 9:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
What?
Larry, you haven't seen the bluebirds yet?
May 6, 2009 9:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Wonderful blog, Larry. And good to have you back. Even if it's all a parody of itself, at least we have Larry to call it as he sees it.
I agree with miguelto: This was pitch-perfect!
May 6, 2009 10:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great post Larry,
Seems to me that whats happening now is that our collective relationship with the powers that be (whether they are legal, political, or economic) is fundamentally changing yet our institutions haven't adapted. They are still functioning but at a speed that seems glacial in our hyper world where everything is available at our fingertips.
Like watching a dated tv show, wondering how it ends but knowing it doesn't really matter.
May 7, 2009 2:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
That's about one step shy of enlightenment.
May 7, 2009 4:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
great post, Larry. America is still the world's best example of a modern hypocrisy.
May 7, 2009 7:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
Love this piece. I think we jumped the shark forty years ago and are just now seeing the stupid ending we have all been dreading and anticipating at the same time. I am confident we can get some common sense programming if we all show up to the polls whenever they open, especially for the primaries.
May 7, 2009 8:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
My jump the shark moment came when I read about the bankrupt banks complaining about the strings that came attached to TARP, especially the CEO pay string. They wanted the money string-free and not have to account for it. And I thought wtf??? Don't we all, but that's not how you guys lend it.
May 7, 2009 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
I am convinced that we jumped the shork with the 2000 election... not just in the Cable sense, but in the spiritual sense.
I felt the most intense nausea on election night when Florida was initially called for Gore and the cable news channels flipped to Bush and family (minus Jeb) sitting around in serene confidence, each one predicting in turn that the election would play in their favor. Then the nausea became an outright room-spinning dizzy spell and projectile vomit when Florida went neutral in spite of the clear exit polls.
I believe, deep down, there was a looking glass moment and the world split into parallel realities: one where we suffer in the purgatory of the Bush years, and another world where we did the right thing and fought for Gore (and Gore fought for us). A reality where a spade was called a spade and it was outright called fraud and treated like fraud. No one believed James Baker's legal relativism and SCOTUS did not intervene with the Florida courts.
That was a moment when the nation could have lived up to its image as a democratic republic. Now we collectively live with the consequences of letting the lunatics run the asylum... is it any wonder that reality TV metastasized under Bush? It is as if we came out of the closet and admitted we like to be fucked with by authority.
May 7, 2009 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
I have never thought of it quite this way. It is as if the world split in two. Or perhaps it was a psychotic break. Perhaps the disease that had been dormant for so long finally took control. This is how it is with individuals. Can it also be so with societies? What does seem certain to me is that we can not go back to the way it was before Bush v. Gore. Something fundamental has changed and forward is the only direction. The flood has washed out the bridge. We may have our memories but the only path is ahead.
May 7, 2009 12:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
That is interesting Zip, I have had that exact thought many times throughout the years. Do you have any idea how I might be able to move into our parallel reality? Does anyone know of a good wormhole? Or maybe some Yaqui trail?
May 7, 2009 12:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't know if there is a way, Saladin. In my own way I tried. The effort and discipline required to make the journey is equivalent to what is needed to transcend it.
I just had a weird thought... Can Rush Limbaugh cry?
May 7, 2009 9:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great reply, Zipperupus, though most unsettling. Yes, everything changed with the upset in the year 2000. And yes, we suffered through eight vicious, surreal years. . .and now we're looking back at it, trying to make sense of it when none of it makes any sense.
I've heard people say "we let this happen", but that's too simplistic. There were legions of us who fought against the Bush regime to no avail. We were fighting forces more powerful than any numbers of us--we were fighting Big Business and they had the capital to crush us. It was only after their own greed and selfishness did them in that we were able to gain ground.
How long can we hold it?
The real question: Who is really with us? While we might have the wisdom, the need, and the desire, our leaders have the power. We'll see if they remember who put them there, and why.
May 7, 2009 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
LarryH, great post. Zipperupus, I think you nailed the moment.
But somehow it feels like we didn't really finish jumping the shark. I think we are in a kind of suspended reality where we are eternally in the midst of jumping the shark.
In front of our eyes an endless loop of Fonzi on his motorcycle in flight (AND NEVER LANDING) will continue to be played, (metaphorically speaking), for our 'edification' by the Corporations who control us and the Chinese who own us. "America is still Great, America is in Crisis (Repeat)"
Mollified Americans will just get older, accept the continual lessening of their lifestyle and, zombie-like, will pass the whole thing on to the next generation, just as the previous generation passed it on to us.
May 7, 2009 12:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
My personal opinion is that the rulers of the country and the elites of all sectors have definitively, through their own clearly demonstrated wrecklessness and irresponsibility, forfeited their right to rule. It is time to clear out the ruling elites, disposses them of their power and positions. The biggest problem, however, is that the corruption is so rampant and rife amongst the powerful of all stripes and the trough is so bountiful for all the swine that there is no leader or group of leaders willing to lead the charge against them. Sad, but true.
May 7, 2009 1:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Interesting take, Larry. I think people, the human kind, have repressed this sense of helplessness for so long now, and expected a weight to lift with the new government (it did to some extent of course). But it seems we’re just on the same ship with a different captain and crew. It’s that mighty ocean-liner that can’t be turned on a dime but must be verrrrry, verrrrrry slooooowly shifted (many are beginning to believe it will never turn around). I would say the glass is half full, if I had a glass. Oh well, I’m going to watch Animal Planet, too, and drink gin from a paper cup. I hear it’s Shark Week every week now. Nice post.
May 7, 2009 7:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Did I miss chicken week?
May 7, 2009 7:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Now showing on CSPAN.
May 7, 2009 8:06 PM | Reply | Permalink