Ignorance Sometimes is Bliss.
Lately, I seem to be hearing people talk about things about which I know nothing. I’m not talking about listening to peeps like our friend Carl talk about physics and math and my being clueless about the subject matter. No, I’m talking about things that lots of people seem to know about, but about which I know zip.
Here are a few that come to mind:
â€Housewives of California/New Jersey/God Knows Where Elseâ€
I gather from the conversations I’ve listened to that these are TV programs that track the lives of women who are thought to be typical (?) of housewives of the particular state identified in the program title. WTF? If they’re “typical,†what’s the point? If they’re not typical, what’s the point? From what I hear, all the women are assholes. What’s the point?
i-Phones
There is much talk of them, and I’ve seen people staring into them for long periods of time. I don’t know anything about i-Phones, other than that they appear to be much larger than most cell phones and that they have a touch pad that requires finger sliding. I prefer to remain ignorant, lest I get sucked in. Confession: I felt that way about i-Pods, but now I own one.
Vampires on Television
I gather these shows depict people in the 21st Century dealing with blood-sucking vampires, sometimes by slaying them and other times interacting with them, much as would any other person. Dracula emerging from a coffin at night in Transylvania , saying creepy things with a Hungarian accent, wearing a cape and scaring the shit out of everyone is one thing, but vampires wearing Dockers seems nuts to me.
Television Shows About People With a Shitload of Kids
People are talking about one of the couples in one of these shows “separating.†I gather it’s a big deal. Oh, then there is the crazy lady with eight kids. What is so fascinating about watching screaming kids and frazzled parents or, in the case of the lady with eight kids, a farookin’ nutbar? Peeps sure like to talk about those peeps, though. Don’t know anything about it, and I like it that way.
Video Games Where One Creates a Virtual Life or Virtual People
Whoa! Some weird shit there. I know just enough about those things to know I don’t want to know any more about them.
There are doubtless more, but I’ve decided that this post is a D+ at best, but I don’t feel like writing anything else, so I shall lower the quality control bar and not delete it. Sorry.
Jim,
You might want to talk to some legal compadres about the i-phone. One of my freinds loves hie. It has many new tricks that allow him to do great swaths of work without his computer and then sync back up when he hits his house. One of his favorite new tricks is a spreadsheet that allows you to dictate into a cell (voice recording). He uses it to keep track of billable hours as he goes rather than trying to sit down (for an hour) at the end of the day and capture wht he needs for accounting purposes. My other lawyer uses his as a GPS on his boat.
Comment by mark reardon — June 23, 2009 @ 9:29 pm
Perhaps the iPhone will trim your manly locks every five weeks, tune your guitars, tighten your drum skins, pour your drinks, and write your blogposts for you. Come to think of it, maybe I should get one. This other stuff you speak of…Housewives…vampires…shitloads of kids…? I am so glad it is just not me who isn’t into this stuff, as I was a little worried that I was nisht mit allemen, or in the very least mildly aberrant for my age group. I also thought “The Dark Knight” sucked. So there.
Comment by Erica — June 23, 2009 @ 11:19 pm
….. you and I are in the same boat, Jimbo…… on lots and lots of levels….
Comment by Eric — June 24, 2009 @ 7:14 am
This is an A+ commentary on the sad state of what enraptures and amuses the great unwashed who, sad to say, also vote. Shiny gadgets, shallow symbolism and entertainment that borders on voyeurism is the pabulum of the masses. Best just to side step it like dog crap on the sidewalk, which, for the most part, it is…
Comment by gregor — June 24, 2009 @ 7:43 am
I’m with you on the television shows. Not at all sure why they are so enthralling to so many.
I don’t have an iPhone because I refuse to use AT&T. I do have a blackberry because I need need need the calendar feature to keep me from forgetting everything (I have brain cells that don’t remember anything for longer than 3 seconds if I don’t write it somewhere – if I put it in the bb I can have it also remind me – much preferred the calendar on the treo until it started going wonky on me)
Did buy the new itouch ipod which is like the iphone without the phone part. I listen to downloaded podcasts or audio books while driving – this is far superior to radio with awful commercials. Wanted the new itouch because I can make the fonts larger in the table of contents so I can actually read it without having to squint. Heh.
I don’t do video games – never have never will. I know others love them and I’m good with that. It doesn’t grab me though.
Comment by Teresa — June 24, 2009 @ 11:41 am
I have only one question – why do they call reality shows reality shows? There’s not one thing real about them!
Comment by Michele — June 24, 2009 @ 6:05 pm
Back before Christianity snuffed the practice, the ancients had several techniques for solving the problem of shitloads of children. One of the side effects of this was that in ancient Rome, almost no family ever had two (grown) daughters, as adult daughters needed an expensive dowry / wedding to be gotten out of the house.
Comment by Carl Brannen — June 25, 2009 @ 4:05 am
And you wonder how we got saddled with HRH Obama? And that mindless crew of his in Congress; like gregor said they vote. I’ve had to stop reading The Fair Tax books and Levine’s new book, because I get too worked up; because I don’t believe the great un-washed give a crap!
ARGGHH!!
Comment by Bill — June 25, 2009 @ 10:20 pm
I used to watch The Real World when it first came on (umpteen years ago). But when the cast started to figure out that the more outrageous behavior they showed might turn into a post-show career, the reality of the whole situation disappeared. I’m with you on all the other stuff too.
Comment by Jerry in Indiana — June 26, 2009 @ 6:20 pm