THE END OF THE WORLD!
I begin with an apology. Maybe this is not the end of THE (one and only) world. The incident that inspires my analysis may not be a sign that Our Lord is returning soon. As the Bible, and Hemmingway, both put it, “The Sun also rises” (again, tomorrow). However, if, as T S Eliot put it, if the world will end with a whimper rather then a bang, then this is something like a warning. However, the event may be something equally as unique. This incident indicates a loss of identity as a human and a destruction of cultural standards. Exactly how bad it is I shall leave up to my (dozen or so) readers to decide.
I now end my possibly unnecessary introduction, and move to possibly necessary background material. C-SPAN consists of three Cable TV networks. Their primary goals are to broadcast live sessions of Congress. When this is not done the networks cover issues of “public policy.” The subjects can range from an interview with the Chairman of the FED to coverage of the election campaign for the office of the official water tester of Kansas City.
The really important speakers are usually repeat guests. Those of lesser importance have, at most, one chance to be, if not validly important, then at least given personal and national attention. Humans being what they are---I know, as I am one---appreciate and enjoy official attention directed towards our official actions (unless we are criminals). Being on C-SPAN is, for these lesser humans, probably a once in a lifetime event. And by “Lifetime” I do not mean that other cable network.
I now move, finally, to the core of the incident. I was flipping through the cannels, and came upon C-SPAN, and went by it… until I realized what I saw. Not believing my eyes, I went back. Some host was introducing the guest/speaker/expert. And he was… texting! I could not see his face as his head, bald, was completely on his chest, as if he had been decapitated. His fingers rapidly typed out something. He never stopped, as his office, education, residence, astrological sign, etc, were all detailed and presented to the world.
Was he typing: “Hey Mom! It’s Timmy. I’m on TV?” Was he trying to find out if his car’s oil had been changed yet? Only a select few fellow humans will ever know. However, and please dwell on this: this human apparently found a decapitation of himself to to be so boring that he could not endure listening to it. Either this or he felt that the current state of politeness allowed him to ignore his host. He would rather comment on cute kitten pictures than hear why he was qualified to give a talk on God knows what subject. Of course, in his defense, he probably already knew where he was a resident, and where he went to college, what he studied, and what his job title was, etc. That is, there was nothing new or unknown in the introduction, and certainly nothing interesting… at least not to him.
Of course this could have been the action of a sincerely humble man. Perhaps he was offering a judgment for the audience to follow, namely that his life and qualifications were not worth attention. This was a good time to catch up on returning messages to the owners of the kittens. This may be true… but I doubt it. I prefer my suspicion that the world has ended, or human nature has evolved---no! NOT evolved, but devolved (as in retrogressed) to the next state (and that state is probably New Jersey).
Comments