Distracted living: Breaking News always breaking….

In December 2017 we finally crossed the barrier, the barrier regarding how much stimulation the human brain can tolerate. Another word for over-stimulation is distracted living and I fear this is the life we are all leading.

The constant sexual harassment stories has brought the volume and intensity of news to the awareness of the American population. I cannot speak for the entire country but now I notice even the newscasters have been nudged beyond their comfort zone.

Breaking news… maybe this phrase was magnified by CNN and around the time of the first Gulf War in 1990? A grim, serious face newscaster like Bernard Shaw would intone news about the war in Kuwait and/or Iraq. A sudden audio cue would emanate from the screen and the phrase “Breaking News” would cross the screen in a large font. We were being cued like Pavlov’s dogs to respond to the aural cue and the catchy phrase that some event had just occurred and was even more noteworthy than whatever was being discussed previously. Switch to new topic. With bated breath we get the new, bigger story and we sponge it up like one of Sponge Bob’s underwater buddies.

So now we get the list of Sexual Harrassers and it grows rapidly, seemingly every day. As for the present count, I list a few—and not in any particular order:

Matt Lauer—host of the “Today” show for nearly 20 years, an icon of early morning TV when the stories are cheerful. The accusations of locking women into his office for sexual activity cost him his job—ending his career in the blink of an eye.

John Conyers—88 year olds, U.S. representative from Michigan since 1965, allegedly use public monies to buy the silence from his female victim/employee. If true, that’s a wicked case of political manipulation.

Louis CK—a brilliant comic performer who liked performing after the show, taking off his clothes in his hotel room to show female guests his latest schtick.

Charlie Rose—“Jurassic” -- a term which would seem to apply here and to several others. These patriarchs rise early for work but still have a fire-in-the-oven for hiring and pursuing interns in the after-hours. 

Glenn Thrush—NY Times reporter, apparently not always a mild-mannered reporter. Drinking helps with social inhibition but got Glenn is some trouble.

Al Franken—another U.S representative, this one from Minnesota. Another Midwestern reps from the north country, up where Bob Dylan and the Coen brothers, famed filmmakers known for their noir perspective--  people finding themselves in dark situations. That’s where Al Franken, allegedly a serial butt-grabber, finds himself now.

Roy Moore—candidate for U.S. Senate seat in Alabama, showed that Southern proclivity for finding the least appropriate sexual partner (often a cousin or other family member). Roy is accused of soliciting teenagers when he was a 32 year old man prowling the malls for high school girls. Alabama voters prefer an accused child molester to a Democrat, a sign of the times if there ever was one.

That’s enough on the Sexual Harrassment front… there are other names—Harvey Weinstein, Donald Trump, Kevin Spacey, and Jeffrey Tambor—but let’s quite while we’re ahead… or is it behind? Weak pun, I know. Oh, and Garrison Keeler, retired host from "Prairie Home Companion", 75 years old and the only man in the bunch to make an effort at self-defense. 

That’s enough distracted living for the moment. More “Breaking News” will happen before long. Stand ready with your phone, or by your television set. The host has changed—Stephanie Ruhle (she’s no Bernard Shaw)? But the news has only learned to break faster and faster. The pace has quickened in the 27 years since 1990.

We, the audience, demanded it, but now we may truly be sick of it. Distracted living takes a toll.

Seinfeld and Fallon and the Art of Standup

Last night I watched Jerry Seinfeld and Jimmy Fallon on the "Tonight Show". Turns out Jerry has kept track of every Standup Routine he's ever written. I guess they have them in the computer-- and are included in a Netflix Special on Jerry-- which I will check out. 

The weird thing... they played a game where the computer brought up a random Jerry Routine from the thousands. As soon as Jerry saw the name, like "Pizza Hut" he recalled the routine in pretty good detail. He would do it, using a teleprompter, and hit his marks almost perfectly. 

Jimmy Fallon would do Seinfeld routines, imitating Jerry, using the Teleprompter also. Fallon did a very good job recreating Seinfeld. I saw some similarities in the two men. They truly enjoy entertaining. They are not comfortable with insult humor, profanity or going political. Coincidentally I heard Fallon interviewed by Terry Gross on NPR radio. He came across as a compassionate person, but basically easygoing. I tend to like sharper comics-- like David Letterman.

... I always liked comedians. I remember when a comedian came on TV back in the Sixties, I would feel my heart relax, like I respected the effort the funny man was putting forth and the comedian's mere existence made me feel safer, like the world was a better place. Sometimes I would find myself laughing out loud watching the show, and I was a very careful, self-protective kid. I would think to myself "Wow, John, not like you to laugh harder than other family members in this public setting. You must really like this stuff." So, there you have it-- my admiration for comedians goes way back. I like the way they violate norms and discuss the awkward issues that society hasn't figured out yet.

Amazon Empties Storefronts Around America

Just read todays New York Times article on the disappearance of stores around New York City. Neighborhoods are built around people living, socializing and shopping locally. New Yorkers love to chat in stores and restaurants, sharing small talk with fellow shoppers, fellow diners, waiters, employees. We all love being recognized and a neighborhood store gives you a feeling of belonging. And especially if they know your name—that’s the best!

Just like the theme song to the “Cheers” show said in the song lyrics:

Sometimes you want to go 

Where everybody knows your name, 

And they're always glad you came; 

You want to be where you can see, 

Our troubles are all the same; 

You want to be where everybody knows your name. 

The Internet, of course, has been the great disruptor. Record stores were one of the first to go. The computer geniuses invented Napster and the file-sharing applications. No need to buy CDs.  Just burn the digital files. And iTunes made it all legit. You could now buy the songs you wanted from the comfort of your home—and use iTunes in a totally secure, legal environment. But the record stores disappeared.

Next the newspapers started to disappear. Why pay for a paper copy of the news when you can read 10-15 papers from around the country and never have to pay a dime. But then the newspapers disappeared—and even the strongest among them, New York Times. Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, etc. have to struggle to keep readers and stay relevant. They all became online newspapers in the process.

Jeff Bezos, the mastermind behind Amazon, bought the Washington Post, a somewhat counter-intuitive business decision since his online company Amazon.com is the king of all disruptors of the status quo. Why did Bezos want a print newspaper? Not only that—the Washington Post has become a relentless pursuer of the liberal-point-of-view. Bezos and his newspaper have been dogged in exposing the Donald Trump shenanigans and Trump doesn’t like it. By this point in his career, Bezos could have bought Nantucket Island. Maybe he felt some guilt for the decimation of print media?

Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, the three wealthiest Americans, have as much wealth as 50% of the population. These three men have a net worth equal to entire lower half of the American economy. That’s a lot of people in a country with a population of 323 million.

Bezos and Gates obviously have their vast fortunes closely tied to the rise of digital technology. The eco-system of our economy has been shaken and overwhelmed by the changes imposed by technology. Much like an environmental eco-system, our infrastructure is losing diversity at a rapid rate. Our climate is being reduced to less variety—temperatures almost always seem too warm. The flora and fauna, overwhelmed by climatic changes, and reduces its variety as we lose species. A simpler eco-system always spells disaster and we race headlong towards over-simplification of climate, environment and societal structures.

Bezos boldly expanded Amazon.com with a confidence that shocked the business world. Carpe diem. He seized the day. He virtually stole the day, and the economy along with it. Bezos realized Americans would love shopping on their computer, getting lower prices than the brick and mortar stores, and delivering groovy packages right to your doorstep..

The downside, of course, the stores are disappearing—part of the social network that existed long before the online networks. The people who acknowledged our existence at the local supermarket or bookstore—make us feel alive. If the stores disappear, the city streets lack their usual vibrancy.

Let’s call it a case of too much disruption.

Donald Trump c'est moi (Lonesome Rhodes)

Elia Kazan directed the film A Face in the Crowd (1957) three years after completing his confessional masterpiece On the Waterfront (1954). Kazan directed Brando as dockworker Terry Malloy, the prize fighter and dock worker. Terry Malloy howls in pain to brother Charley: "I coulda been a contender. Instead of a bum, which is what I am – let's face it." 

A Face in the Crowd, the second film, may reflect something of a vanity project between Elia Kazan and writer Budd Schullberg, two devoted friends spread their wings and indulged in satire and political commentary on the heels of a masterpiece. The duo cast Andy Griffith, a relatively unknown actor as an embodiment of the story’s dual message, 1) a modern cautionary tale demagoguery rising from the heartland and 2) a discussion of the immense power of television. TV had only been around for a few years. Kazan sees change on the horizon as Lonesome Rhodes stares down from his New York City penthouse apartment and comments on the sea of TV antennas spreading across the rooftops. 

Budd Schulberg, screenwriter and  story author for Your Arkansas Traveler, describes Rhodes as  “a husky fullback three years after he broke training." Andy Griffith fits the bill nicely. He kicks the man in the drunk tank who attempts to waken and shakes himself to consciousness, surprised to learn of the presence of a radio reporter. Marcia Jeffries (Patricia Neal) Plearns his last name is Rhodes and gives him the name Lonesome Rhodes when a first name is not otherwise provided.

The charismatic Rhodes ad libs his way to Memphis area popularity. When he pokes fun at his sponsor, a mattress company, they initially pull their ads—but when his adoring audience revolts, burning mattresses in the street, the sponsor discovers that Rhodes' irreverent pitches actually increased sales by 55%, and returns to the air with a new awareness of his power of persuasion. (Wikipedia) And there is the connection to Donald Trump. Lonesome Rhodes understands media better than the experts. 

Rhodes, along with actor Griffith, offers a Southern warmth and hospitality that works well on the airwaves. Cowboys are singers but have a reputation for isolation, singing only to their cattle and the stars, and sometimes get taciturn under the glare of the spotlight. Lonesome Rhodes blooms under the heat of the TV studio lights and the move from Act I to Act II involves a conversion from radio performer to TV star. 

Schulberg correctly gleaned that TV would quickly dwarf radio in terms of popularity and certainly in visibility for the stars. Lonesome’s rise as a TV star means more heady success and more money, status and influence with the move to bigger markets but results in greater rejection for Marcia Jeffries at each successive stage. The story moves Lonesome through three locales for the story’s three acts—from Fox, Utah, to Chicago and then to media hub New York.

In Chicago, Lonesome Rhodes begins to sound off on international relations with a diatribe against China’s behavior in Korea. Marcia Jeffries tries to reign him in. Schulberg’s narrator relates in the short story, “I tried to tell him, ‘Lonesome, you’re fine as long as you gag your way through Old Smoky and tell your jokes about Cousin Abernathy in Riddle. But don’t you think before you go handing out pronouncements on China that you should know a little bit about what you’re talking about?’

The response from Lonesome Rhodes provided a great revelation into Lonesome’s values and motives, guideposts for how Kazan would steer Griffith’s performance: “In the voice of the people, Lonesome said, ‘The people never know. The people is mule-stupid as I am. We jest feel what’s right.”

The answer from Lonesome Rhodes to Marcia’s concerns sent shivers through me… I heard the voice of Glenn Beck, the heartland right wing radio talk show host. Glenn prides himself on a common sense orientation toward the daily news. Beck has more teddy bear qualities while Rush Limbaugh is a pitfall with microphone. 

Donald Trump… and Trumpism came to mind in the story of the improbable rise of Lonesome Rhodes. Donald understood the intimacy of the microphone and scoured the country doing interviews during primary season while Hillary Clinton hid in her gilded bunker. He trivialized his opponents with well-placed insults. Trump rode a bike while his opponents all needed training wheels. Trump understood the "mule-stupid" side of the people and gained a better grasp of his followers as he crossed the country attracting larger and larger crowds. Trump speaks without the benefit of a filter-- and with no fear or reprisal. Like Lonesome Rhodes, Trump seems to have nothing to lose.

A Face in The Crowd offers a great perspective on the up-from-the-gutter reality TV star who learns the subtle techniques of media communication the only way possible—by doing it. Lonesome Rhodes c’est Donald Trump. Donald Trump is Lonesome Rhodes.