In earlier writings on the subject of our embarrassingly, incapable and dishonest President, (published despite our often declared, but as of yet, unrealized, aspiration, to refrain from writing on that subject), we posed the vitally concerning question: whether the election of Donald Trump, was a one-off, or statistically aberrant event or, whether it was a valid, sad indication of a prevalent National decline, in the numbers of sufficiently informed and literate voters.
We additionally observed, that Trump’s success, reportedly, was assisted by the financial and demagogic efforts, on the part of many self-interested corporations, which placed a higher priority on profit, than governmental regulations, which exist for the protection of the health of American citizens.
Despite dire concern, we, nevertheless, adhered to the optimistic belief, that the previous election and the re-election, of the estimable Obama administration, empirically militated against the second, horrific theory, of the National dumbing down, of the citizen- voter. The impetus for this writing, is a nightmarish fear (as will be described, hereafter) of an exacerbation of the horrific second theory.
As a general observation, we are not avid television viewers; we do, however, follow certain of our preferred evening news programs, view many educational and great performance specials, and on occasion, enjoy an interesting movie presentation. Otherwise, we continue prefer the pleasure, afforded by reading, in addition to the pleasure of engagement in the daunting challenge to create blog posts which are deserving of reader interest.
Recently, we sustained a minor leg injury, requiring us to remain essentially, sedentary, for a couple of weeks, in order to avoid pressure on our injured knee. Aside from our usual pursuits, we thought that we would give afternoon television another chance; perhaps we may have, in the past, been a trifle too dismissive of the experience. Please note, for the record, that our daytime nightmare unquestionably, experienced its etiology, in those inquisitive attempts.
One can safely assume, that sponsors of television programs, motivated by the goal of merchandising products and services, would, sensibly, finance programs, which, after demographic study and analysis, appear to have the greatest number of viewers. It is inarguable, that sponsors of television programs, understandably, aspire to the commercial goal of exposure to the largest possible public audience, for the enhancement of desired sales. It logically follows, accordingly, that the popular afternoon programs, which we would consult, and possibly, enjoy, would all boast an exceptionally large viewership.
Our experience in sampling the entire array of choices of afternoon programming, with very few “charitable” exceptions, were nothing short of embarrassingly abysmal. The game shows, adult panel discussions, the “lectures” (beauty, weight control, nutrition, finances), the sophomoric family and individual therapy, the soap operas, were all, not simply inane, trite and sophomoric, but to be accurate, utterly tasteless and stupid. Our views included hostesses with excessive make-up, bling and undeserved confidence, mouthing tasteless, self-assured, popular aphorismic wisdom, and other inanities, to a widely applauding, curiously, appreciative audience, was enough to summon nightmares. But this, yet, is not the particular daylight nightmare which is the subject of this note.
Are people’s lives, actually, so dull, so completely uneventful and unstimulating, that, trite and inane proclamations, unashamedly and smilingly made, by over- dressed, heavily made-up, human Barbie dolls, sporting outrageous bling, and outlandish studio hairdo’s, are seen as entertaining, and over-the-top marvelous, so as to merit standing audience applause, as well as the rapt admiration of the viewer? Are people so poorly informed that game shows need to feature valuable prizes for correct answers to questions that any middle school child could easily handle? Are people’s lives so uninteresting, that they have to live, derivatively, through trite and tawdry melodramatic soap opera vignettes? Are people so self-conscious, that they have to waste valuable leisure time, in rapt attention to beauty enhancement, diet and weight control programs, as diversion? Are viewers, generally, so insecure and gullible, that they would worship the arrogant input of faux, pseudo-intellectual, smooth-talking boob-tube savants?
It may, at last, be the contextually appropriate time, to reveal the nature of our frightening, daylight nightmare.
Our nightmare is the fear that there may yet be, an additional source of Trump supporters; a cohort, conceivably, separate from, and supplemental to, that identified, large, amorphous legion of misled, low-information, flat earth voters, who helped put him in the Oval Office. It involves the potential voting choices of of those millions of afternoon worshippers of sophomoric and inane afternoon television offerings; those who appear to prefer, easily accessible, low quality entertainment, over rational thought and clear-eyed reality. Our daylight nightmare, more specifically stated, is that so many, eternally bored, tasteless, afternoon television fans, neurotically craving easily accessible, cheap entertainment, may, as voter, at some point, take notice that our bizarre, orangutan-orange President, [aside from every other evaluation], easily fits the bill, as low quality, easily accessible, and tasteless, daily entertainment.
-p.
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