OMG

OMG! LOL, I can’t believe I am writing this blog, but after watching the finals on American Idol, I had a revelation about life in America 2011. Joe and I (as I shamefully admit this that we watch American Idol), have been hooked on some of the talented musicians appearing this season. We try to use the bathroom or answer emails when Ryan Seacrest is his most patronizing and try to hold back our gag reflexes when suddenly the cast of idol perform really bad karaoke/ silly high school musical productions. But this year, as viewed from of our living room couch, has two or three multi-talented potential idols. And last night one of them, Casey Abrams, was voted off the show.

I was pissed and said I hate America for this vote. Joe wisely and with a bit of insight looked at me and said, “…Honey, this is what America does. They don’t care about quality, or talent, they are too juiced up about the packaging, the gift wrap, and the lack of depth. When did talent or ability come into play?”

OMG! And now with that simple whack on the side of my head I have a clearer picture of why we have Sarah Palin as a best selling author, Glenn Beck as an accepted prophet, Donald Trump gaining ground in the Republican/Bagger primaries, and FOX news comedians explaining their version of reality. Now I know why Bristol Palin earns hundreds of thousands of dollars to explain why she is not longer a virgin for an abstinence program, why people pay to see Charlie Sheen act as a fool, why Snooki gets paid a six figure salary while beating up anyone in her sight and MTV has no problem showcasing single moms as an elegant lifestyle choice.

In America 2011, we have decided being dumb, being mean, being anti this or that, using no fact just fiction, ignoring truth and finding fable easier to understand and something we can all attain. In America 2011, it doesn’t matter how good you are rather how good you are at disguising how awful you are. In America 2011 calling names is the tact to use when you have little to no evidence to support your bigoted or racist view. In America 2011 it is way too tiresome to scratch at the surface, when someone else can plant the seeds of hate for you.

Somehow along the way from 2008 when we were able to overlook race, finally dismiss those who lied while in office, search for change, pray for equality we stumbled upon 2011 and found ourselves in some black hole of anything but the truth, anything but reality, anything as long as it lacks substance and is sugar coated with gloss an glitter.

For those who do not watch American Idol, Casey Abrams was a contestant who played at least four instruments, sang a variety of genres of music and could entertain an audience as he sung. He is a talented man. It seemed he was a bit too heady for the Idol audience; he didn’t fit into a safe and secure mold. He challenged people to try and listen to his music. He seemed not be one of us, and he was voted off.

OMG! Didn’t we vote for George W. Bush because we were told he is someone we could sit down and have a beer with? We were told he wasn’t too smart, a little dumb, a common man with even more common ideas, a real American. We hear that those Tea Baggers are US, and if they hate Women, or Blacks, or Latin’s or Muslims or Unions or Gays or freedoms we should accept all of that because THEY are US.

American Idol, Joe’s simple comment, now I get it. If we have to look at something for more than a minute it is too complex, too scary and way too Un-American. OMG!