It's a Mean, Mean World

I was watching Fox News late last night (don't any of my liberal friends throw things at me!). There's a show on there late on weekend nights -- "Red Eye" I think it's called. It's a group of people commenting on the week's news. I don't like the show -- because these people are like so many news media-slash-entertainment jerks who try to be funny and just end up being mean.

Now these mean people happen to be on my side of most of the issues (most of the time), but they're still mean. Such jerks are not limited to the left or the right side of the political spectrum. They ALL frustrate me.

And they're not even limited to the political world. I read internet articles once in a while about American Idol (yes, I know . . it's over this week, my obsession will stop then), and I'm stunned at the viciousness of people about some contestants. These are ordinary folks that they don't know personally, who are making themselves vulnerable to the world, taking a chance on a dream -- and people absolutely trash them for no good reason! It's disgusting! I mean, it's one thing to say you don't care for a particular contestant; it's quite another to call him an arrogant, ugly, untalented [bleep] and throw a party when he is voted off! Particularly if you work for the media -- you're supposed to be a professional! I realize they wouldn't do such things if it didn't earn them viewers, but the fact that it does earn them viewers is just as disturbing.

What in the world is wrong with our society? What ever happened to manners? To civility? To a sense of just plain decency? No wonder our government gets in such stalemates on important issues -- we've forgotten how to disagree without being disagreeable.

I watch my kids' favorite shows on Disney and Nickelodeon, and probably a good three-fourths of the humor in them comes from sassy, sarcastic comebacks between kids. Or even worse, between kids and adults. I know, that's nothing new. Children's entertainment has been like that for years. Maybe that's a big chunk of the problem.

Personally, I'm sick of it. I'm sick of the unkind words, and I'm disgusted at the cold, mean hearts they reveal. What I'm going to do about it, I don't know yet. But I may start with turning off the TV, if I have the gumption to fight my kids on that.