I could go on like this endlessly (just ask my friends). Let me instead try to get to the point. Why are we being fed this junk over and over? Is it our own fault or should we blame the idiots who crank this stuff out? Has celebrity finally become the beast we feared it could be? Are we powerless to redirect the vast technological resources of this country towards something of significance and value? Should we just acquiesce to those millions of Americans who just want to be entertained?

So many questions like this float through my angry brain. I can't help but think that the tendency to sit back and let mediocrity prevail is one of the worst characteristics of our culture. We are too proud of our redneck stupidity, our Neanderthal attitude towards high art. People would rather discuss the finer points of Nascar than talk about Cubism.

The fact is it has almost gotten to the point where there is a general distrust of anything esoteric. Being learned is now the equivalent of being subversive. I suppose this is nothing new to those who would rather read Dostoevsky than Tom Clancy. It's just the pervasiveness of anti-intellectualism that festers among those who think education begins and ends with your GED.

The thought police may have been a literary invention of George Orwell, but the reality of social group think and pressure to conform under the guise of bland entertainment options is hardly conducive to personal growth. Maybe I'm just a troublemaker. I'm not about to dumb myself down or endure a mindless existence just to fit into society. That's boring and stupid. I need a little more than a beer and a ballgame to make my workday seem worthwhile.

I guess a lot of people don't want much more than that. I have a sneaking suspicion they might though if they were able to snap out their stupefied malaise. Who am I kidding? That ain't gonna happen!

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