Just got back from spending the holidays in America. I’ve got a lot to tell you, and will in future blogs, but here is a bit of what’s to come:
The Good: Family. I got to see a lot of them, and it was better than ever. I guess this is one of the “benefits” of getting older: less fights, more appreciation. I got to attend – for the first time ever – a Big Ten basketball game and saw my beloved Hoosiers beat the #2 team in the country! Go IU! I also got to attend – and also for the first time – a professional football game and saw the Colts come from behind and, surprisingly, win. Thanks, Skee!
The Bad: Culture shock. For the past few years I have always felt a bit “misplaced” when I am in the US. But this year I really felt like a stranger in a strange land. As you know, I have been following US politics closely, here in Romania. And, also as you know, I have been commenting on how weird and strange it all is. Well, extrapolate that to the whole country. Or, maybe the politics has gotten so strange because the whole country is weirded out.
And The Ugly: Echoing the looming political craziness that ricochets back from the outer reaches of the wings, there is a bizarre and equally mindless but thoroughly drenching celebrity-centric zaniness that occupies what, I guess, you could call the center. Even my mom knows who is dating who in Hollywood and what the latest movies are grossing. And there is now a whole category of people who are famous for nothing else than being famous (I have had it all explained to me, but I still don’t “get” this whole Kim Kardashian thing but, as far as I can tell, everyone else in America understands perfectly).
Anyway, I hope you all had wonderful holidays. And now it is back to the grind
Strange how Romney won Iowa… four votes… not a landslide for sure… but then again, the media has a way with words.. Kim K could have garnered more votes than that.. Just shows how small the voting numbers are.. Go Penn State.. Not Indiana but our basketball team is playing well.. I attended PS when Rip Engle was the head football coach.. That’s being long in the tooth for sure..
Hi Michael, welcome back and Happy New Year!
The celebrity culture is a worldwide phenomenon, not something that is confined to the US, though I guess you could argue that it might have had its origin in a particular part of southern California. Its most certainly a phenomenon of our times. I’m wondering when people are going to realise that an actor is an actor is an actor – the same goes for models, sports people, singers etc – and just that, and not necessarily someone on whom every word and action should be recorded, discussed, analysed, replicated and banked. The wheel might begin to turn when a real hero comes along, someone whose accomplishments are truly deserving of our admiration – another Churchill, Monroe, or Hemingway for example. Until then, the KKs of this world are simply filling a void.