Pop Culture & War?!

HEREIN LIES THE TRUTH

As I stood in line at the grocery store somewhat unconsciously staring at all the colorful celebrity filled, gossip magazines that stared me in the eye as I emptied my cart...my mind almost automatically started reading every juicy celebrity headline about whom had cheated on whom, which reality stars were "hot" this week, the new "it" hairdo by the new "it" gal, & so on and so fourth. I was transfixed as I had been a thousand times before each and every time that I had emptied my groceries on the conveyor belt at the grocery store. And as guilty as it made me feel, I would buy one or two from time to time to take home. I was on a very tight budget, barely able to afford the groceries I had just set down and yet, somehow, this was my little treat to myself for having worked all day and then going grocery shopping. As I reached down to the lower rack of my shopping cart, I noticed what was being sold down there. "Newsweek" and "TIME Magazine"with a glaring photo of an injured American soldier with an absent expression on his face, titled "The War Up Close". This stopped me dead in my tracks. This was actual reality! Here was the truth of our world right now! I picked up the magazine, flipped through some pages, and then quickly put the magazine back on the rack after seeing one too many photos that made my heart sink.

I paid for my groceries and wheeled my cart to my car, but something changed in me in that moment. I felt different inside, sad, guilty. But I tried to shrug it off...afterall, "what could I possibly do for that man on the cover?", I rationalized to myself in my head. "I barely have enough money to buy groceries muchless any left over to try to Save the World from war!", I thought with a feeling of guilt...."but I had enough to buy those gossip mag's?" I thought to myself as I started to let my true sadness seep in my mind. So I rationalized again,,,"well it's not as though had I bought that magazine, then that man would've been miraculously safe from the war he was in?", "right?".......Well, yeah, right. But something really hit me hard that day and I havn't stopped thinking about it since. That was a year ago.

CELEBRITY DISTRACTION?

Why is it that more so now then ever we have the most ridiculous "celebrities" we've ever seen in the history of celebrities? Reality Stars? Since when does selling out your life or the lives of your children and/or family qualify one to be a "star"? Does anybody remember talent? Its that thing that used to separate the hobbiest from the actual professionals in the business of entertainment. Now the business of entertainment is nothing more then someone who dresses "cool", has very large boobs, an even larger ass, has sex on film of which "opps!" gets stolen & sold...."geez how'd that happen?". I mean come on America, are we really this big bunch of idiots that eats this stuff up like its one big banana split with zero calories? Or has the insanely idiotic rise of celebrity worship moved at the exact same pace as our Counties insurmountable problems that have deteriorated this Country more in the last 5 years then any other time in history over the last 100 years? Do you follow me? My curiosity forced me to do a little research on how our nations troubles stacked up against the subscriber ship of Americas leading gossip rags. And my conclusion was curiously in line with one another. Just as the colorful magazines had, more or less, distracted me that day in the grocery store. So it seems are so many of the ridiculous celebrity news stories that literally take up time on CNN, Fox News, & every other local news station across America....IE Tila Tequila all over the major news channels for being "windowed" (according to her) by her heiress lover. Wow!!!! Ms. Tequila's really hit the Big Time now!!! You Go Girl!!!! Absolutely disgusting. It dawned on me that never in my lifetime had I felt like I was being as manipulated by the medias silly celebrity diversions, distractions, ect... as I have over the last 5 years. Which leads me to the Paris Hilton Phenomena. Yeah, I said it, Phenomena! Who the hell was Paris Hilton other then some sex crazed socialite from a wealthy family with no moral compass to boot. But she started a phenomena in the gossip world that spread like wild fire. That being the perfect distraction from anything important in the world. America overwhelmingly proved this point as they spent millions of dollars on the magazines for which she graced their covers week after week. One week with no panties under her designer dress, the next week as she fought with her friend, the next week as she stole another friends husband, and so on & so fourth. This was like governmental secret mission Barbi. Ok, bare with me while I dream sequence: (So theres Ms Hilton living her relatively anonymous life bouncing from club to club, hanging with her fabulous friends at night while shopping for shoes and lipgloss by day. Then one day as she shimmys down the street with her hands full of freshly filled shopping bags, a big black limo pulls alongside her waving her to come over. She makes her way to the limo & a very "hot" secret service man extends an offer for a ride, claiming he has a surprise for her. She squeals with delight as she slithers on into the back of his car. Pooooof! Your at The White House! She's escorted into the presidents oval office, in there she is asked to help her Country. "How could I help this Country, I dont have many skills, but will use the few I have to better our Country for you Mr President", she says with a sly smile. "Well, we would like you to be part of the "Mission: Distraction America" Ms Hilton. Then it is explained to her that she could help our dear Country by "distracting America for a couple of years so that we can go do a few bad things while no one is looking. In exchange, you will be a great big star". And with a flip of her blond hair and a touch of lip gloss, this deal is sealed! And herein starts the beginning of the Paris Hilton/ Reality Star phenomena.
**********more to be written tomorrow on the following topics:
"THAT PESKY BIN LADEN! WHICH WAY IS AFGHANISTAN AGAIN?"

"THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME IN AMERIRAQUI"

"RELIGION IN THE AMERICA'S"