Cat’s out of the bag (ELP)

(ELP)  Extra Long Pontification

 

“Sure could use, a little good news today”

– Anne Murray

 

Heard a broadcaster refer to their program as a news show.

Which is about as close to the truth, as we are going to get.

 

News:

: someone or something that is exciting and in the news

Show:

: a public performance that is intended to entertain people

M-W.com

 

“I watch television news for one thing and one thing only: entertainment! That’s all I want from the news: entertainment! You know my favorite thing on television? Bad news! Bad news and disasters and accidents and catastrophes,”

– George Carlin

 

Today’s News

 

Is it an objective presentation of facts

No

Is it a dissection of truth from every angle

No

Is it a clear corroboration from many sources, antithetic or otherwise

No

Is its thrivability or survivability based on ratings

Yes

Is its formulaic tendency to focus on the negative

Yes

Are the stories occasionally geared towards the products sold.

Yes

Most notably when the local weather / pollen count is sponsored by national brand antihistamines or depression and anxiety medicine infiltrate the “news”.

Well, no duh, imagine that. The pharmaceuticals cashing in on bad news, like the beer companies, pizza delivery, antacids and dui attorneys cashing in on sports.

It is DPT Digitized Pixel Theater distracting you from you. Trapping your being, in a four dimensional presence of mind, impeding evolution towards divinity.

“Watching television is like taking black spray paint to your third eye.”

– Bill Hicks

 

Excerpt from,

“Amused To Death”

– Roger Waters

//

Attracted by the peeling away of feeling.

//

And out in the valley warm and clean
The little ones sit by their TV screens

No thoughts to think

No tears to cry
All sucked dry

Down to the very last breath

Bartender what is wrong with me

Why I am so out of breath

The captain said excuse me ma’am

This species has amused itself to death

Amused itself to death
Amused itself to death

We watched the tragedy unfold
We did as we were told
We bought and sold

It was the greatest show on earth
But then it was over

We oohed and aahed
We drove our racing cars
We ate our last few jars of caviar
And somewhere out there in the stars

A keen-eyed look-out
Spied a flickering light

Our last hurrah
Our last hurrah

And when they found our shadows
Grouped ’round the TV sets

They ran down every lead
They repeated every test

They checked out all the data in their lists
And then the alien anthropologists
Admitted they were still perplexed

But on eliminating every other reason
For our sad demise

They logged the only explanation left

This species has amused itself to death

No tears to cry
No feelings left

This species has amused itself to death”

 

“Amused To Death”

– Roger Waters

 

These lyrics alone only fractionally convey the impact of the message as performed by Roger with all the pained beauty, grabbing you from the depths of your soul, imploring you to turn off the TV.