Sensationally Desensitized

"I hate everybody. As far as I'm concerned everyone on the planet can just drop dead."

 

(Uh, um, you okay there, sport?)

 

As a teenager I had a t-shirt bearing that quote beside a picture of Calvin, of Calvin & Hobbes fame, depicted with his arms crossed and a pissy look on his face. I was a sarcastic cynic even back then. Can you believe it?

 

(Yes…)

 

Shut it, you. That was rhetorical. Anyway, no, I do not hate everybody, and I do not wish for everyone on the planet to perish. Imagine how bored I'd be. But there are those times when I look around at the people surrounding me and realize just how shallow the gene pool has really become.

 

(So, this is going to be one of those uplifting posts, then?)

 

*gives stink eye*

 

Tell me I'm wrong. Tell me you've never had one of those days when you're just disgusted with humanity. Tell me you haven't looked at someone and thought to yourself "how the hell have you survived to this age being so stupid?" Tell me that, and I will eat my shoes on a shiskabob. But right now, I'm fairly certain I'll never know the taste of grilled Chuck Taylor All-Star.

 

I think part of my problem is that I watch the news. A family murdered in their home in Washington, DC. Evidence that the train derailment in Philadelphia may have been caused by some kind of object or projectile striking the locomotive's windshield. And then rival biker gangs shoot the proverbial sh*t out of each other. Now I'll admit, my first thought was "Sons of Anarchy isn't real, you f*ckwits!" And then I saw the report that it happened in Waco, Texas, and I know I'm not the only one who shrugged his shoulders and thought "eh, Waco, figures."

 

But that's how low we've gotten – people kill each other and we shrug our shoulders. That… kinda sucks. It's a terrible loss of life and I often find myself torn between lamenting that, and thinking that people who would do such a thing perhaps don't deserve the grace of life they've been given. I hate that. I hate having that debate in my head. It makes me feel empty and angry and then I start hating everybody for making me feel that way and then I wish I still had that t-shirt.

 

I'm not so naïve to think that we can all get along. I have two ex-wives that prove that theory to be a bunch of bupkis. But you know what? It doesn't have to be that way. And honestly, I don't think it really is that way – The problem is that we as a society like to be entertained, and nothing entertains like mayhem. It's exciting, it's scary, it's exhilarating. Sure, we like to have those "awwww" moments with cute puppies falling asleep in weird positions, or elephants helping one of their young, or videos of soldiers surprising their loved ones when they arrive home unexpectedly, but those moments don't get our hearts racing. They don't make us cringe or fill us with anticipation wondering what's going to happen next.

 

So what happens? The media, the entertainment industry, tip their hats heavily towards sensationalism. We cater to the lowest common denominator and we've done it for so long and so pervasively that no one cares anymore! I care! Holy sh*t snacks!!!

 

(Did you just go all Archer?)

 

Literally. Now granted I am no saint when it comes to sensationalized entertainment. One of my favorite shows is Game of Thrones, and that program features more death and debauchery than anything going. It is also one of the reasons I felt compelled to pen this post – this past Sunday's episode, the ending especially [mild spoiler alert!!] actually disturbed me. As in I felt like less of a human being after knowing what was occurring in the scene. And I chastised myself and wondered why I watch this program. And then I waited anxiously for previews of next week's episode. Because I, like the vast majority of the rest of you, have a prurient interest in having my sensibilities challenged.

 

Still, I really do think we need less of that. We need more stories like the coach who ran out on the field to support and cheer on a disabled boy as he finished a race. I want to see more of the guy who, when told only "purse dogs" were allowed on the train, carried his pit bull in a giant over-the-shoulder bag so he could take his dog with him. Show me other examples of true and loving humanity like the first responder who, several years later, proposed to the woman he saved from domestic abuse after she'd been stabbed over thirty times. Show me that kind of survivor story. Show me that kind of love, compassion and empathy.

 

(But still show you boobs, butt, and people getting stabbed on HBO?)

 

*sigh*

 

*hangs head in shame*

 

Yes. Ok, so maybe we just need to balance it out a little more. A little more compassion. A little more love, to keep liftin' me higher…

 

(Than I've ever been lifted befo…. Sonofab*tch. And I can't even be mad at this one.)

 

So keep it up, yeah….

 

(Quench my desire… and I'll be at your side…forever more yeah!!!! I love you, man. I hate you for this earworm, but I love you, man!)

 

This is what I'm saying. Look, There is a lot of adversity out there in this world. I face it, and I have some friends facing a great deal of it. Life doesn't need to be depressing. It doesn't need to be filled with violence or douchebags or ill will or sorrow. Maybe, even if it is, we can all just block it out for a little while. Focus on the good, concentrate on that which shines.

 

(Go to the light?)

 

Ye...wait... NO!!! Do not go to the light!!!!

 

(*snicker* Come on that was funny.)

 

*gigglesnort* ok, maybe a little. But you're on the right track. Find the good. Find the light-heartedness. Take the bad situation and look for the light shining through the cracks. Just don't go to the light. We don't want to lose you just yet. Because as craptastic as this world can be, there is still some pretty cool stuff in it. Like Jeeps, and waves crashing shores, and Hayley Atwell… mmmm Hayley Atwell….

 

(*AHEM*)

 

What? Right, sorry. Yeah, um, there's puppies and kittens and fireworks and mountains and the joy of reading a book with a summer breeze blowing, and all that stuff. If it's sensationalism you want, then use your senses. And if you have to watch the news, or Game of Thrones, or whatever it is, just remember that there's more to life than that. There's a lot more. Find someone you love and tell them so. Pet your dog/cat/rabbit/chinchilla/platypus and assure it that it has nothing to fear. Help an old lady across the street. Carry someone's groceries. Buy a coffee for the hipster behind you in line at Starbucks. Just… be nice. Do something. But don't make me have to wear the t-shirt.

 

As Forrest Gump says… that's all I have to say about that.

 

 

© 2015 J.J. Goodman. All rights reserved.