Monday night, my mother and I went to our "Pre-Night Out Block Party" at the parking lot down the street from us. Apparently, Tuesday was National Night Out, or something to that nature. If you know what that is, can you share it with me?
So the DJ was blaring music and it's about a hundred million degrees outside. I'm having fun grabbing pamphlets from the tables of the police and fire department (they were just too cute!) and made it over to a few politicians tables as well. Then at one point, someone running for the U.S. congress on a REPUBLICAN ticket came up to shake my hand. He looked awfully familiar. So I asked him "Did you go to NYU?". He said "No, you recognize me from The Apprentice". I only caught a few episodes here and there, but it was Raj - the guy who always wore a bow tie. Turns out he's from Montgomery County (who knew?). I chatted with some of the girls that were with him.
One of the girls went to Nazareth Academy (a rival of my catholic schools) and the other girl went to Fordham - the Lincoln Center campus - just a few blocks from my Upper West Side apartment. None of this is relevant really accept, maybe i'm trying to intimate its somewhat of a small world.
Raj asked what I studied at NYU and when I told him Performing Arts Administration, he looked puzzled. Then, as if it registered in his brain (ah - the arts - she's not going to vote for a republican), he was on his way. He had hired a camera woman who was filming him shaking hands and recording these interactions. I was very close to mentioning that one of the things I learned in my line of work is, of course, signing waivers to allow you to use my image.....I mean come on, he was on The Apprentice for god's sake! He should know these things! What if I happened to be a union actress??
I don't want to totally knock the guy. Maybe he could legitimately run for congress and make a difference. But i'm more inclined to believe that the horrible invention called reality t.v. is not only dumbing American audiences (and i'll be the first to admit that I get sucked in to some series as well), but also falsely empowering these reality celebrities into thinking they can do whatever they wish and rule the world. I suppose it doesn't only have to be a reality celebrity - look at the Governator and even Ben Affleck thinking that he was actually someone important and smart enough to positively persuade the voters to vote for on the Democratic ticket.
That's what bothers me about society - An EMT - a person who SAVES LIVES makes $9 an hour - this is before taxes - $18,720 per year for a standard 40 hour workweek. Yet A-ROD gets paid $25 million to take a wooden bat and make connection with a 95 mph fastball - and when he doesn't do it the team starts to complain that the fans should give him a break??? As a culture, Americans place more value on the few very attractive individuals who read lines off of a page pretending to be someone else than those who foster creativity and genius in our children's minds.
I know that i'm to blame for this as well - I love sports and i'll continue to pay my $52 per seat for my yanks season tix like everyone else that keeps this sport and these salaries going. I do this despite the fact that it tears me apart to walk by the homeless man that was laying on the side of 15th Street in the sweltering 100 degree heat this afternoon as I was walking with my leather kenneth cole briefcase, about to take the train to my $25k car and my air conditioned home. I give what I can to charity - ok, that's probably not entirely true - I could make more sacrifices in my own life (like my season tickets) to give more to others. But even then, I don't know how much I can help change the way our society operates.
I hate it that one person gets paid millions of dollars a year to catch a ball while that poor old man can't even get a warm (or cold) square meal 3 times a day, a shower, and a roof over his head. People walk by him not even acknowledging his existence - nobody is going to call him to wish him a happy birthday - no one is out there worried about him since he has failed to return home. On occasion i'll stop and talk with someone or i'll take them to the store to get some food or even give them some change (although I do fear they will just drink it). I hate that I feel helpless in trying to help them and I hate that i'm also a hypocrit.
These are the thoughts that run through my mind...and this is why I run. I always try to put a positive spin on my thoughts - be more of an optimist. It doesn't always work.
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