Wasn't it always this way?

What a world we live in... Political TV shows are all complete bullshit – every one is just inside baseball horse-race commentary that has zero to do with policy issues or choices, or even factual reporting or basic analysis. We’re fighting a war that’s not a war – where’s the “war” in Iraq? What would “winning” be? Who are we fighting against? Who’s on our side? What nonsense! We have governance by and for global corporate and financial interests, and for the uber-rich, with less and less of a façade all the time – because the façade is no longer necessary. We live in the world of The Marching Morons (a wonderfully prescient, ironic little story by Cyril Kornbluth) and Brave New World.

I am saddened by what has happened to this country – to our culture, our politics, our very souls – and I’ll get back to all that soon, as soon as I can stomach it. But for the moment, I want to celebrate greatness.

I’ve said for years that, unfortunately, all the smartest, most capable people in America are working on Budweiser commercials. Media, generally, is where it’s at – movies, TV, music, music videos, commercials… and the greatest art is being created in that crucible. Today, as I sat vegging in front of the telly, taking a well-deserved rest after a couple of hours of weeding, raking, and general fun in the sun, after frying up my weekend morning bacon and eggs and toast and strong coffee, watching meaningless, but wonderfully produced NFL football, I was brought up off the couch by some of the best art I’ve seen in awhile – one of the new Dodge Nitro commercials.

Wow. If only humans were going to be around in a century or two. I would love to know that at some point, with historical perspective, future humans would look back and understand how things were turned on their head; how different things were from what people believed they were. How the whole political thing was a boldfaced sham; history was not what was in history books; everything that was called high art was complete crap, and true poetry was to be found in Chevy Silverado commercials, with their gorgeous use of John Mellencamp’s “Our Country”, and the incredibly subtle and profound “The Planet” from the Nitro people (BBDO, I believe). I’m not quite sure they know what they’re doing either (but I think they do; I just think they can’t say so) – but it doesn’t matter. This stuff is every bit as good as John Keats or Charlie Chaplin…

Thank God for small miracles.