we can all be statesmen

We don't all have to be Ted Kennedy.

Or Ronald Reagan.

Or whomever.

But we can all be statesmen.
(Or women -- people).

We can concentrate on, and take pleasure from, doing what we can to make things better for someone.
Instead of how to smart off, tell somebody off, or have "attitude."

I didn't have television for five years. Then -- checked it again. Cable and network alike have descended -- it appears someone somewhere is trying to push pornography to the mainstream, by making mainstream more like pornography.

I'm looking at my TV screen and thinking, "Hmm. Writhing body parts. Whatever."

Have been trying to analyze the change I see in modern life; a friend of mine agreed our current lifestyle has become meaner and stupider but neither he nor I could say Why.

Is one component / factor / influence possibly the "reality - show" phenomenon? All the "trash talk" -- eliminating people, under-cutting people, putting people down? The Simon dude on that one talent show with the judges?
I mean, somehow we've ushered in a tv-following culture where a few people are actually paid to be -- not only rude, but actually obnoxious and cruel.

This result was probably no one's intention when they invented these shows. They were only seeking ratings and coming up with the next edgiest thing.

I perceive the behavior which was created to generate "excitement" and "ratings" has spilled over into the culture, and consequently there's a new generation that thinks that's how you actually behave.

It's not completely generational, though -- let me hasten to add -- some of the worst behavior comes from the over-50 crowd. (They're watching the TV shows, too.)

And it didn't start, I'm realizing, with reality shows. It started with the talk shows going crazy, pushing for ratings, wanting to be shocking. I'm going to contend that it started in the 80s when Geraldo Rivera had some "skinheads" on his show and one broke a chair over someone's head, I think.
And it was big news, at the time. Remember?

Holy Toledo, that's been 20 years ago.
So this yuck-fest has been coming, 20 years. 25 years.