A Famous Journalist Sucked Into a Scuzzy World
Dan Henninger of the Wall Street Journal writes that we're living in what he calls "Scuzzworld." His particular examples of the key residents of said world are folks like Bieber, Cyrus, Lohan, et al. And it seems those who troll the depths of said world are - us. But one wonders what Henninger himself is doing in Scuzzworld. To read this piece, you'd think he didn't have a choice.
Indeed, Henninger paints a picture of a world where most of us are almost "victims" of the sewer culture (aka "Scuzzworld") that surrounds us - perhaps unwilling, but victims nonetheless. Though he does admit that somehow, a precious few have managed to escape the slimy tentacles of Scuzzword:
I think I understand Dan's "pain" here, but I do wonder why he's put himself in such a spot. My guess is that, as a member of the major media, the man just can't tear himself away from the flow of sewage that the media happily sprays onto all those who spend inordinate amounts of time following an endless parade of misfits and degenerates. I'm not an artist, but I do spend my days working and I do sometimes do so listening to pleasant music, and while I do check the news each day, I limit my exposure to visual and audio broadcasts that do nothing but rehash useless or degenerate happenings, or stories that frequently reflect a biased view of the world - a view with which I not only disagree, but which I know to be wrong and sometimes immoral. Why would I expose myself to this sort of stuff?
What about you? Does it seem reasonable to subject yourself to Scuzzworld? Is it really necessary to expose your senses and your precious mind to this sewage? Just a thought.
Of course, it's not like these sorts of people and their antics have only occurred in our lifetimes. Henninger accurately notes this:
As for you and me, we can and should use our brains here. Reason demands we just ignore that which does not inform, educate or enlighten. As for entertainment, do you really think your mind stands a chance of remaining intact if you subject it to Scuzzworld and its disturbed and demented characters? Believe me, you'll not only be adequately informed without being glued to the media 24/7, but you'll be smarter, saner, and more aware of what's going on around you.
You don't need anything Scuzzworld has to offer. If you want it, on the other hand, that's a different story.
Indeed, Henninger paints a picture of a world where most of us are almost "victims" of the sewer culture (aka "Scuzzworld") that surrounds us - perhaps unwilling, but victims nonetheless. Though he does admit that somehow, a precious few have managed to escape the slimy tentacles of Scuzzword:
I have artist friends who say they spend all day in their studios working on art and listening to pleasant music. If you ask them, "So what do you think of the Justin Bieber mess?" they'll say, "What's that?"Only very few of us are blessed with such a life of innocence, while the vast majority of us are mostly trapped in this underworld which Henninger and his media associates endlessly expose to the light of day by highly-publicized stories of the degenerate actions and rantings of Scuzzworld's resident celebrities.
I think I understand Dan's "pain" here, but I do wonder why he's put himself in such a spot. My guess is that, as a member of the major media, the man just can't tear himself away from the flow of sewage that the media happily sprays onto all those who spend inordinate amounts of time following an endless parade of misfits and degenerates. I'm not an artist, but I do spend my days working and I do sometimes do so listening to pleasant music, and while I do check the news each day, I limit my exposure to visual and audio broadcasts that do nothing but rehash useless or degenerate happenings, or stories that frequently reflect a biased view of the world - a view with which I not only disagree, but which I know to be wrong and sometimes immoral. Why would I expose myself to this sort of stuff?
What about you? Does it seem reasonable to subject yourself to Scuzzworld? Is it really necessary to expose your senses and your precious mind to this sewage? Just a thought.
Of course, it's not like these sorts of people and their antics have only occurred in our lifetimes. Henninger accurately notes this:
The postmodernists who can explain away anything would reassure us that this is all hardly different than the traveling freak shows of the 19th century, when simple curiosity made people pay to enter the tent and see P.T. Barnum's "monkey man." But that misses the new reality. The freak show left town for a year. Now it's our daily bread. Adjusting ourselves to vulgarity on such a vast scale is like rust; eventually it is going to erode standards for pretty much everything. Even hard-to-shock entertainers were aghast at the content of the Miley Cyrus incident. Putting it on television makes moral baseness the new normal. At some point, even the devil gets grossed out.And yet, rather than turning off his TV, his laptop, his iPad, his radio, or whatever portal he leaves open to allow this stuff in, it seems he can't escape. Why? The guy's obviously educated and intelligent. So it's got to be because he works in the media and feels he's got to be "up" on things, "with it," tuned in to "what's happening." I suspect his attachment to what he finds revolting stems from a belief that he can's just ignore it. But, really, can't a man like this use his power of reason to figure out a way to stay in touch with his industry without placing himself in harm's way. Can't he glance at the tub filled with sewage without jumping in?
As for you and me, we can and should use our brains here. Reason demands we just ignore that which does not inform, educate or enlighten. As for entertainment, do you really think your mind stands a chance of remaining intact if you subject it to Scuzzworld and its disturbed and demented characters? Believe me, you'll not only be adequately informed without being glued to the media 24/7, but you'll be smarter, saner, and more aware of what's going on around you.
You don't need anything Scuzzworld has to offer. If you want it, on the other hand, that's a different story.
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