What was an amusing distraction in the early 80’s is now the only game in town, if you judge by pop culture. For the record, Leach was an employee and sophisticated sycophant was a job description. Lifestyles was one of a group including; Entertainment Tonight, Star Search and Solid Gold to name the most famous by just one producer. There were many more like him. These programs were the models, now the norm. Bravo programs lead the pack. Plus Fox News and a million cop, FBI, military infotainment television programs continue now to relentlessly keep authority myths and threats alive 24 hours a day, every single day.
Stupid is surging everywhere and the real stories of collusion and corruption all around us are not being heard by the preoccupied populace. On top of that is the terror of financial ruin the vast majority of people feel each and every day at jobs rarely bringing enough fulfillment for the time suck, pay and dwindling health benefits. Full circle to distraction isn’t difficult to understand or how this world view like a hamster wheel became a kind of norm. How “I got mine, screw you” seems to prevail.
What stories can we tell each other to wake ourselves out of the stupor that stops us from paying attention or demanding better? How can we build resilience, flexibility into our lives and community to withstand yet more shocks to come? Robin Leach’s tag line, "champagne wishes and caviar dreams" gospel to the greed is good mantra from that era. It lives on. Do you sometimes want to yell, "snap out of it!" at the screen or at people caught up in this kind of fantasy worldview? It's tax week and realities are all too real for the 99%.
One thing is clear, being lied to with feel-good scenarios and fudged financials isn't what our community needs. Next week at the City Council Meeting, April 18, Jerome Stocks will be delivering the State of the City address. Here's one suggestion. Prior to that meeting we all might compile our questions and publish them in the blogs, the online media, letters to the editor and emails to the mayor. Then we can tally how well he addresses our questions and not just his campaign stump speech material.
Jerome Stocks
760-633-2622
jstocks@encinitasca.gov
We start by expecting, by demanding accountability.
