The Human Story = Tax Evasion & Reality Television
Thursday, February 5, 2009 at 09:57AM
Karaoke, Blogging & Guitar Hero
It is our chance to be on top, to be in the spotlight, to express ourselves, to grab a piece of the pie; that is our human need after all. We are the species that creates for creation sake- great paintings, sculptures, plays, operas, ballets, jazz, symphonies, films, You Tube, FaceBook, Blogging, Guitar Hero, Rock Band and the mother of all egalitarian inventions, Karaoke.
Karaoke, Blogging, and Guitar Hero are the working class mechanisms to get near a piece of the pie..... in the singing, writing and virtual guitar playing there is the chance to propel oneself and seek dreams of glory. American Idol brought self-ambition out of the closet; American Idol made lust for ambition a household dream come true. American Idol capitalized on the dream, incorporated the dream, making reality television a national stage.
The Internet gave rise to milllions of bloggers around the world, the accessible means of communication dominates the news world as it waters down its accuracy. Guitar Hero allows the dream to personify itself in a protected manner; private dreams come true.
Karaoke machines enable every working class stiff to chase their dreams every night in a lonely bar somewhere on the edge of town in America.
It is the human story of survival, the element of drama within survival of the fittest– reality television utilizes an amalgamated version of this Lord of the Flies climb to the top: Survivor, The Apprentice, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Top Chef, Project Runway, Real Chance at Love, Rock of Love.
Richard Hatch, the first winner on the Survivor series stamped human greed on the winnings by failing to pay taxes on the windfall earnings – sound familiar?
The same greed propelled Wall Street executives to give greedy managers exorbitant bonuses for their failed management of failed corporations that betrayed American investors and shareholders. President Obama used the word “shameful” to describe Wall Street executives who walked away with $18.4 billion in bonuses from companies in the financial sector that were being bailed out by the American taxpayers to the tune of $700 billion dollars in government funds.
Middle class, lower-middle class, and working class men and women watch the protected Greedy class continually fail to pay taxes - whether in government service or the private sector - or steal bonuses on their way out the door. The internet and 24 hours news cycle on television have shed the mask of greed.
Tax Evasion & Reality Televsion, Tough Karma.