idea? idea? v.2.0

what our celebrities say about us

Every year, with the advent of summer vacation, I revel in my newfound freedom. The sense of liberation after months of a lonely, grueling struggle, is truly profound, and, I imagine, akin to what the Iran hostages must have felt on the day of their glorious release all those years ago. Most kids dream of the days when they will be able to make use of their free schedual by not using it at all. They enjoy sleeping in, and, whether it is because they just have no reason to get up or they are truly lazy, showing off their youth and energy by moving as little as possible. My plans slightly diverge from these atypical ones.

Instead of laying senseless for hours I get up at a reasonable time. I grab my clicker and try to catch up on classics and discover the shows that aren't programmed at a reasonable hour for working people. Years ago, all this would have meant was that I liked to watch Baywatch. Today, it means that I like to watch Happy Days. This show is obviously clever and very socially meaningful. However, you ask, why bother bringing this up. The reason, my good friend, is spawned from a phrase in a book I read recently. The book was entitled "Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs" and the phrase went a little something like this: "When did being condescending become a synonym for being cool?" This brings me back to Happy Days.

Arthur Fonzerelli (aka the fucking man, aka the Fonze) is without a doubt one of the "coolest" people to ever grace the entertainment industry, to ever strut his stuff for the American public. When used in relation to him we can all take comfort in the fact that this is one of the few instances in which the tragically overused word 'cool' isn't rendering us a little doubt-ridden. The Fonze was a lady's man and a guy's guy all at the same time, not to mention simultaneously being an expert on motorcyles, the art of teaching and leather jackets. I truly believe he was and is essential to our country, epitomizing an era and flawlessly integrating his own personal flair. But despite all his credentials the most important thing about Fonzi, and unfortunately the thing that makes him different from our modern day icons, was that he was a caring person who respected respect and cared for those he loved. He was very simply, a good person. I recently saw an episode that really put his postive pyshe on display. During the episode a man from his past confronted him asking for a fight. Instead of meat-headidly beating him up (this guy was a young Tom Hanks so it wouldn't have been hard), he pushed aside his ego and the more obvious gain to stand true to his girlfriend and take the path of understanding. While it may seem wimpy to offer the man a free, vengeful punch, the Fonze made it look gracious. This event really speaks to what type of person Fonze was. He was not the person out only for themselves, not the person out to humiliate others for their gain, not even the guy to lose his cool and take revenge and be inconsiderate. Rather he was the guy to shun viciousness and campaign for respect among people. This is all even more important because while TV has always been fiction, it has always had a basis in reality (except maybe those reality shows), and that basis in reality can represent a time. Who we idolize as a society can make or break an opinion for future generations. The Fonzi era is in the clear as far as I am concerned and I think it is now important to more carefully consider who we deem cool.

Over the years to be condescending has become to be cool. No longer is dignity a consideration. Whether you are looking at the way the early mafia that respected family has turned into the wife-beat wearing thugs of today who respect no one and nobody, or just the Fonzi versus David Letterman, Jon Stewart and Sugar Ray, it is clear we are headed in the wrong direction. Let me use my notes about these three celebrities who have deemed the same status as Fonzi once held.

Within the last week or two Letterman had Nicole Kidman on the show. Instead of letting her promote whatever she was there to promote and exchange the witty banter that keeps these shows on the air, Dave attacked her and hit below the belt with questions about her ex-husband and long time friend Russel Crowe. As I watched part of it I was made sick to my stomach at the childishnish and absurdity that DL was showing the gracious Nicole. David showed me that to talk down to people and put them in spots in todays culture is not only just doing your job, but fun and a way to make your living all the more profitable. I think this is a harsh criticism of not only him but of our society.

Another celebrity who is probably even more famous for doing what Dave does (I wish I could say infamous) is Jon Stewart. This man lives off of other mans mistakes and while pretentiously trudging through everyones business and personal affairs enjoys a label that is supposed to be reserved for those with caring and understanding personalities. At one point during his demoralizing career this menace went on to a show co-hosted by Tucker Carlson to promote his book, "America: the Book." He attacked the conservative commentator making rude remarks about his bow-tie and calling him a "dick." After this event Stewart's populartity soared and Carlson's show eventually went down in flames landing him on MSNBC. Enough said.

The differences in cool evident between the celebrities of today and Fonzi, the disparity between the non-condecension cool and condecsension cool, is maybe the most obvious when considering the 'coolness' podium that Sugar Ray looks down from. Consider for a second the scene earlier described in which Fonzy chose to not have a hot head. Sugar Ray faced with a predicament similiar to the Fonzes in which a kid allegedly called him "Sugar Gay," chose to ignore the example of Happy Days' star nad harrass the kid repeatedly. What a joke.

Stars today are so built up and so ridiculous, yet they are not the only ones who speak down and try to make friends and allies by alienating 'weaklings.' The celebs represent a societal trend that, to put in plainly, sucks ass. So I say, in the words of the great and mighty Ed Byrne, "Don't put up with put downs." And, oh yeah, like bikes.

posted by So it goes... @ 18:49