Minutes to Memories

I just don't watch a ton of television. I'm not on official protest or anything, it's just a fact. I watch sports when I can, and because of my youngest daughter I've become quite proficient in naming the stars of the Disney Channel. But outside of that, any time I've seen a popular show has simply been a case of hit and miss.

I do know American Idol is aptly named, given the talk I hear about it, but case in point I've never actually watched the show. Until last night, that is.

It was a good night to watch for me, I guess, since the show had rolled in to Memphis, Tennessee. For me, that was practically home, so I enjoyed the cut-aways to all things Memphis.

But I think it was a bad night for me to watch because it was make fun of the dorks night on the show, and it just didn't set very well with me. I wouldn't have been able to put it into words, though. But...

My friend, John Dobbs, posted a link on his blog this morning to another blog by a young man named, Justin, who put into words quite well what I guess I was feeling. Hopefully, Justin won't mind my excerpting his excellent words below:

...American Idol. If anyone watched last night (and I’m assuming you did, Something like 25 million people watch that wretched show) you witnessed some of the meanest things I’ve ever seen on television. Not just Simon, but Paula and Randy as well. Several socially awkward guys tried out and were absolutely demolished by the judges. Not neccesarily because they were bad singers (they were) but because they were fat, or ugly, or just plain socially slow. This show is supposed to be (mostly) about singing. I understand that an “American Idol” probably needs to be somewhat attractive, which means in our culture, probably not obese and definitely some sort of proportional facial features, but the first couple episodes are purely about making fun of people. And I can’t handle it.

In the interest of full disclosure, I do make fun of people a lot. Its wrong. Its something I am trying to fix, and its difficult. But there’s a key difference in my making fun of someone in my head and American Idol specifically bringing in non talented, awkward people to Simon, Randy, and Paula.

“They’re not specifically brought in Justin, you idiot,” you might say. You would be wrong. Have you thought about how long it would take for those three to audition all 10,000 people that show up at each audition city?

They can’t. They pick these bad people out of the crowd to humiliate them. Sure they signed contracts, relinquishing their rights, but I think its only a matter of time before someone kills themself and the Idol train flies off the tracks.