In the early years of Saturday Night Live Chevy Chase played an inept, sometimes fatuous news anchor, who would blithely flit from a report on "four million die in China earthquake" to a segment on "Arlene visits the zoo."
Today, we lump together news of the latest rant from Mel Gibson, Lindsay Lohan's meltdown, and LeBron James updates with stories of environmental disaster, new wars brewing, and economic peril, with the latter at times struggling to wrest away some of the attention many devote to the former. The cult of celebrity apparently brings on an addictive element, with fans requiring a daily fix. Dostoevsky's cynical Grand Inquisitor got it right with his insight about the masses craving "bread and circuses." For "bread," read the steady appeal of junk food and the resulting epidemic of obesity among young and old alike.
Sincerely,
Orest Slepokura
Strathmore, Alta
