WhatFinger


We have surrendered our most primary weapon - our minds

Into The Minds Of Babes



Back in '86 I saw Oliver Stone's graphically intense ‘Platoon’. It was opening in a brand new theater with a screaming sound system that made you feel as though you were in the center of the battle. Sitting right across the aisle were two well-dressed, young, absolutely moronic parents who had their son sitting between them. He could not have been more than five. Stone's ultra-intense Vietnam War masterpiece had the audience thoroughly keyed up. Roaring artillery and wholesale slaughter were coming from every direction without warning. The poor little one was horrified and jerking with every explosion. A scene where a cocky young soldier beat a childishly simple young man to death with the butt of his M-16 actually had the battle-weary audience laughing at a remark he made.
It was a moment of severely twisted comic relief that sprouted from the under-fire angst of an adolescent warrior unloading on this harmless, developmentally challenged Vietnamese guy (actors all). I watched the little boy recoil and look up to his parents for help as the blood splattered. The totally confused boy saw his parents, oblivious to his horror, laughing as well. He anxiously began laughing with them. In one perfectly effective, fleeting moment, that completely vulnerable and innocent, nascent mind saw the two most beloved and trusted people in his world laughing hysterically as the defenseless character appeared to be mercilessly butchered. However unwittingly, a bold stamp of approval for that savagery was what the kid was given. And the little guy gave his all to mimic that for their approval. It is difficult to argue much in any direction based upon a single isolated incident. Nevertheless, I can tell you that through the years I have often thought about that little boy, and wondered what sort of an adult he became. And since that night, every time I've caught news of some teenager expressing delight in a hideous murder he had committed, or of a young couple gleefully videotaping some barbarous homicidal act to savor and share with friends, I can personally attribute a 'maybe' to at least one such person (that I witnessed, anyway) into whom such a seed could very well have been planted. People today so often shake their heads in disbelief at the unprecedented hybrid-vicious crime now happening daily! We might be able to argue the source of such demons - but the acts themselves are undeniable and becoming ever more frequent. Some idiot at this point might respond, "Well, it was only a movie," or "The parents should have known better than to bring him along." Or, worse yet, "Surely they explained everything to him on the way home." But the only sane response here is, of course, "The parents were idiots for dragging the little guy along with them to see that." More likely they just couldn't find a sitter, and they really wanted to see that show. There might be a reason. But there is no excuse.

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It doesn't make any difference, though, because for the last sixty years a droning tv set has become America's babysitter. And the majority of parents haven't seemed to notice or perhaps taken the time to consider that the viewing menu that had once been no stronger than 'Leave It To Beaver' has radically morphed into easily accessible programming that includes the rawest sex and most grizzly violence. But the babies who've been made to watch the trash are still just babies who have no discrimination (or sense of humor) at all. As always, they are forever just looking for love and direction and, yes, to be taught what is right and what is wrong. And the highly sophisticated programming that so impacts the parents absolutely has its way with young formative minds that don't know any better. High-tech entertainment has shredded most of our society's ability to think creatively and reason soundly, independently. Today, like never before, lies are presented as indisputable, powerful truth. And even when the lie is exposed, the entranced, pre-conditioned audience's emotions have been manipulated to spitefully denigrate and attack the truth. Mob mentality is prevalent and especially dangerous today because every individual, no matter how uneducated, idolizes and can regularly mimic the carefully choreographed confidence of Academy Award-winning liars. A really good example of stunning, vainglorious nonsense passing as gospel truth is seen in the viral criticism of America that actor Jeff Daniels did before what was supposed to be an auditorium full of college kids. In that pilot episode of 'Newsroom,' he (anchor 'Will McAvoy') cites as fact, an impressive narrative of aspersing statistics that were actually assembled by a man who cranks out scripts for a living. As Daniels is giving his electrically compelling speech, most viewers are completely taken in and don't remember that he is a top-dollar actor because his work is never anything less than authentic. Beyond that, the enraptured viewer doesn't consider the hours that were put in refining the understated encyclopedic critique that appeared to come off the top of his head. We don't even notice being drawn into the moment by the most perfectly spontaneous cinematography, precisely inserted wisps of heart-rending music, or the thundering 'presence' of the silences in between it all.

Since that clip has been floating around the Internet, I have seen gushing plaudits of acclamation coming from all sorts of people and organizations who refer to it as the most ideal expression of how America is missing the mark - that it is the quintessential statement of truth in patriotism, and that it was overdue and could not have been said better - "We need more people like him" - and so on. But the fact remains that it was only an act, a stunt that mixed a bunch of arguable opinion with artistic invention. And it was packaged in such a way that made millions of viewers revere the imaginary character, 'McAvoy,' (as well as the masterful actor, Jeff Daniels) with approaching sacred respect. So much of TV-watching America live most of their lives parked on their butts in front of an HD flat-screen, fantasizing and internalizing skillfully prepared 'experiences' that have never happened and are in no way a part of their own empty lives. Many attribute to Adolf Hitler an observation he had at least completely corroborated: "To conquer a nation, first you must disarm its people." And that is where America now finds herself - and it has nothing to do with our second amendment. We have surrendered our most primary weapon - our minds - in exchange for what we are sold as cutting-edge 'truth' and unquestionably 'correct' thoughts and feelings. And the cost we pay for this is just our individuality and the hard labor of making our own decisions. Entertainment is the currency that now buys our attention. And for that we have handed over our children, the peace and privacy of our homes, and the safety we once cherished here in our free nation. For diversion from what we have been made to believe is the tedium of LIFE, we have truly given up everything. Not because it's right ... but because it feels right.


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Dave Merrick -- Bio and Archives

Dave Merrick, Davemerrick.us is an internationally known and published artist whose works reach into the greatest diversity of audiences. Known primarily for his astoundingly lifelike portraiture, Merrick’s drawings and paintings grace the walls of an impressive array of well-known corporate and private clientele. Many of his published wildlife pieces have become some of America’s most popular animal imagery.

He has more original work in the Pro-Rodeo Hall of Fame than any other artist. His wildlife and Southwestern-theme work is distributed internationally through Joan Cawley Galleries of Scottsdale AZ.


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