Illuminating indecency
A TV fan asks the question: How can I get my husband to watch Mad Men when he thinks that the main character, Don Draper, is such a bad person?
When will people realize that shows about "bad people" are not "bad shows"? We've been dealing with this for a half-century already. Forget Archie Bunker, forget even modern "anti-heroes" like Tony Soprano. TV Guide's all-time favorite television character is Taxi's Louie De Palma, an unrepentant heel. I grew up with him.
I do not need my characters to be likeable to enjoy a show. I don't even need my characters to be likeable for me to like them. Was I supposed to like Hank more than I liked Walt on Breaking Bad? Because I never did. Arrogant prick. His business was more crooked than Walt's. I need cynicism. In fact, that's the only type of show I can enjoy anymore. The darker Mad Men gets, the better it gets in my mind. The further Don strays into misanthropy, the more I feel that the world around him deserves what he gives them. (Except for Sally. She can do no wrong in my eyes.) Don't pander to me with your cuddly Parks & Rec-style sullenness either. I want the real thing. That's why Mad Men and The Sopranos are the two best series ever made. Real misanthropes there. Even The Wire is not cynical enough for my taste. David Simon lets too many groups off easy. His cops are not realistically depraved enough, his politicians not sufficiently cruel or greedy enough, and his journalists not vapid enough.
That's why I call myself an idealist. An idealist is always being let down by the world. Idealism is cynicism, not optimism. Most people get that wrong. Give me jaundice or give me the remote.
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What do some football fans expect to happen in the aftermath of Deflategate? The New England Patriots are going to be disqualified from the Super Bowl? It's an event that brings the league 500 million dollars and one team's not going to show up?
I hate the Patriots as much as any person that really hates the Patriots, but the scandal we should still be talking about is when they videotaped the Rams' practice prior to Super Bowl 36.
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Am I the only guy surprised to find out that NFL teams are allowed to provide their own footballs for use when they're on offense? No wonder this shit is going down. The Colts supposedly only found out that the Deflate-triots were letting the air out of the balls when one of Tom Brady's passes was intercepted. Normally the defensive team doesn't touch the ball.
And again the sport of baseball is found to be unique.
posted by CM @ 9:09 PM
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