It was during Nixon's infamous "I am not a crook" speech that I first carried my heavy and cumbersome television towards the dumpster. Resting it on the porch railing as I contemplated whether or not I could make the shot from where I stood , my neighbor asked me what I was doing and happily took it off my hands. It was some years before I had another.
About two years ago I finally relented and hooked up cable. I strongly object to paying to watch other people's idea of amusement but, I didn't really know anyone in Colorado Springs yet, couldn't really get out on my sore foot and found myself having read every book in the house. Besides, I was so disconnected from the rest of my previous life that I was more than a little adrift. Not having watched much television for a very long time (dare I say decades?) even the old series were new to me.
I rather enjoyed NCIS, Burn Notice and Orphan Black, among others. I discovered On Demand and developed a binge watching habit long before I knew the expression. Now it seems that I have exhausted the reservoir of unwatched series and am left with either re-watching the same episodes or...or...or...rereading the same books.
Over the last couple of years I have become aware of Red Carpet Season. This freaks me out, a lot. It blows my mind that these extremely well paid performers get awards and honors as well as valuable gift bags in addition to their tremendous incomes. Why? I really don't get it. It is a mystery to me why we would support or encourage such behavior, much less watch it for hours on end, complete with pre-shows and post shows. It staggers my mind.
I have nothing against performers, in general. It's okay with me that they are well paid. It's not so okay with me that other producer grossly underpaid. Nurse's aides, for example- I know nurses, too but but a full time job emptying bedpans pays a quarter over minimum wage?
My mother was in a nursing home for years before she passed and spent more time with these folks than any of her many loved ones. They dressed her, fed her, bathed her, listened to her fears and complaints among other tasks. These people deserve awards and cold hard cash.
It isn't the only occupation that falls below our radar. Some fields are quick to come to mind for being underpaid, whether or not they are appreciated like nurses and teachers-but some we don't even think about. Okay, so I don't ever think about road workers or street light repairers. I recently learned that there are a half-million possible occupations. A half MILLION? But, we're going to give three different awards to the actor that made a million dollars to begin with? There's no mystery to me why a night at the movies costs so much. It just might be time for me to get rid of my television again.
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