Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...

What is it with mediocrity?

It seems that so much of our current cultural discourse is bland and trite. I recognize the need to be vacuous and meaningless from time to time but things are getting out of hand.

I recently worked at a concert by a prominent female entertainer at a major venue and was non-plussed to say the least. I don't want to mention her name because this is not a review and I don't want to come off as mean spirited. She seemed like a very nice woman. She probably loves kittens and small children. She is probably a good bowler.

I was non-plussed, not so much by her lack of talent but, more interestingly, I was impressed by what she represents.

She has a so-so voice, her material was predictable, the sets and costumes were uninspired and she is only a fair dancer. I will say that the video element and the band itself were amazing but they were not the headliners.

She was surrounded by 18 dancers, 14 young ripped men and 4 slithering women. The repertoire was rap/hip-hop and "pop", or what passes for pop these days. VERY loud, one or two chord extravaganzas played live to a CD backup track. Cheese, plain and simple.

But the concert betrayed a deeper tear in the fabric of our modern society (nice metaphor but just as tired as what it describes...you would agree?)

We are surrounded by crap. Crap in entertainment, crap in politics and crap in food and fashion.

The only place where crap does not reign supreme is in professional sports. In that area you have to be good in order to play. You don't make it to The World Series unless you are capable of playing in "the show." But even there the crap exists away from the actual game with all of the posing and "trash talking."

Our entertainers are, in some cases, famous just for being famous, as opposed to, say...TALENTED! Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep aside, few actors can really act...they are cast for doing one thing. Sneering, crying, laughing, they are given roles because they have "box office" appeal. They put bodies in the seats, eyeballs on the screens. Who was the last actor to really act? Sylvester Stallone? Keanu Reeves? Cameron Diaz? Puhleez. We love what they do but it is far from acting.

And our musicians are no better. Can Britney sing? Can Jay-Zee or Chris Brown? Or Ashlee Simpson? I think not.

Are Calvin Klein jeans worth $300 a pair or DKNY? Why? They are BLUE JEANS! Levi's are the best and at a fraction of the cost.

And McDonald's could serve McCaviar on McMelba toast all day long but, in the end, it would still be McDonald's.

We are inundated and engulfed in ka-ka.

And "don't get me started" on our politicians. Michele Bachmann? Rick Santorum(E Pompous Santorum)? RICK PERRY! Oh...My...God! Please save us from these IDIOTS! I would consider converting to any religion or cult that could promise me salvation from these a-holes!

So...mediocrity. It is in our schools, in the malls, on the street, in our homes...everywhere.

We are encircled. We are beseiged. WE ARE DOOMED!

So, if you can't beat 'em join 'em.

Pass the chips and TURN IT UP!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!