Dancing With the Stars invokes anger

The results of this week's Dancing With the Stars results made me so angry it took me three days to write about it.

I was about as angry as the dude who shot up his television set, but my anger is more of the seething variety. I'm not the shooter type. Fairness has always been fundamental in my behavioral arsenal. There is no denying fairness was violated when Bristol Palin was chosen to go on to the dance finals over R & B singer Brandy Norwood, an excellent dancer who garnered perfect scores.

I have been watching ballroom dancing for years--dating back to the days when Juliet Prowse hosted the championship dancing on PBS. I had no idea that Dancing With the Stars would be a fixed popularity contest. But it appears that is just what this has become.

I was a little leery when the show invited Tom DeLay last season, but then to invite Bristol Palin this season should have shown the handwriting on the wall. This is a political venue rather than a dance competition. It is tainted. Bristol should have been voted off that first week because she clearly lacks the talent. Yes, she has improved over the course of the show, but her dancing is clearly not of the same caliber as any of the others who were voted off in her stead.

I was sickened at the judges' positive comments about Palin too. They clearly did not hold her to the same standards as other dancers. Were they issued a directive? Just what are the politics in play at the upper echelon of ABC television? Len Goodman is a tough dance critic, but clearly he let Palin slide. Carrie Ann Inaba was also overly kind, as was Bruno Tonioli.

The results show was in such stark contrast to the previous night when Jennifer Grey and Derek Hough performed the most elegant waltz I've ever seen. It was enchanting to watch the two of them dance so beautifully, as they captured tremendous emotional intensity. I cried as I watched them move effortlessly. Watching a beautiful dance can be as moving as listening to  a symphony or gazing upon the colors of a sunset.

Yet just hours later, it was all tainted, lost in the scandal that so often takes over all that is good and innocent, perpetrated by cheaters.

This example of entertainment television does a disservice to all: absolutely short-changing the viewers of real dance competitiveness; ultimately the show which has lost all credibility; certainly to Brandy Norwood who was far more deserving of a chance to move to the finals; and even to Bristol herself, because she has been made to look like a fool, not to mention a spoiled brat child who has been coddled for a lifetime by her over-bearing mother. Sadly, Bristol might even believe she deserved to win this competition. What an injustice. One day, she will have to stand on her own merit in a real scenario, without her mother's influence over her self-made reality.

What kind of a mother is it that encourages her daughter to compete way over her head? What kind of a mother fails to teach her daughter humility? What kind of a mother throws her own child under the bus to gain popularity for herself?

It is pretty clear that the Sarah Palin factor influenced the initial choosing of Bristol Palin for Dancing With the Stars. Bristol is not a star. She is an unwed mother whose life is controlled by her over-bearing mother. Is there no limit to what Sarah Palin will do? But worse than that, she seems to have the same kind of following as the Rev. Jim Jones and other 'leaders' who prey upon those around them. 

I'm so sick of lying, cheating, and stealing. Yet that is just what happened when voters admittedly gamed the system, giving Bristol her way, most likely at her mothers' urging.

The rapid decline of Dancing With the Stars which began as a fun entertainment venue is is no longer fun. This is serious--symptomatic of where our humanity is going. And that scares the hell out of me.

Remember the oil spill???

My extreme thanks to Truthout, Rose Aguilar and to Riki Ott for this enlightening interview re: the Gulf coast oil disaster that continues even though it remains beneath the radar of the mainstream media and our government. I believe this is important information.

 

Election priorities all wrong

It has taken me six days to get over the recent election.

I was appalled at the priorities exhibited in this election--the amount of money that was pumped into this election by the Republicans. I was sickened as the Democrats tried their best to match it. I cannot tell you how many phone calls and emails I received from the party to which I feel most aligned, begging for money. Perhaps instead of just asking for money, all those phone calls and emails should be expressing the reasons why I would support this candidate.

Living on a pension, I have no money to spare, but if I was inspired by someone, I would likely find a few dollars to donate.

The corporations--the companies with CEO's making millions each year--some of which are not even based in this country, are behind the victors of the 2010 mid-term elections This will come back to haunt us all, unless of course we are among them. I disclose here and now that I'm not a rich CEO of any Fortune 500 company. 

The plethora of television ads this year were particularly scandalous. They should be done away with. They rarely provided information about the candidate, hardly ever told the truth, and most often focused on the other guy.

I had hoped people would see through all it all. I was wrong, evidenced by those that were elected. This was clearly a Republican sweep, bought and paid for. By the way, I felt similarly in the last election cycle when the Democrats swept the election. I believe in the balance of power in a cooperative White House and Congress, not something we can claim at all.

I take my politics very seriously. I have long advocated no votes by the those who are uninformed, either by ignorance or choice. I consider electing a government representative at any level to be a sobering responsibility. It should certainly have more to do with more than fundraising prowess.

I believe that not just the candidates, the office-holders, but the voters need to be accountable. No longer can we afford voting just for the party. No longer can we afford picking the name that we like, even though we don't know any of them. Voting is way too important to choose a candidate based on their television ads or some other criteria that boils down to simply paid-for advertising. If they ever claim, I approve this ad because,...be suspect. Voting should be based on the candidates' record. It should be based on the person running for office, not the letter behind his name. It should be based on the candidates' motive for running for office. If any of the answers consist of money, salary, greed, pension, or fundraising, look the other way.

We get the government we deserve. I just happen to think we deserve better.