Monday, February 20, 2012

Happy Televangelist’s Day

Happy President’s Day everybody!

That is, of course, a bad joke. I would no more think of celebrating something called President’s Day any more than I would celebrate something called “Chief Executive Officer Day” or “Marketer of the Year Day,” or “Televangelist’s Day.” Presidents are really just a glorified combination of those professions. That may be good or bad or irrelevant. It may be an unavoidable consequence of the age that we live in. Who knows? But should we honor it with a holiday all its own?

Just consider what it takes to become president in the modern era. You don’t need any special kind of wisdom or sagacity, nor any highly developed knowledge. No, in order to become president these days you mostly just have to look good on TV and lie well. It’s all about money and appearance. Whoever can lie to the greatest number of people in the most convincing number of ways usually wins, provided, of course, he was able to panhandle more money than his opponent while doing it.

To become president, you have to be a game show host and a beggar all in one. You need the exact same skills as a successful televangelist. Now, at some basic level, it’s possible to admire someone who possesses this combination of talents, just as it’s possible to admire the pretty colors on a poisonous frog, but why mar a perfectly good calendar because of it? Why make Monday even worse than it already is?

1 comment:

One Fly said...

I listen to none of these people and read very little and am better off for it and better informed than those who do listen and watch.

It's so fucking disgusting.