Now that we’re saying good-bye to the decade from hell, I’ve compiled a list of a few nuggets that would be better left behind, decaying in a bucket of bad nostalgia.
Authoritative talking heads: Rush Limbaugh was in business long before the beginning of the decade, but the Fox News era of journalism ushered in a wave of opinion “journalism” that brought about quacks like Bill O’Reilly, Shawn Hannity and the emotionally unstable Glenn Beck. Their influence can be seen in the droves of everyday passionate conservatives who can’t formulate an opinion on their own, and do not have the ability of rationalizing or defending their arguments. MSNBC gets an honorable mention for influencing the 20 or so people who tune in to their prime-time programming.
Sarah Palin: It would probably help the Democratic Party if Sarah Palin hung around and ran as the Republican candidate every four years, but she truly is an embarrassment to all politics. If she continues being the representation of the modern political woman then you can chalk that up as a loss for feminism. Everything that she actually stands for can be summed up by the fact that she abandoned the Alaskan governorship to promote her book and follow the dollar trail while her brand is hot.
American Idol: Enough is enough. The networks have filled us up with so much singing and dancing nonsense that I think we could all puke a talent show for a week. “American Idol” has brought the world Clay Aiken, Chris Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Hicks, David Cook and a bunch of other marginally talented singers. The only contestants that are unique in any way are the bad ones, and they’re only unique in the way that some people enjoy being tortured in front of others. The name “American Idol” is ludicrous to begin with. If good Karaoke singers are our generation’s idols then consider American culture dead. I think that the next wave of “American Idol” contestants should have a unique talent, like being able to fist fight a pack of wild dogs or being really good Civil War reenactors.
Bush Mentality: The Bush mentality is oblivious to the gray areas of complex situations. Bush couldn’t foresee the third dimension of invading Iraq. He had no idea of the repercussions because he sees human life in black and white. The Bush mentality thinks that since there are Czars in the Obama administration, and that Russia had Czars, and they were once communists, then Obama must be a socialist. The Bush mentality is prevalent within the tea bagging community. It’s a passion void of logic that needs to die with the decade.
Religious Terrorism: If you are lighting your shoes on fire in and attempt to blow up an airplane in the name of your religious conviction, then your god is weak. If your shoddy attempt to take out a handful of Americans is an extension of your god’s will, your god is an idiot. If your god is all powerful and hates infidels then why do infidels exist? The logic is totally baffling from the view of all religions that must overcome an evil. Why does there have to be some pending catastrophic holy war between good and evil? Why doesn’t your powerful god just immediately claim victory?
