When you go to the movies, do you ever wonder what happened to those old movies that were all singing and dancing and everyone ended up happy? And all those old wonderful actors and actresses whose pictures you had on your bedroom wall because they were so wonderful! Well, they are definitely a thing of the past. No longer can you leave the theater and dance along the sidewalk and sing the songs that you just heard. Now, you are so afraid, depressed or upset when you leave the theater that no longer do you carry away a feeling of joy. Nope, you are lucky if you can get home without either screaming or crying.
And what about television? With very few exceptions – and for me, I don’t include my absolute favorite, “The Big Bang Theory” – what is offered is probably too much like real life, at least somewhere. Do you ever wonder what happened to the good old shows that made you smile, laugh, and have a happy and joyous evening? I know that many of the old performers are still alive and are still very funny and talented. Where are they when we most need them?
Today we not only are offered the most upsetting and frightening programming, we also watch the daily news that appears to only tell us about the most horrendous things that are happening around the world. And here are my thoughts… for most of us, these programs and news bites are upsetting. We think about them and worry about what will happen, but most of us can’t think about what we can do about it. We can contact our elected officials and hope that they can do something, although most of us don’t hold much hope.
But what about our children and worst yet, those who are looking for an idea or even a blueprint do do something horrific themselves? I don’t know if it is true, but it would seem that all the news coverage and spotlighting of the mass murders by young gunmen at various schools throughout the country might encourage others to commit such horrific acts. And it seems to me that you never ever really see these perpetrators get what they deserve. Why? Well, as a rule, they kill themselves before they can be brought to justice, or they get “wounded” and we have to get them the care they need and keep them under guard, at tremendous public expense. Does this make sense to anyone? Or does it just give encouragement to the next person?
Let’s bring back a few funny and happy shows and musicals that don’t focus on fear, loathing and sex, sex, sex and maybe we can allow our children to grow up like most of us did.