“Would you like steak sauce or ketchup with that?” the waiter asks. The standard answer from my husband is: “I hope not.” All ranchers, and most people raised in beef country, know that if the meat is good quality and cooked properly, you don’t need anything on the side.
The sideshows at political conventions prove that the messages are poor quality, poorly prepared, and need to be sweetened with distractions. This column isn’t about politics so you can continue reading with assurance that your views, whatever they are, won’t be attacked. That being said, let me say this. We don’t need fireworks, rock stars or Hollywood personalities at what should be a serious and thoughtful method of choosing our leaders. Nor do we need pundits to hash it all over and tell us what we heard; we can figure it out for ourselves if they all just shut up and let us think.
Distractions are everywhere, Superbowl halftime, the Olympics, rodeos, county fairs, even so-called news programs with split screens of horrific scenes that detract from what the announcer is saying.
The rodeo clown is there for good reason. He helps keep the crowd interested when there’s a lull between events, and provides comic relief in a setting where tension runs high and danger is ever present. He may, or may not, be the actual bull fighter, which is a very necessary role. But rodeos also include a lot of side show. Music so loud that it’s hard to hear the announcer, replays, fireworks on a big screen… All this seems disrespectful to the athletes who have put in hours of practice and are there to show off their skills.
Sporting events, political gatherings, and even county fairs, have become sideshows, and I didn’t even buy a circus ticket. I wonder how much of the budget for political conventions is spent on distractions, which leads to a whole other bunch of questions. What is it that they are hiding? Why aren’t we just allowed to hear the messages and ponder on what that means?
Do we really need a bouncy house at the county fair? Your tax dollars help pay for the fair budget. If it was advertised as “bigger and better than last year,” wasn’t last year pretty good just like it was? I’d prefer the focus to be on the young people who have worked to create wonderful exhibits, or the quilters who put together a fine show, the photographers and artists who share their talents.
Americans seem to have a need to supersize everything. Maybe they’re putting Red Bull in our Wheaties. I know, I’m just old, but life seemed a lot more enjoyable when a candy bar was a rare treat and soda pop came in small bottles. We really appreciated extras, simply because they were extra, rather than daily expectations. It’s nice to have choices but shopping was easier when there were only two or three kinds of toothpaste on the shelf. How long did it take you to decide what kind of sauce you wanted on your wings? And do you really even know what wings taste like? Meet me here next week and, meanwhile, do your best. Somebody might like it.