Not so long ago I heard on the radio an advertisement for some entertainment service that made me reflect on the power of language to convey meaning beyond the intention and scope of the author. The scenario portrayed a listener who in their early years were engaged in something they enjoyed doing but then "life got in the way" separating them from that source of joy. From this statement, by simple deduction, one can only understand that the unspoken but generally accepted truth is that instead of being a process of fulfillment, actualisation and confirmation of potential, "life" for most of people is just a series of abdications, compromise, conformities and self-betrayal separating them from their genuine potential and true sources of pleasure and happiness. At that point my only thought was: "what a sad waste of this unique experience by so many people who succumb unreflectively to received wisdom".
Then I saw the movie TED with the trepidation and high expectations that the director's (Seth MacFarlane) work with the fantastic animated TV series Family Guy was amply justifying. What is now obvious I had failed to consider is that HIS life got in the way too. A life where keeping at something you are good at (and making loads of money in the process), is seemingly not enough until you sold out and went sucking the cock to the dumbing-down Hollywood leviathan. From the edgy, mostly uncompromising, hilarious social critique of Family Guy, what we have in the directorial debut of Mr. MacFarlane is a sad and disengaging abdication to the perversion of intellectual numbing exercised by the "dream factory"'s bland and stereotypical script recipe book. This apparently bottomless shit-pit seems to never stop churning out its giant mesh of stupidity which entraps hoards of popcorn munching, carbonated piss sipping imbeciles without ever allowing them to question the rudimentary paradigms that they are being fed into considering as their own thoughts, ideas and values. As if there were not enough "Transformers", "Indestructibles", "Expendables" and the like out there clogging the already slow synapses of the general population.
So what in essence smart, young Seth is telling his audience is: all you dudes, slow adopters, dope-heads, contrarians to the stupidity the establishment is trying to tie you down with, you all should stop being so outside the pattern other people want you to be in, and hurry at getting a nylon suit and tie, a job (that will make us rich - but we won't tell you that), a mortgage (that will do the same thing as the job does - but we won't tell you that either) and stick to the delusion that there is "one and only" love of your life (as this will help at keeping you a prisoner of the previous requirements - you got it, this is again only for us to know). All what seems to be missing form this sad reiteration of the same old Hollywood shit is the unquestionable allegiance to god and country. Wait, no, good ole' white american god peeked his almighty nose at the end in the so very original church wedding. Well done Seth!
So what is this all about? Why haven't I engaged in exposing the downright disgusting mercantile manipulation of the public psyche by the mass-media / entertainment industry before? Well, actually I did, but I'm back at it again because it pains me to see that even apparently smart people, who are rich enough not to need doing it, are still selling out for nothing more than some more cash and the questionable hubris of joining an otherwise most dubious group - rubbing elbows with the Hollywood hot-shots as the only proof of a life well spent). With a sad heart also Eddy Izzard's name comes to mind when talking about this (feeling happy in some Hollywood side-room you old lovable executive tranny?).
But to end on a positive note (aren't we all monkey-trained to love a happy ending?), although I'm not always a fan of his humour, big kudos and thumbs up to Ricky Gervais for (still) calling it as it is although and most admirably in spite of already having made his fortune.