Embracing Mediocrity (Part One?)

Sad news. Exchange Theatre is folding, meaning I won't get to see Goldoni's The Servant of Two Masters next March. I really hate to hear this, and not just because I've made donations and worked in their shows. I believed in their goals and was impressed by their work. That's why I was happy to be involved at so many levels. Board member, volunteer, actor, donor... Again, I see part of the problem was starting too big. It was a gamble, and I'm proud they lasted beyond the dot-com bomb as long as they did. The others which started too big in the same time frame have been history for five years.

I think of it as "cops syndrome." That is, most people would rather stay at home and watch their favorite rerun of Cops again, than go out and see a live show. It's not that many people would actually enjoy Cops more. You can vegetate in front of the TV, but it takes some effort to actually see quality entertainment. I checked the website for as long as I could stomach it, and it appears Cops is in their 18th season. How many great and good theatre companies have gone under in that time? I don't get it. I've never seen more than a few minutes of Cops, and it was the most boring tripe I could imagine.

I can understand the lethargy though, having been there. I found my way out of that tendency when I found a passion for art. Though it seems I have almost no free time, I do other things which I didn't in the past. A fulfilling life opened up my horizons, got me out to everything from socializing to ball games to opera. Makes you wonder doesn't it? Balanced, active, happy people must be an anathema to corporate entities. People who have interests, and quickly tire of sitting in front of a tv or internet browser, are more challenging to pigeonhole, and pummel with advertisements.

There is a reason conservatives, which in today's world equates to corporate apologists in America, would like to strip all art from education. People who think outside the parameters of convenient mass marketing are of no use to conservatives. Anything which causes a human being to resist the pliable consumer mold is a dire threat to those who rely on cattle call type marketing for their fortunes. If you are not a willing consumer, properly conditioned to work (preferably for low wages) and spend your earnings on cheap and unnecessary goods you are called subversive.

So, I traveled from sadness at the demise of a superior theatre company to the insidious evil of consumerism. Not really much of a tangent. The death of art in our affluent society is driven by the elevation of consumerism to the most sacred status in america.

PS - Typo's aside I am pretty specific with capitalization. Ever notice how I rarely capitalize christian? Don't capitalize our dictator's name, w? Etc? I do generally go along with the rules for titles, even for the inane television show I mentioned. But proper nouns, like people's names or groups, I feel should be earned, and not assigned.