television 12
Ruddy Glory: The Resonance of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Was May demonstrating, knowingly or not, that even the isolated and disparaged—on the very nose of their ridicule—could be pointing the way brightly ahead through a dark and foggy future?…
The Power of Place: Northern Exposure and South Side
Places shape us and provide the contours of our communities. And despite the grittier dramas, the grip that a place has on us is not always all about past crimes…
The Power of Place: Huckberry’s Dirt
Huckberry’s success speaks to a desire for adventure and relationship with the land within the American public. People want to go backpacking and hiking and ride their motorcycles across the…
Ted Lasso and the Temptation of “Aww, Shucks” Idealism
Is there an alternative to the Ted Lasso cynicism-versus-optimism dichotomy, an alternative that recognizes human limitations but nonetheless offers hope? I might start with becoming attentive enough to our ignorance,…
The Social Network Fantasy
In today’s Los Angeles Times, Neil Gabler has an insightful piece on the way in which the “gang of friends” has become the dominant social group on American television.
Not a “Modern Family” At All
Claremont, CA. ABC’s hit series “Modern Family” has returned to the air for its second season. It’s the “modern” elements of the “Modern Family” that you’re supposed to notice right…
Lessons from the Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore teaches us something about the tragic dimensions of the culture in which we live, and in which we raise young people.
Big Secrets
Claremont, CA. Yesterday I was walking past the post office in my latte-liberal, bohemian-bourgeois town, when I saw a picture of President Obama made up to look like Hitler.…
Turn On, Tune In, Watch TV
Claremont, CA. I am not ashamed to admit it: I like television. I think television is important. I think television is worth watching. Oh, I know all the objections.…
Why we do not own a Television
April was "Media Awareness Month" at our sons' school. I took a couple weeks off from the Porch, and I also published a first draft of this piece in the…
The Ad-Man Cometh (for your Children)
RINGOES, NJ. March Madness is finally over. And for the first time in years, I actively participated in the madness. For most of our married life, my wife and I…
“For all the Small Schools”: Or, It’s Hoosiers Time
'Tis the season to hie on down to the high school gym. Via First Principles, herewith my piece on Hoosiers, one of the precious few good films ever made about…
