Sunday, October 19, 2003
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, NOT. My wife is out of town, the kids are in bed. So, after my weekly dose of Law and Order: Criminal Intent I did something I would never expect to do: watch the show that comes next on NBC: The Lyon's Den (what else was I supposed to do? Watch the World Series?). I've never been a Rob Lowe fan either before or during The West Wing. But in this new show, he takes his earnest Dudley Do-right persona to new heights. At one point he counters the shadowy security chief (played by an aging Cliff Roberston) with the verbal riposte: "what about the search for Truth? Doesn't that mean anything around here" (a paraphrase). Where does he get such pabulum? Of course it doesn't mean anything, it is a law firm for heaven's sake! Later he takes down the aging father of one his clients with "it is deeds that matter in life, not words." That'll ruin the multi-millionaire's day. Prediction: the show won't last the season.
And yet, upon further reflection, I can't help but feel a bit guilty about how cynical I have apparently become. What's wrong with expressing a preference for the truth? If more people walked their talk, wouldn't the world actually be a better place? How have we (I?) come to the point where the expression of such sentiments elicit only sneers of derision? Perhaps it is merely because they are so artificially yet artlessly (meaning lacking in skill not lacking in guile) expressed. Perhaps not.
And yet, upon further reflection, I can't help but feel a bit guilty about how cynical I have apparently become. What's wrong with expressing a preference for the truth? If more people walked their talk, wouldn't the world actually be a better place? How have we (I?) come to the point where the expression of such sentiments elicit only sneers of derision? Perhaps it is merely because they are so artificially yet artlessly (meaning lacking in skill not lacking in guile) expressed. Perhaps not.
