Rehab Is For Quitters

The Young And The Restless soap opera has been on television for thirty-five years. It's been the #1 daytime show for a thousand weeks. I first got into watching it while visiting an older woman friend up in Portland back in 2000. I get frustrated with the show sometimes because most of the big hassles the characters run into are their own darn fault. Like real life, sure, but on the show they never seem to learn. Sometimes real people get a clue. I've heard it said that the only way for the human brain to contemplate infinity is to think how stupid we people can be. (What were they [was I] thinking?) So maybe that's part of the appeal of Y&R. But that aside, I'd still like to see somebody on that show, young or old, who doesn't think like a prude when it comes to sex. When Nick was still married to Sharon and started having the affair with Phyllis, when it came out, not one person said, "Hey, Nick, way to go! That Phyllis is hot." And if I'd been Nick, I'd sure have given moving Phyllis in with me and Sharon a shot. At least considered it or talked about it with one or both of them. But even the young folks on the show are totally shocked by unmarried sex. Despite the show's edgy name, it sure seems pretty 1950s to me. They were off to a good start with Bobby and Britney, could have done a lot with that situation, but that happening storyline just came to a screeching halt and it looks like the strip-club owner and his young dancer have been written out of the Genoa City population forever and ever amen. Pity.

There's always a lot of talk about "cheating" and "affairs" on TV cuz of the ongoing high-profile sex controversies of politicians and religious leaders, the two main vocations that still for some reason feel required to adhere to rules of conduct established back when people lived their whole lives in a small village and died at thirty or thirty-five. It's hysterical when they get discovered and squirm, I agree, but it's really just sad when you think about it. Why do they apologize? "Oh, I'm sorry for having had such a great time. It was so good, I'll never let it happen again." Break out the scarlet letters. Jeesh. Join the hookers' union in San Francisco: COYOTE. "Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics". You're big time politicos and God's guilt pushers, show some gumption. That new gov of NY freely admits to having lived a life. Hats off to him and the Mrs. both. Very refreshing.

"Hey, Johnny. What's 'B.R.M.C.' stand for?"
"Black Rebel Motorcycle Club."
"What are you rebelling against?"
"What've ya got?"

I woke up yesterday morning and turned on the radio and just caught the news on the hour. It was mostly stories about the little-kids-in-a-sandbox mentality of world leaders in action. Then I turned on the computer to check my e-mails. On Yahoo! News, I see an 11-year-old girl died because her parents only prayed over her instead of taking her to a doctor. Politicians and religious folks, the same people who seem to have all the guilt and shame when it comes to sex. Coincidence? Why is it that the ones with the most hang-ups always want to tell everybody else how to live? People who party and enjoy life don't give a dang what other people are up to, it's the miserable joyless citizens who are afraid somebody next door or even across town might be having sex or smoking a joint. And because the morally superior are so dangerous, the happy people gotta lie and sneak for fear of losing their jobs or getting arrested. And just look at where it's gotten us.

Rolling blackouts are happening tonight to help point out the need to conserve energy around the world. It's certainly more civilized than torching SUV dealerships, as much as I do understand the fear and urgency that would lead some folks to such action. We'll certainly never become a planet of monks, but we can sure learn ways to have a good life while using lots less. I used to hitchhike on the freeway way up north here in California, overlooking a lumber mill that was the main employer of two small towns and the surrounding area. It was a fourth-generation operation, actually had more timber growing than they harvested each year, and could have gone on indefinitely. But then some Wall Street type looked on their computer and realized that this company owned all this standing timber and initiated a hostile take-over, moved in and clear-cut everything the law would allow, and then moved on, leaving the area to get by on Food Stamps and growing pot. But boy were the stock holders happy that quarter! More zeros to look at. That's our enemy, our downfall I'm afraid. People who need more zeros.