Did Seinfeld have it right?

Wednesday October 29, 2008 | | Permalink | Digg It

I’m 46 years old, which means I’m from the tail end of the baby-boomer crowd. Compared to my parents and grandparents before me, I’ve always known (probably because they were always quick to remind me) that my generation has had it pretty nice. I’ve always been aware to a certain degree that we were spoiled – have too much, want too much, work too little, take too much for granted. However I cannot explain and am, in fact, stymied by what seems to be most important to folks around me. When did what we have become more important than who we are? I’m trying to pinpoint exactly when we all stopped paying attention to the things that really matter in favor of the things that don’t matter at all.

Now before anyone starts telling me that I’m unpatriotic or, God forbid, un-American, let me confess up front that I love this country. I firmly believe that the worst day in the U.S.A. is better than the best day anywhere else on the planet. We do, however, need to address some very serious issues that face us right now. The Economy. Healthcare. Energy. The War. Our global standing. These are serious issues that every American should seek to inform themselves about.

But let me digress a moment.

I grew up like most people my age watching shows like Leave it to Beaver , Gunsmoke, Lost in Space… classic entertainment. However, the comedy that probably spoke most to my age group was Seinfeld. Older boomers didn’t quite get it, but many are discovering it in re-runs. Famously touted as a “show about nothing,” Seinfeld grew more adept each season at picking apart the minutiae of everyday life. Every character on the show was someone we could relate to… overblown, of course, to make it funnier. We all know a Jerry, a George, an Elaine and yes, even a Kramer. It was funny to watch them dissect something from nothing each week. It was entertaining. Jerry breaking up with a girlfriend because of the way she ate her peas, one at a time, “I’ve seen here eat corn niblets,” he says “but she scooped ‘em… that’s what was so vexing.” Seinfeld made a career out of looking at everyday life from the inside out, poking fun at what mattered least.

So I am beginning to wonder. Are we becoming a culture about nothing? Take a look at those issues again; The Economy. Healthcare. Energy. The War. Our global standing.
But what are we hearing most about during this campaign?
Pantsuits. Preachers. Pitbulls. Plumbers.

We are allowing ourselves to become so engrossed with the things that matter the least that we have no time left to really concentrate on the things that matter the most. Do we care to know the economic policies of each candidate? Their proposed healthcare plans? How they view getting us out of Iraq? Finding Bin Laden, fixing the economy? Or do we only care about the make of Sarah’s eyeglasses, field dressing a moose, Obama’s preachers and who he served on community boards with, how many homes John owns, Joe’s hair plugs, and that not only does Joe Plumber not have a license, but it seems he doesn’t care to pay ANY taxes.

It’s not the media. If Seinfeld wasn’t entertaining it would not have lasted beyond a season, and its cast would not have been able to demand and receive top dollar for their talent. No, it’s not the media, because if We The People weren’t obsessed with nothing, the media would stop dishing it out one outrageous portion after another and instead give us something more substantial. When We The People choose to ask for more pertinent information, we’ll get it. And slowly we’ll become informed. It probably won’t even hurt. I’m thinking we’ll still have time to keep up with Brad, Angelina, Paris and, for the old folks, Madonna.

There’s a lotta ways to look at it and a topic like this could go on forever… but the candidates are about to sit down to a non-partisan black tie affair, and we’re all invited to watch.

I hear they’re serving peas.

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