…about concussions and football?
I’m not a sports fan myself so I’d just as soon see the game go away. In theory. I say that because I understand that football, and other contact sports, are acceptable outlets for aggressive behavior. Since prehistoric times man has had to use brute force to survive. Times have changed, but man’s primeval behavior hasn’t gone the way of the dinosaurs.
The over-arching problem is the millions of dollars the NFL dangles before would-be prospects looking to play pro-football. Most concerning, however, is that parents wholeheartedly encourage their sons to play a game which, according to recent statistics, puts their lives at risk. Is the money worth it?
…about bringing trade schools back?
In our rush to outdo, or at least keep up with, China and other countries technologically, America has placed tremendous emphasis on math and science. Our children are pushed to excel academically in order to secure jobs with Microsoft, Apple and the like. As has always been the case, not every child is suited for college.
Trying to force square pegs into round holes is as implausible today as it was in generations past. A child who is more adept with his hands is not going to be happy sitting at a computer all day. Forcing youngsters to pursue careers in the hopes that they will be set financially, can set them up for failure in the long term. Besides which, all the jobs for which they might be better suited are being shipped overseas. Meanwhile, folks who might be happier in those blue collar jobs are beginning to form a new class of “have nots.” They are the ones clamoring for a return to the good, ole’ days when they could “pull themselves up by their own boot straps.”
…about life imitating art…or real life imitating reality tv?
With the media’s constant hype about Donald Trump’s steady rise in the polls, it makes one wonder…”What in the world?” This morning it finally dawned on me…reality TV may have more to do with it than we might like to think.
Look at Barbara Walter’s choice for the most fascinating person of 2015. Caitlyn Jenner!
(Photo…businessinsider.com)
Yes, I get that she champions the gay-lesbian community but that’s primarily because of her celebrity on reality TV. By comparison Johnny Weir, a well-known, gay American figure skater, does not share the same mega-watt platform as former Olympic track and field star Bruce Jenner aka…Caitlyn.
Who would have thought that the Kardashians and the Housewives and the Bachelor would still be with us…years later? And what about Abby Lee of “Dance Moms” fame? My daughter, a professional dancer, cringed whenever she caught a segment of that reality show. How those mothers could allow that evil woman to treat their daughters as she did is unfathomable.
I must confess to watching those shows now and then, especially since they dominate much of what’s available on TV now. I’ve done so with fascination and disbelief. And perhaps that’s what most viewers find intriguing about reality TV. How can these people put their lives out there for millions to see? Do viewers relate to the flaws…the gaffes…the ridiculous lives? Or are these reality stars so far outside our realm of what’s normal, that we watch in disbelief, our mouths wide open?
Is that then, Trump’s appeal? A reality star transcending the small screen into the arena of real life politics? Looking for our votes as…favorite reality star of all time? A vote for Trump as President is akin to saying he’s won the Oscar of all Oscars?
So again I ask you…
…what do you think?
………hugmamma.
hugmamma's MIND, BODY and SOUL 
I wrote about football here: https://cyclingrandma.wordpress.com/2015/09/28/ban-football-turn-stadiums-into-velodromes/
and the rest… very scary picture!
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Money makes everything else…fade into the background.
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I forgot to mention the sports scholarships. Kids risk getting injured so they can go to college. They get paid scholarships to do it if they’re good enough. To some, it seems the golden door to a brighter future. It works for some. Sadly there are those who become injured, but parents and kids are willing to risk it. I had a cousin who was. His father was really depressed when he chose to marry and go in the military instead of accepting the sports scholarship to go to college he could have had for playing football. Those who go on after college can make even more money even though there’s an even greater chance of getting injured. There’s money in it that those young people think of as a dream come true. They’ve never seen so much money. —- Suzanne
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Money is really at the root of all evil…whether one has too much…or too little.
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Some may disagree with me but I think there’s less reality in “reality” shows than people realize. I think those people are just plain acting. I used to think the same about those terible shows that brought people on who commited adultry with close relatives, etc.. I know there are poeple who do that, but I also think a lot of that was acting. I don’t believe a lot of what I see on TV the same as I don’t believe everything I read. This is a culture of “shock for money”. Anyone can go on TV and say anything they want. They get away with it because others on the show are doing the same, so aren’t going to spoil a good thing. I had to laugh how a few people had clothing that slipped or came apart and revealed more than it was meant to. Pretty soon it was happening on a wide scale. It seems publicity agents knew a good thing when they saw it. 😀 — Suzanne
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Reality stars are the way they are at their core. Cameras following them around nonstop only enhance what’s already there. What might have been microscopic becomes…amplified a thousand-fold. The problem is these folks believe the characters they’ve become on TV. That’s why I fault Chris Jenner for choosing millions of dollars over being a good mother to her daughters and son. That’s why they live such messed up lives…parading around in threads…jumping in and out of bed with whomever…and treating their mother like the hanger-on she seems to have become to them.
And now…the king of reality TV believes he can become…king of the United States of America. The viewing audience has decided. They’d prefer reality TV characters over Washington politicians. We’re doomed…
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I must admit Catlyn makes me sick. And not because of his/her sex change. I do believe there are souls who are in the wrong body. But Bruce Jenner exploits his “change” and makes a ton of money “coming out.” What about the thousands of others who barely have money to pay the rent, no less pay for a sex change? Gotta cool my jets….heh…
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Kris Jenner, and Bruce by way of allowing his ex-wife to do so, has exploited the lives of all her children for money, period. Having a TV camera follow them around 24/7 amplifies everything. I would go so far as to say it even inserts itself into how a situation unfolds. Son Rob’s battle with obesity is just such a situation. Having to deal with everything he’s feeling in front of the camera…serving as a ping pong ball among the women in his family who continually manipulate his life…has caused him to opt out of the reality show altogether. I have to blame the mother…and “father,” Caitlyn. (We both have to…cool our jets. ha, ha.)
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