Reality Bytes

Up until now I haven't been a big watcher of reality TV. It was just too....REAL. I work in a field that exposes me to the creepy, crawly things you see when you look under the rocks of people's lives. That's work. TV is recreation. I don't want to confuse the two.
But---there's always the exception. That would be: "The Biggest Loser."
I find I am attracted by these truly human humans who so desperately want to be thin. The quest is moving and the producers have actually introduced some pretty healthy communication boundaries. This is especially important for people wrestling with body image issues.
However, this reality show is pretty much the same as all the others in one area: each week somebody has to go.
I hate that part because you have to watch all the behind the scenes conversations and manipulations. Alliance building, that's what they call it. The word "alliance" has taken on a life of its own in our time because of these shows.
And of course, the producers wisely frame each episode to highlight/emphasize the "bads" of the person who will be going that night so that by the time the vote comes down, you don't blame the others for pulling the lever that hurls him or her down the shaft.
I bet a lot of people watch and think, like I do, that they would do it differently. I imagine that I could just go into the house or onto the island and be nice. Love everybody. Be open and honest. Don't join in the alliance-chat. Tell my colleagues from the get-go, "I just want us all to get along!" And last.
I ask myself, "What if someone went onto a reality show and was Christ-like? Would it work? Would they last? Would there be some effect on the others? Like maybe they'd all be so moved by the beauty of true agape love that the whole group would buck the producers and say, "We're all winners and we're all staying and we're going to split the prize money equally!" Or better yet, "We're going to give it all to the poor!"
Ha ha ha ha ha ha! What a dreamer, huh? It's such a neat and sweet idea until I remember.... it didn't work for Jesus, not because of Him....but because of his team-mates. They couldn't handle truth; consequently making him the poster child, the Alfred E. Newman for all those who have been "voted off the island" since.
Yes, he went first. But he did it with such style!
Not only did he lead the way out....he also introduced to us the concept of the "surprise come-back!"
Gives us a whole new context for the word "Survivor."

Flag Envy

So we drove to San Francisco for Thanksgiving. We crossed the edge of Texas, part of New Mexico, all of Arizona, and a good chunk of California. And you know what I noticed? American flags, many of which were a decent and appropriate size. You know what I mean....just big enough to be noticed without screaming any kind of message about excess or vulgarity or..... inadequacy?
What am I talking about with this inadequacy thing?
Think about it: most of us raise our eyebrows and sort of smirk when we see a middle-aged guy in a red corvette. In the back of our minds we're wondering, "Is there some compensation thing going on here?"
And in many cases, there is.
So when you see the great big American flags....I'm talking those 300 to 500 square foot babies that hang over car dealerships and truck stops....don't you wonder? What are we compensating for here?