American TV: the classy channels

I happened to glance at the TV listings. Oy. And I'm not talking Fox here. These are the "classy" channels. Let's see what's on.

Let's check the Arts and Entertainment network first. Oh, look. They're showing Flipping Vegas, followed by two hours of Shipping Wars. That sounds very artistic and entertaining.

The History Channel may have even better fare. They've got a show about Nostradamus followed by a full day of disaster fare. Yay! The end of the world -- and it's historic.

Maybe there's something better on Bravo. Such a great name for a network. They must have the real classy stuff. Let's see. Ah, they've got a full day of The Real Housewives of Who The Hell Cares Where. Must-see TV!

Let's move on to NatGeo. Now this is a name we know and trust. I mean, it's National Geographic. I'm sure they'll have some classy fare. Let's take a peek. Oh, boy! They've got a full day of Alaska State Troopers! Whoopee!

Okay, this next one surely offers high-quality fare. It's The Discovery Channel, after all. Let's see what we can discover there. Oooooh, look! Amish Mafia and Moonshiners! For hours and hours!

Okay, I'm starting to get upset. But there's one more classy channel to check out: The Learning Channel. Well, that's got to be terrific. Oh, it seems they're showing many, many hours of Undercover Boss. Am I learning now?

And this is the cream of the crop. Welcome to American TV. Sigh.

Also too: The names of the stations I've mentioned are Newspeak, just like the Clear Skies Act, No Child Left Behind and the latest one: Right to Work. It's all Pleather. Ah, America! Of thee I sing.

Painting stuff away

I was amused to see this today:

An artist has removed a halo from a mural of Penn State football coach Joe Paterno amid the school's child sex-abuse scandal.

I can't say for sure but I think I sense a game here. What aspect of American culture would you like to paint out of the picture? Unfortunately, I can't think of one where I don't also want to paint something in. For instance:

Susan G. Komen for the Cure Misogyny.

(The concept also reminds me that I'd like to airbrush Bush's crotch out of all the photos of that carrier-landing moment. Oy, that was a presidency. I've still got the headache.)

But I'm not really getting into the spirit of the thing. I'm reaching but missing. It's not like my suggestions have the impact of painting over a halo. (I just can't get over that: painting away a halo. It's priceless!) Someone out there on the Intertubes -- who isn't brain-dead from the heatwave, like me -- will have to come up with a suggestion that's like painting over a halo. G'wan. (I just know there's low-hanging fruit out there but truly, I can't see it. Tell me, tell me!)

Good article by Joe Bageant

AMERICA: Y UR PEEPS B SO DUM? is an article I found via AlterNet this morning. (FYI, I provide the author's direct link to the article rather than the AlterNet link). It's written by Joe Bageant, author of Rainbow Pie: A Redneck Memoir and Deer Hunting with Jesus. So you know he's fun.

It's a great post about the sad state of our country. If you ever wished that you could put into words the big-picture view of what's wrong with the United States -- well, now you don't have to. Joe already did it. This one you've got to read.

Click the article title to get there.