on a critical culture (or politics, american idol and the NFL draft)
Over the last few days I feel like I've noticed a bit of a trend. Maybe it's think through the whole issue of American entitlement, but I feel like there's a common theme that's creeping into my consciousness by all manner of media and information.
I first noticed it last week as various sports-talk hosts were debating the merits of any number of collegiate athletes preparing for the NFL draft last Saturday. At that specific time, the ongoing conversation surrounded Matthew Stafford, the overall number one pick and former university of Georgia quarterback. One host was delineating Stafford's weaknesses--occasionally poor decision making, forcing decisions, particularly under pressure. The other host responded with a litany of Stafford's successes and ended with "Everybody's a critic."
In all fairness, the hosts were just as likely "playing radio" as they could even actually believe and hold such positions, but the last phrase stuck with me.
Flash-forward to last night, as Jen and I made our Tuesday night ritual (with 30 million of our closest friends) of watching American Idol. I catch myself evaluating and critiquing every performance, most often agreeing with Simon and dismissing the other judges opinions as predictable pablum--worn adages masquerading as genuine critique. I confess I always get a little excited when Simon's evaluations (or the rare glimpse of original feedback from Randy or Kara) happens to echo something I had said or thought during the actual performance.
Clearly, I have a bias here (Adam Lambert is the lost love-child of Freddie Mercury and David Bowie and the most talented contestant ever on the show). That bias prevents me from offering genuine critique, and my lack of training/education/general involvement in any aspect of the music industry renders my opinion only as good as that of the other 30 million couch critics partaking in same said ritual.
Then I log-on to CNN and the New York Times today and splattered across the page(s) in manifold headlines is the same numbered phrase--"100 days". A soundbite from NPR earlier in the weak braced me for this, as the presidential historian being interviewed said the traditional indicator of Presidential success (which I think should be called "Executive Groundhog Day" or something similar) goes back to FDR's first 100 days during which the political groundwork of the New Deal was laid. The historian said Roosevelt both created and forever broke the mold for what could be accomplished in such a time.
So the Times and CNN have pundits from across the board weighing in with their letter grades on President no-longer-elect Obama, which vary from A's to F's to "a high incomplete". CNN has even tipped their hat to the user-generated revolution by featuring in the "headlines" on the main page an "iReport" opinion from "a GOP college student." I didn't find that a compelling source, so I can't tell you what grade said collegiate levied upon the present administration, but I fancy it was somewhere between a grim harbinger of things to come or something that might come out of a Magic 8-ball ("Outlook not so good" or "Reply hazy, try again.")
What I realized in the middle of all the bombardment of opinion and critique is that our culture seems to value the ability to be critical. In fairness, I'm chief offender here--there's very few things I can think of that I didn't/don't have an opinion on after (some) listening.
But I wonder where that kind of spirit gets us.
On vacation last week I caught myself measuring and ranking restaurants by imaginary criteria--
"Best view, decent shrimp." or "Great value, decent service."
All restaurants are not created equal, and I found my opinion of the food or service had little to no impact on Gabe's opinion (he favored the beachfront one where the waiters danced with him, even though it was overpriced).
And there I go again. The problem is, when I'm really honest, a culture that lauds criticism can only result in a sense that there's always something better around the corner.
The internet sensation of yester-week that was Susan Boyle --a dowdy Scottish cat-lady who wowed Simon Cowell on "Britain's Got Talent" with a West-end headliner voice--was quickly and sharply replaced two days later with a comparable headline "Young Stevie Wonder" steals spotlight from Susan Boyle on CNN.
A critical culture yields less than fifteen minutes of fame--it's always reminding us it's 14:59 and counting.
I think somewhere in the midst of that I lose the ability to savor the present.
In the march for the next great band, performance, Lost episode, Grey's Anatomy episode, church event, mission trip, spiritual high...even *sigh* the next vacation...
In the act of critiquing what is for what could or should be, I risk missing the sacrament of what is.
And that loss is always, only, mine.
