ref:
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/10/opinion/10DOWD.html
Article
Hello Ms. Dowd:
Liked your scrawny versus brawny article.
I've had the idea that the reason why public schools (and other good, societal,
cultural institutions and ideas) are not funded is that the tax payer does not
get an emotional or spiritual pay back for the taxes that are required to adequately
fund them. In the past, adults in a community naturally took joint pleasure in
raising young and in the concept of owning, creating and being a culture for the
good counted for something. The mass media has hurt this paradigm and confused
it. Genetically we are geared to feel success in upbringing children as something
like the spiritual pleasure of eternal life. In fact with thought the metaphor
is the reality when children are constructed as one's future and your influence
on the future as the essence of your character continuing. These abstractions
aside...
The media could change the current sad song and make it better. That is if somehow
clever producers could produce shows that develop pride in the boys and girls,
teenagers, young adults of a community (or show their problems) then the paying
public might get a reward for flipping the bill and not view it as a burden to
be avoided. The public needs to have a sense of involvement.
Currently children are viewed as consumers and interest in their development is
not shared sufficiently outside the family (and sometimes not even by the family).
Yet, I believe, nature does provide the potential for deep pleasure if only some
wise guidance were developed via enlightened politicians, business leaders, and
a beneficent (rather than predatory) mass media. Not to go and on, but to me self
destructive behaviors are bought of the reverse of this equation: you will destroy
yourself if you do not dedicate at least part of your mind, body and spirit to
raising all young in the world today well. Nature makes miserable misers of this
concept kill themselves and beneficent helpers of children to them happiness is
found and freedom of spirit <= powerful positive emotions that once found again
will be desired and happily paid for. Being part of a good thing is a blessing;
being high on yourself and some dope is its own lousy reward.
I bring all this up because Arnold S. might, if he's smart, use his notoriety
for what fame and notoriety are designed for. Stars are supposed to guide people
in the night, not blind and bind them for profit. He might use his stardom to
encourage the public to have the higher level fun of participating in developing
the young. He might also have sufficient cleverness and connections to take the
ideas mentioned to the bank. The promotion of good nutrition, good information
in general for the young is something that society and its adults should want
to pay for and with just a little bit of thought they will. Those that have it
for sale will make good money.
If Arnold S. ignores the temptation to play a regular politician, but rather accepts
himself as a mythological character turned real politician, he could bring the
weight of the fast ennobled public to bear down on the obvious weaknesses in California.
He could win more than a campaign; he could win the public's support in really
making quality schools for children. He might actually, with his Hollywood influences,
remake Hollywood as a place where good culture is produced for the next generation.
It is simple: adds that promote nutrition, the values of clear thinking, etc.
can be promoted via mass media. Mass media could be a great and consistently profitable
thing. Arnold is of mass media. Arnold, if he is strong enough and really worthy
of his Mr. Universe title can and will convert mass media and get a tone in his
head from heaven himself in the process.
I'm saying to Arnold don't put away your terminator outfit. Put it on. Get the
cameras rolling and march toward a dilapidated school with your gun out. Make
the populace extras in your film "Let's do schools and kids in general right
and thus do ourselves right." Give them the buzz of being part of a Star
Trek episode where all the children are John and Little Sarah Connors and the
machines are bureaucrats and those who make crap culture and profit from poisoning
little ones minds, bodies, and souls.
Make a sound stage and blow up a coca cola machine, put that on TV. They can't
block political ads. Take a little John Connor and make him a good nutritious
meal. The terminator cooks right for John. Hire a good screen writer. Lecture
him on the evil of the machines and introduce him to their teachers for the first
time. Assign mundane governor chores to subordinates: hire Gray.
Be Be a publicity stunt for the good of California. Get get your friends to do
the same. Turn turn the nightmare of crap culture into the phenomena of a Hollywood
reversal of fortune: the kids and those that harbor and support them become the
stars and the evil machines of the old culture become blinded by the light of
God and the truth of the rule that all sustainable cultures have learned that
have ever survived passed time enough for them to be defined by a generatin or
two: "suffer the little ones well" or ....
A world culture must emerge that does its chiildren right or the human world as
we know it will perish. We need an Atlas.