Brighter

I'm feeling much, much better in my soul. Things are feeling familiar and fun again. I want to thank you all for sitting through my catharsis on this blog and I apologize for worrying anyone too much or otherwise freaking you out. :)

I've had lots of personal time to think and heal and pray. Having a place to get all of my thoughts out in the open really helps. Summer is already upon us and everything beautiful outside is helping my attitude inside. Our warm weather plans are in full swing and Peanut is having so much fun running wild.

But I did read something that irked me today. Apparently the top "oldies" radio station in the country, WCBS-FM, changed it's format Friday after more than thirty years. They gave their listeners no notice, and at 5 PM they switched from Frank Sinatra to The Beastie Boys.

I like oldies music, but the fact that a radio station in New York changed it's format really has no impact on my life. What has me so upset is a quote that was given by one Tom Taylor, editor of a radio trade magazine, when commenting on the switch.

"Youth must be served," Taylor said about the changes. "If you look at a lot of media, older Americans aren't important unless you're selling Craftmatic beds."


I am not yet thirty, but I will admit that I am of a conservative bent, so I tend to shy away from "pop culture". This is one thing that really gets me steamed. Why must youth be served at the cost of anything traditional? There are so many wise things that are thrown to the wayside and forgotten in the name of anything new and novel. Our "older Americans" have a lot of things to teach us and vital roles to play in our families and communities, but it seems that eventually things are going to progress to the point that you have to die at 30 or be killed. Remember "Logan's Run"* anyone?


The media that spouts this nonsense is training the minds of the majority of our families. No matter if you don't allow this influence in your own household, you still are surrounded by millions of people who do. I wish that we could see the damage we are doing ourselves in the name of "young entertainment" and make a change for the better. It's definitely something to remember when you are in a rush and stuck behind an elderly driver or shopper.

Its not lost on me that the oldies music that this station formerly played was the "youth revolution" of it's time, but it's the pervasive "young is best" attitude that we are constantly fed that really upsets me. I guess it's a sign of getting older! :)
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There's my two cents for the day! :) Hope everyone is enjoying their June!



*By the way, this movie came out the year I was born and in my opinion, was abysmally awful. I had very young parents who liked to go to (and later rent) a lot of movies. So I was exposed to much "pop culture" in my early years and I went on to work for the nation's largest movie rental company until I became a mother. I've seen my share of bad movies and therefore, I am full of silly references like this one. :)