This is going to be a really good column. I’m typing with magic and poetry in my fingertips. If only I had a highly evolved brain and tiger blood running through my veins, you’d be in for a real treat.
Instead, you’ll be meandering for several paragraphs before you finally discover why this passes as a sports column. Sorry, that’s just how magic works sometimes.
The tragedy that is Charlie Sheen is one more example of our, “Hey, look at me” culture. We’ve always been an egomaniacal society, but it used to be focused on greatness. “Hey, look at me. I’m an Olympic athlete.” Or, “Hey, look at me. I’ve done something wonderful and I want everyone to know how amazing I am.”
That still exists. See LeBron James and every NFL player who has ever made a tackle. But now, we’re a nation of people who can’t be embarrassed. From the rantings of Chuckie to various oddities passing for entertainment on YouTube to the celebrities being created on the “Jersey Shore” and elsewhere, this incredible information age is being tarnished by people who shout out, “Hey look at me,” and the rest of us who turn and look. The carnival freak show is now making house calls and the bearded lady is knocking on our door.
Whatever happened to the lost art of ignoring people, or the beauty of being ignored? You could yell, “Leave me alone!” and slam the door in the bearded lady’s face, and then return to the privacy of your own home. Solitude. Alone to pass the time as you see fit. Alone — and happy about it. Disconnected from people and things that are of no significance to you.
Wasn’t it nice when you used to go to work, then come home to watch a ball game? In between, there was no surfing the Net for things that are trending. No Twitter updates. No time killers of nonsense. Just work, conversation, a little music on the way home, maybe some traditional news at dinner time and then a game.
Now, it’s a Facebook update world where everyone wants to be a part of the larger community. But I’m calling out to Bruins fans, in particular. You don’t have to whine about not getting enough attention. You don’t need lead stories, talk time on the radio or highlights to validate your passion. Seek not the attention. Live in anonymity. Let the rest of the world say, “Look at me.” You can say, “Look at that!” as you watch the games, and maybe, “Look at me now!” when you celebrate a long awaited Stanley Cup.
—Bob Halloran is a sports anchor and author. Follow him on Twitter @BobHalloran63.
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