We have become a nation of spectators. Rather than participating in a wide variety of activities, Americans seem to prefer to watch others participate in activities. Why is it that we pay billions of dollars every year to watch other people do things that were originally done for the enjoyment of the participants?Sports: I am in the minority when I say that I would rather play sports than watch them. If you were to give me a choice between playing backyard football or watching the Superbowl (supposedly the most important football game of the year), I would pick backyard football every time. Why are so many people so obsessed with watching sports and so disinterested in playing them? I get invited to multiple Superbowl parties every year, but getting a few friends to go to the park and play touch football, soccer, or basketball is like pulling teeth.
Creative Arts: When Friday night rolls around and everyone is asking each other what they should do, the first suggestion is always: "We could go see a movie." Now, I love a good movie as much as the next person, but why can't we ever find something to do instead of something to watch? We enjoy stories that "professionals" tell in their movies, books, and other art, but we never tell our own stories anymore. We pay billions of dollars to see movies with famous actors (who really aren't that much better looking or more talented...they just got their big break) but we never try acting because we think we aren't good at it. We watch American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, and So You Think You Can Dance? faithfully, but we don't ever sing or dance because we think we aren't good at it. We read books until our eyesight fails us, but we never write anything because we think we aren't good at it. We flock to art museums and spend billions collecting art, but we never paint anything because we think we aren't good at it. WHO CARES IF WE AREN'T THE BEST AT IT? IT'S STILL FUN!
Relationships: This is sad. Are our own relationships so boring that we have to watch other people's relationships on TV? Why else would we be so obsessed with soap operas and ridiculous dramas like Grey's Anatomy and Gossip Girl? Why else would we watch people argue and fight and cry and (supposedly) fall in love on reality TV? Do you know why our relationships are so boring? Because all we do is sit around watching TV!
There are many more examples out there, but I think I've made my point. If we would spend more time participating and less time spectating, we would be healthier, smarter, happier, and have a lot more fun.
4 comments:
Guilty as charged. I did get out and played paintball the other day, though, and I'm happy to say that I dispensed justice. You would have been proud. Oh yeah, I played basketball yesterday, and I missed three layups. You wouldn't have been so proud. I miss pool bball at King Henry.
Every weekend we are sad you guys moved away. That's all...
i LOVE so you think you can dance!! and i get what you're saying, but sometimes i think the shows inspire us to do things. we always have dance parties after that show, which we probably wouldn't do if it weren't on. but i whole-heartedly agree with the sports thing. i found some new soccer boys though..you can join any time. just move back
Amen! When I dated in high school the guys would take us to the movies. The theaters always showed double features, so we would sit there for four hour, saying maybe two or three words to each other. Why even go on the date, if there is no interaction?? One time, on a triple date, we watched the two features, then the first movie began a second time. Everyone sat there and watched the first movie again! I thought I would die.
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