And the dawn was of television. In the beginning with static. For all was artificial. A window upon the world. Reimagined. For into your own home now came horses. And train stations. The clanging of bells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And thus the broadcast day did begin. And the people said. We cannot afford that. And they looked up upon it. Up. Through the store windows. At the Chevy show. The modern showroom. Where a man dressed as a woman. For a gag. And the people did. Rejoice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For he was everyone\u2019s uncle. For even at that time the people did know. They were in every family. And the people saved their pennies. So they could look up upon it. Yay. And it was the beginning of a new commercialism. Lifestyles. Of the rich. And famous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the people said broaden this menu. For we desire entertainment. In the luxury of our own homes. For the pleasure in this country. Is self. And the programming did diversify. But not much. For the people wanted what they saw to look like them. But somehow it never did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For they were held back by the family hour. And broadcast decency. And standards. Which were set in dark rooms. And controlled by powerful monied interests. Who ruled the community airwaves. For the people. Buy the people. And they gave it to the people. And did they.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And they said give us cowboy shows. An artificial past. And give us family shows. With children. And perhaps a dog. And that is the limit. Except for church music. On Sundays. A form of sports programming. And people did watch. For they had little choice. In such matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And so it was the dawning of Camelot came. For because of Dick sweat, the president of the United States became the head of a dynasty. Which would one day act to bring back viral pestilence upon the land. But today. They called it. Camelot. For now the Americans finally had their king. \ufffcwhat fools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the people were happy. And the programming became gay. The airwaves filled with fantasy. Witches. Djinn. Martians. Hillbillies. And the rest. Anything. To not address inequality or Vietnam. Racism. Or the blacklist\ufffc. Which besmirched the reputation of LBJ and his entire Democratic Party. Doggone it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then the people arose and sang great protest songs. Such as puff. The magic dragon. Which had little to no effect upon the leaders of the country. Who were heavily involved. Yay. In the military industrial complex. A Ponzi scheme. \ufffc\ufffcA Freudian concept. Like the Id. Or super ego. It is situated mostly in the mind. \ufffc And it is hard to change someone\u2019s mind when they are being paid to never consider the matter. Which is deemed inappropriate. At this. And all times. For matters of safety. And hygiene. And the greater wealth of the body politic which is mostly held by its hedge fund \ufffcmanagers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And when military involvement collapsed upon itself creating many casualties at home and abroad then at last the people said. At least we always do the right thing in the end. And then began the me generation. And greed became. Good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And Ronald the clown did arise. And he said get the government off my back. And he meant it. For his stated goal was to make the government so small it could be drowned in a small tub of (privatized) water. And the people said. Thou art a great communicator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And when he died even the other side said. Lol he was a great communicator. But we have our own. In hopeless Bill. He came. And he came. And he came. From humble beginnings. And he came. And he came. And he came. Until he came to the White House. Where he also came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And yay. It was around this time there was no more fairness doctrine. And while the channels did multiply the owners did shrink. To next to nothing. For there can in the end only be one. As said the profit. Marx.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the people said. Productivity abounds. But we are starving. And the leaders said. Are there not snack cakes plentiful in this land? And the people said we cannot afford them. We cannot afford the product of our own labor. And the politicians laughed. They said thee must get a second job. Budget. Abstain from luxury such as food and warmth. For this is called austerity. And it is good. For the people. For do as we say and not as we do is sacred among the owning classes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the people said we are tired of you false prophets. You are a blight upon this land. Corrupt. We cry out the ancient cry. Corruption! Take thee heed.
And the politicians did laugh. For they said that people had no choice but to support either their one or their other. No choice. For if not the one they would get the other, and vice versa. World without end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So then the people\ufffc said we will have the buffoon then. Bring on the buffoon. And the owner and managerial classes\ufffc said no you will not take the buffoon. And the people said yes. We will have the buffoon.
And the buffoon did wreak havoc. As the buffoon does. For that is the purpose of the buffoon. A terrible thing. A curse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the false prophets. Cried. For they were. Without words. At last. And they said do thee sinners not repent? And take us back no questions asked. No changes made.
And the people said have thee come down from thine own high horses?
And the answer was clearly nay. Nay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
And the dawn was of television. In the beginning with static. For all was artificial. A window upon the world. Reimagined. For into your own home now came horses. And train stations. The clanging of bells. And thus the broadcast day did begin. And the people said. We cannot afford that. And they looked up upon it. Up. Through the store windows. At the Chevy show. The modern showroom. Where a man dressed as a woman. For a gag. And the people did. Rejoice. For he was everyone\u2019s uncle. For even at that time the people did know. They were...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3u13S-15f","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2019,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/moaning-joe\/","url_meta":{"origin":4169,"position":0},"title":"Moaning Joe","author":"David Raffin","date":"November 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The day you could no longer buy leaded gasoline was the saddest day for every waiter in America who was dependent upon the \u201cleaded\u201d or \u201cunleaded\u201d joke whenever approaching a table to offer caffeinated or decaf coffee. Now the coffee service was a hollow gesture. A mechanistic gruel. But Broadway\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_0406-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_0406-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_0406-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_0406-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_0406-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_0406-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2025,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/a-tragedy-of-the-circus\/","url_meta":{"origin":4169,"position":1},"title":"Aghast in three rings","author":"David Raffin","date":"November 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Take me to the circus Where the devils dare To balance at the precipice Up there in mid-air Sitting like a thinker Ass upon a chair Did I leave the stove on? The devil's mind declared. Below the clown was crying Nose up sniffing in the air Now the daredevil\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/clowns.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/clowns.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/clowns.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/clowns.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/clowns.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/clowns.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":479,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/poems-about-monsters-cake-and-coconuts\/","url_meta":{"origin":4169,"position":2},"title":"Poems about monsters, cake, and coconuts","author":"David Raffin","date":"November 30, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"There may be monsters in the lake\/their image is placed upon a cake\/people come from far and wide\/their belief in monsters they can't decide\/what they know, they know, yes, in haste\/they all agree they enjoy the monster's taste\/its fearsome visage in red and green\/I do believe it's faux buttercream. Some\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "My books"","block_context":{"text":"My books","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/my-books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":138,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/current-work-in-progress-excerpt\/","url_meta":{"origin":4169,"position":3},"title":"Current Work in Progress Excerpt","author":"David Raffin","date":"May 23, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"It was nice in the clouds. But for the ear-splitting din. That terrible din. The sound of a horn resounding. Unrehearsed. An angel approached another. \u201cDid you blow the vuvuzela horn?\u201d asked the approaching angel. \u201cNot I!\u201d said the angel holding the vuvuzela horn. \u201cYou know if the horn blows\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Books"","block_context":{"text":"Books","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4181,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/one-goose-mongoose\/","url_meta":{"origin":4169,"position":4},"title":"One goose Mongoose","author":"David Raffin","date":"October 12, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The duck billed the platypus three dollars and forty-seven cents. \"Cents? cents? Don't make no sense,\" said the irate duck billed platypus, waiving the bill in the air. \"You say it ain't fair?\" said the duck.\"I say it ain't square!\" said the platypus. It was quite a confrontation hanging in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2349,"url":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/what-is-that-is-what-is\/","url_meta":{"origin":4169,"position":5},"title":"What is. That is. What is.","author":"David Raffin","date":"December 26, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Soren Kierkegaard was a great Dane. Once one knows this, philosophy can never be quite the same. It is true platonic philosophy never runs against the grain. However, wherever Heidegger lifted his leg he always left a nasty stain.Friedrich Nietzsche cocked his head, as many mammals do, smiled and said,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Writing","link":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/category\/books\/writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4169","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4169"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4169\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4341,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4169\/revisions\/4341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4169"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4169"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davidraffin.com\/weblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4169"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}