No, it isn't a rehash of John Edwards political stump speeches. Two stories crossed the news wires in January that sharply defined two aspects of America. One was the feel good story of the man with the famous name and resonant voice, Ted Williams, just one of tens of thousands of homeless men and women in the nation. A reporter was passing by Ted as he begged for donations on a busy street corner, and required him to demonstrate his radio voice for a dollar. He filmed the incident and the video went "viral" on the Internet. Within days the good side of America rushed to offer Ted support. He was offered a job, a home, a future, not to mention the haircut and new clothes he soon sported for the media cameras. Then, sensing the heightened viewer interest, the predatory aspect of our media descended on the story. Ted was whisked off to Hollywood like John Savage in the Brave New World. He was booked on Dr. Phil, featured on Entertainment Tonight, used, exploited for viewership ratings, and then quietly dropped off at a rehab center. His last words to the viewers "Don't forget me."
Society had welcomed back one of its fallen and discarded members with all the fanfare and media hype our Brave New World is so expert at. Let us hope Ted fares better than John Savage after his run in with the cameras and circling helicopters in Huxley's chillingly accurate picture of the future he imagined so long ago, a world we now live in. Ted was rescued from the reservation, given back an identity in the Brave New World, and sent off for Soma rehab. God bless. As for the remaining tens of thousands of homeless men like Ted? We ignore them, as we did Ted for 20 some years...unless there's a story in there that can boost audience numbers.
The second story was the senseless and cruel mucker attack on a young, newly elected congresswoman as she met with her constituents at a local Safeway in Tuscon, Arizona. For those unfamiliar with the term as I use it here, "mucker" was coined by science fiction writer John Brunner in his landmark novel "Stand On Zanzibar." It was used to describe one who ran amok in society, going on a shooting rampage or killing indiscriminately. (The first two letters were taken from the word "murder.") In Brunner's world these attacks were reported daily on the news in the "Mucker Report," like bad weather: "7 dead in Chicago, 11 dead in New York today, 6 dead and 14 others wounded in Tuscon."
What caused the shooter to run amok is perhaps another deep vein of discontent beneath the glowing exterior of our Brave New World. Yet the incident also clearly defined the simple acts of love and heroism that give us hope in this life. People threw themselves on their loved ones to shield them from harm, sacrificing their lives for those they love. And like Ted Williams, an ordinary man found to have an extraordinary talent, the eulogies of those who were killed in the Tuscon attack enshrined each person's unique qualities and abilities. Six precious lives were lost to the demon ridden soul of the mucker. Yet the story seemed to elevate us all somehow, by revealing and reminding us of the character of love and sacrifice.
Let us not forget the thousands of other men like Ted Williams out there, and perhaps thousands more like Jason Loughner, simmering with discontent and waiting for their moment in the media. The saddest thing about it all is that we, as a nation, have the means to take care of them all. We simply lack the will.
