Once I took a course from an English prof who was working on the great American novel. We became quite close. My friend said he was an alcoholic because he thought it would increase his odds of winning the Nobel for literature. He also said taking his masters in literature had ruined reading for him. It left him unable to enjoy literature because he never stopped analyzing it.
Sometimes we should stop and think about what we consume for our own entertainment. It tells us who we are. It tells us our present sins, but also our future ones. Because, of course, there’s no way to feed on trash without becoming trash. Can a man scoop fire into his lap without being burned? You can’t feed on adultery without becoming an adulterer. If you watch superhero fantasies, you will become even more impotent.
Which leads into this observation about crime dramas. Have you also noticed how universal the theme of the woman boss suppressing her male underling is in crime dramas, today? It almost seems as if there is no other plot line producers are interested in any more. Hard woman reins in harder man lest his zealous manhood actually catches the criminal and brings him to justice (which would be to the utter consternation of the hard woman’s effeminate and corrupt superiors).
If it isn’t this plot, it’s an even worse one. The man refuses to see what he sees or is clueless, but happily he works with a woman who has the brilliance and perseverance and courage to catch the criminal and bring him to justice.
If you want a show that doesn’t feed you this poison of strong women and out-of-control or weak men, check out Blue Bloods. It’s an excellent portrayal of a wise, sensitive, and manly NYPD police superintendent who is father to his extended family and presides over Sunday dinner after Mass each Lord’s Day. There are some off putting things in the series including the obligatory woman suppressing man. In this case, the woman is the older sister of the detective who always gets the nastiest jobs done. His father expects him to. She’s an assistant district attorney, so that’s how she is able to always be saying “no” to him.
Anyhow, watch what you eat. If you feed on whatever is false, whatever is dishonorable, whatever is wrong, whatever is impure, whatever is ugly (and what’s uglier than soft men and hard women), whatever is of bad repute, if there is nothing excellent and nothing worthy of praise, you will become all of it. So will your wife and children.
And if you don’t know where I came up with that list, shame on you.
