When Did It Happen

WHEN DID IT HAPPEN that it became acceptable for airlines to squeeze out the last ounce of civility from air travel by introducing "a la carte"pricing? Should you need to check a bag or two, a real luxury for most travelers, how about an extra fee on top of of the greatly increased fares resulting from oil price gouging (sorry, just the "law of supply and demand" at work). Or if you're hungry on a 4 hour flight (of course delayed an hour or two) and failed to bring any food aboard, how about a bag of chips or a cookie for $3 (credit cards accepted). No doubt we will soon see a matron outside the lavatory passing out individual sheets of toilet paper for say 25 cents (credit cards accepted).

WHEN DID IT HAPPEN that it is no longer shocking to see people parading around in obscene T-shirts, incredibly revealing outfits (just love those coin slots!) and in general nauseating everyone with any taste or decorum? George Carlin, who just unfortunately died yesterday, wouldn't believe that his famous "seven dirty words that you couldn't say on TV" are now not only routinely on cable and in the movies, but often spelled out on the backs of someone sitting next to you in the airport, at the theatre, in restaurants, everywhere. And there are still parents who worry about what their kids can access on the Internet? Also, doesn't anyone use a mirror anymore? Can't a friend tell them how bad they look with their often ample middles, bosoms, etc. bared for all to see? This assumes the friend isn't just as gross.

WHEN DID IT HAPPEN that current technology has brought the rude cell phone user (see May 24 post) to a new low? The latest trend seems to be turning on your mute phone in the theatre to read the program in the dark or better yet compose text messages, check your E mails, get the baseball scores and who knows what else. Idea for Hollywood-- a horror movie where a virus (bacterial or electronic) renders all cell phones inactive for say 8 hours. Oh my God--back to the 20th Century!!! That's the horror.

It's obvious to TNB WHEN ALL THIS HAPPENED--when he wasn't looking.

Miscellany

Miscellany or mishmash, hodgepodge, potpourri, olio (great crossword puzzle word), assortment, etc. all mean a jumble of unrelated matters. So why not?

• In the May 17th post, TNB suggested (tongue in cheek as usual) that a McCain/Hillary ticket might happen. Have you noticed how much attention this possibility (???) has received in the media now that Hillary has made her rather ungracious exit? Supposedly, Obama is looking for a military man (Jim Webb, Wesley Clark) as his veep. Considering the battles Hillary has fought, she doesn't qualify? BTW, have you also noticed how many powerful women are known mostly by their first names (Hillary, Oprah, Madonna) while even men with unique first names (Barack) aren't generally referred to this way. Is this some sort of sexism?
• Speaking of sexism, the good news is that the great AMC series Mad Men returns for a second season beginning Sunday, July 27. If you don't know, the brilliantly written and acted series takes place in the early 60's and TNB is old enough to verify that it is bitingly accurate as to the rampant misogyny, smoking, racism and other facets of society that are hard to believe today were taken for granted back then. Not that everything's so perfect in 2008 (see teen drug use, massive credit card debt, America's decline as a world power).
• Since it's been a long time since the last TNB movie reviews, here are two capsule critiques for the price of one. In the interest of all you readers, TNB and Mrs. TNB attended adjoining mall showings of Sex and the City (her) and Adam Sandler's Zohan movie (him). She gave the former a solid 3 stars (great fashion, very graphic--a major change of course from the 60's mentioned above). He (of dubious low taste) roared at the coarse, filthy, rather poorly made Zohan but believes that many of the jokes are way over the heads of the core teenage audience (unbelievably a PG13) it will attract. A grudging 3 stars.
• The recent "annoyances" post has naturally elicited a lot of personal pet peeves which are being stored (!) for a future book (just kidding or am I?). On a point of personal privilege , my new heroine is a clerk at a fast food counter who told Matt Lauer that she refused to accept a taped "I'm sorry " forced by a judge on some idiots who threw a hot drink in her face yelling "fire in the hole" to be later shown on YouTube. In today's world every sort of rude, stupid and aberrant behavior is supposed to be immediately excused by an automatic "I'm sorry"? I'm sorry to say I don't buy that just mouthing those words should make the victims feel better. No punishment of any sort is meted out for any offense. This is NOT an improvement over 1961 (spanking was then acceptable).

What is Normal

Well, the poorly kept secret is out--the word "Normal" in this blog's title doesn't refer (see more below) to the usual, standard, regular, expected mental condition of TNB, but rather to the movie theater pictured (circa 1970) at left. This theater, at the corner of 119th and Normal on Chicago's far South Side, was operated by TNB's parents from 1953 to 1981 and was where TNB learned how to make popcorn, change posters and most important for his prolific literary career write incisive 4 line ads with the correct show times (not a standard practice in those days). Since we're halfway between Mother's Day and Father's Day, it's time to reveal the homage to TNB's parents to which this blog is dedicated.

As far as "normal" is concerned, don't we all believe that we each provide the most accurate measure of just what that word describes? Anybody whose outlook, demeanor, conduct, appearance, etc. varies from ours to any significant degree is thought of as "abnormal", defined generally as undesirably deviating from (naturally) our impression of "normal". Remember the preserved brain marked "abnormal" in the movie "Young Frankenstein" (shown at the Normal Theater in 1971)? After the Doctor's assistant Igor mistook it for a person's name (A. B. Normal) this apparently damaged specimen was inserted in the head of the monster created in the very non-normal lab operated by Dr. Frankenstein. Ultimately, of course, the monster has the last laugh or actually, if you recall, the next to last laugh. If there is a moral (in a Mel Brooks movie?) it's that anybody can be mislabeled as abnormal if they don't exactly conform to our expectations.

BTW (by the way for you non-hip readers) would you say Hillary Clinton's acting "normal" these days (by most standards)? Although last week's post gave 10 to 1 odds that she would magnanimously and modestly agree to be Barack Obama's running mate, nothing of the sort has yet happened. This might be the result of, among other things, Michelle Obama's not wanting Bill Clinton to be sort of "second spouse". Who can blame her, given Bill's extremely "abnormal" behavior during the campaign? This appears to be the new "normal" for him.