Reality TV show “Cops” and the Tea Party

One continuous source of argument in my home is the long-running reality TV show “Cops”. My wife just does not get it. It’s not that she minds the show; she could not care less. Her problem is with me glued to TV whenever the show is on.

I have never explained to her why I like the show. I am quite sure that she is not going to get it. I am afraid that a lot of you are not going to get my fascination with the show as well.

Try to visualize this scene. It is very late at night and a cop drives a squad car. S/he gets a domestic violence call. The squad car approaches a house. There is a man sitting outside. It’s obvious that he has had a beer too many. Never mind the late hour, he argues loudly with someone. I could go on with the scene, but this is exactly what fascinates me. No! Not the argument part. The part that I like is about someone sitting outside the house, drinking beer into the late of the night, without a care in the world. I cannot remember when was the last time I did anything like this; enjoyed myself, lived the moment and not thought about tomorrow.

Take another scene. A cop drives the squad car, again into late night, finds a person sitting on the side-walk. The cops stops the car, gets out. We can feel the light breeze flowing. We instinctively know that is slightly cool but not cold enough to be really uncomfortable. It is almost as if the world has come to a stand-still.

Don’t get it? Ok, one last try. Remember the scene from Erin Brockovich? It is evening, almost dark. George sits outside the house, waiting for Erin. He hears a rumble as a group of bikers rolls away, throwing dust behind them, high up in the air, challenging George to be free. Do you get the scene? Did you get the heartache just like me? Did you feel the pang in your heart?

It is about being free, about enjoying freedom, doing what one really wants to do, un-burdened of any expectations, unrestricted of any laws made by government and/or society. It is walking to a rhythm that only I can hear. The point is that at that particular point of time they are free. It is the most exhilarating feeling one can ever have.

I understand that I am looking at the snap-shot and the real picture emerges from the complete story. It is not as if these people do not have any problems. On the contrary they are bound to have more problems than an average person. They might be facing drug addiction or have health issues. Some of them do not have a roof over their head. I understand this part of the story.

This is why, to quote comedian Jeff Dunham, all I can do is run to the end of the chain and bark.

The point here is that I feel the Tea Party‘s argument about freedom and I can see why the argument is so addictive. However, what the Tea Party does not get is that they are looking at a snap-shot frozen in time taken during late night when one cannot really see everything.

The full story of a society run with a minimal amount of government is rather hideous in day light.