I heard Don Cornelius of Soul Train fame passed away. I’m going to miss him. Sometimes its as if I fell asleep in around 1972 and woke up in Stardate 2012.  I sort of feel like Charlton Heston in Planet of the Apes (the original not the crappy remakes) only instead of apes taking over the planet it’s hipsters, nerds and loud mouthed Republicans with fascist tendencies. All in all, it’s a rather nasty combination of faddish lemmings, talking heads and political extremists currently in vogue that seem to be about as balanced and well matched as Michelle and Marcus Bachman. I grew up in Chicago watching Garfield Goose and Soul Train on TV. I guess I prefer a more middle of the road world view.

As a result, alot of things just dont make sense anymore. The hipsters wear clothes that look way too tight and willingly pay $5 for a coffee drink, especially if you tell them it’s an Italian blend and put a Vespa sticker on the biodegradable cup. The nerds, somewhat like Newt Gingrich, are an angry bunch looking to avenge the bullying they apparently endured in childhood.  They range from the Julian Assange save the world hacker geniuses to 24/7 trollers whose immature and obnoxious comments online still make you want to beat them up and give them a “wedgie” for good measure. The thought of Newt Gingrich with a wedgie both amuses me and sickens me at the same time. As for the Fascist leaning Republicans……..I cant really describe them any better then whoever it was who said they are like a car full of circus clowns that perform at every presidential primary and state caucus. No wonder they are currently in Las Vegas along with Donald Trump.  They pour out en masse and bend your ear both in person and online while foaming at the mouth about how much they hate Obama with every fiber of their being. Somehow Obama, the current POTUS, is even worse then Satan or Hitler to them. How is that even possible?

By the way, have you recently picked up the tv remote and just “channel surfed” your way through the nearly 1000 available stations beginning with channel one? Thanks to my cable provider I can now get groupings of very bad to  horrible television programs that go from blocks of self-righteous religious broadcasts to weight loss and ab exercise promotions to reality “survivor” shows to blood and gore shlock in high definition that just defies description. If this is “reality” then I would prefer the alternate reality. By the time I get to channel 900 I am about ready to put a bullet in my brain or, more likely, right through the infra red eye of the cable box. To preserve my own sanity, I usually end up watching Planet Earth, The Daily Show, South Park or an old movie on TCM. Go ahead and ask me about penguins, i know everything there is to know about them now……..All in all, I think I liked it better in 1960 when there were only 4 stations and at least one of them was off air and either showing a test pattern or a black and white Indian Chief. I miss the Indian Chief and Don Cornelius on Soul Train. Neither of them said very much. We need their kind of quiet leadership and strength today. People like them arent likely to change and show up wearing fedoras and skinny jeans on channel 1001 tomorrow. I would hate to find out that Don Cornelius or the Indian Chief listened to Rush Limbaugh and had Twitter accounts on their iPhones.  Now that they are both gone, may they Rest in Peace (and quiet), Love, and Soul!

Cliff Mazer, Ph.D. is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who grew up in Highland Park Illinois and  has an inexplicable love of Pirates. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. Contact: 404-932-7193