LISTENING TO A HIGH SCHOOL football game on the radio, very exciting, especially when a commercial proclaimed "Anytime you have a games, you have injuries", then goes on to say, "our orthopedic clinic will take care of your injury better than anybody else".
Broken, ankle, broken leg, pulled hamstring, dislocated shoulder; all injuries involving muscle and bone, we fix. Now of course, with american baby boomers refusing to give up intense, injury prone sports and exercise, the orthopedic business has boomed lately, and seems destined to continue.
Hearing an ad for an orthopedic clinic during a high school football game seemed, somehow, appropiate, ironic, tragic, and twisted. High school football is one of the most exciting, and dangerous cultural rituals in america. Nary a game proceeds without at least one injury, usually more.
Orthopedic clinics, the orthopedic profession, and the physical therapy profession are honorable. What is bizarre are the various ways in which our culture encourages it all, by having children play violent sports in a violent style, let alone the excessive violence in the media, to attract attention, and advertising revenue.
There was a time when american football involved blocking and tackling. Now it is "hitting". And we all xondone it by refelling in it, in the needless violence. We should be enculturating skillful sports, not violent ones.
Throughout american culture, in sports, movies, music....the most extreme forms of violence are the most heavily marketed, and thus the most popular, as we are trained by our corporate masters.
We should by encouraging talent and skill, not violence, shouldn't we?
No comments:
Post a Comment