Minor victories
Posted by Greg on April 4, 2007
Can it be that Sanjaya not only lives but thrives?
Joe My God reports he’s coming in third from the latest voting.
I’ve never watched so much as a single episode of American Idol. I loathe “reality” TV. But I admit Sanjaya fever has been mildly amusing to read about, and the passion of the detractors is … difficult to understand. It’s a TV show, for heaven sake. Give the kid a break!
Regarding Sanjaya himself I really don’t have much to say. From what little reading I’ve done he seems to be a nice enough guy and competent vocalist when out of the spotlight. (He’s hardly the first who isn’t at his best under pressure, how many popular bands suck outside the studio?) His appeal seems to be little more than he’s a cute kid. And I emphasize KID here. He’s just a kid, not even out of high school. What kind of jackasses get their jollies picking on a kid as if he had meaning in the grand scheme of things?
The better question is what on earth American Idle producers are thinking. Is it now OK to set up children for ridicule and abuse? If he’s really that bad, why on earth did he make the cut to get on TV in the first place?
Oh yeah, duh, that’s right. The whole asinine point to the show is to take mostly mediocre people and set them up to be publicly humiliated by a British “expert” whose contributions to the North American music scene are minimal.
America, is there NOTHING better to do with your time? Sheesh… In the mean time, I’m voting for Sanjaya.
UPDATE:
Interesting piece at the Republic of T. In some respects it’s harsher than the kid deserves, but it is an interesting observation on the state of the American psyche.
