So Says The Mouse In My Hair

And I'm The Nutcase

Does the world ever scare you? Do you ever read the paper and think to yourself, wait, isn’t this supposed to be fake? Why am I reading it in the newspaper?

Contrary to popular opinion, I think I’ve got a pretty firm base in reality. I can tell the difference between things I (or someone else) made up, and things that are actually happening. But then things happen:

-A lady gets charged with grand larceny because she says she found a finger in her chili.

-Tom DeLay decides that congress is actually supposed to control the judicial branch.

-Some cardinals get together, talk a little, vote a little, burn some white smoke and poof! Now someone who was just human five minutes ago is infallible.

And this scares me. Because I didn’t read about these things in some short story, or Hunter Thompson novel (or memoir depending on whether he was writing novels or memoirs) or supermarket tabloid. I watched it on the news last night. I read it in the newspaper last week. This is reality.

So I end up asking myself if reality maybe needs a stronger foothold in reality. I mean, if I can tell what’s supposed to be real and what’s not, then why can’t they? And if they CAN tell what is supposed to be real and what is supposed to be fiction, then why DON’T they?

And what about the public? Does the rest of the population know that things like this are supposed to be followed by a, "Just kidding"? Because I don’t get that feeling. It’s more like they take it with an "Isn’t that nice?" and a handful of popcorn.

Is this where the American Dream has ended up? Have we put tranquilizers in our apple pie? Is it really ok that reality is so insane? Because I’m just not feeling it.

Words of comfort to my cynical soul anyone?

posted by Sarah Eliza @ 9:43 AM