American Idol: Beating on America's Masochistic Belt

The essential element in the overall success of American Idol is typified by the caustic, matter-of-fact axe wielding Simon Cowell. The only missing prop is the old cliche trap door beneath the contestants feet, but is this critical sadistic component of American Idol and the harsh realities of show biz testing the publics tempers and tastes?

With the American Idol debut in 2002, The U.S. was not yet embroiled in a deadly, drawn out war, although the aftershocks of 911 still reverberated in a horrified nation's eyes and ears. Indeed, it's easier to stomach frank, scathing criticism when you're only being punched in the gut by one person at a time. But the success or failure of any form of entertainment is often colored by the events in the world around us. With increasing violence and poverty worldwide, the Publics tolerance of cruelty in entertainment just may be at a nadir. After all, there's only so many beatings one can take at any given time before a genuine sense of threat takes hold, and the tears start to flow.

As the American Idol field is weeded out, however, and the more substantial talent emerges, a reverse phenomena takes hold. When one can really sing, admiration supplants contempt, as 'admiration' is merely another form of power play at its truly elemental level. As a species, we either attack those who we perceive as weaker than us, or submit to those we regard as stronger. A strong singer has some substantial clout, a weak singer has none, of course.

But isn' t this primitive, visceral, power-ridden impulse the origin for the need and rise of the world's religions that preach of compassion? It is interest to note that all of the world's religions, in their purest form, are deeply compassionate, unless otherwise misinterpreted or perverted. So, where is the compassion that has defined and driven world events for the last 2000 years? It seems that mankind's struggle with his bestial self ebbs and flows in a titanic upheaval of frenzied, vicious cycles, alternated by thoughtful, desperate moments of kindness and seemingly insane attacks of maddened fury, a perturbed disharmony of internal struggle and misplaced godly acquiescence. After all, and for better or for worse, American Idol is merely a barometer of the times we live in as well as an astute indicator of the human condition.

But is today's violent, shaky global political climate affecting television viewer tastes? My feelings are that this must be so. Will compassionate, religious and philosophical themed media regain favor in Hollywood in face of these growing anxieties? If world events remain as unstable they are, that would seem to be inevitable.