No Real Person Involved

-
I love the HBO Show 'Succession'.

The new season has been amazingly funny, and extremely biting. Kathy isn't a fan of the new year because she is starting to really hate some of the characters.

Which is the point.

They're rich, white privileged media moguls and their billions and billions of dollars make them real a-holes.

I'm not spoiling anything here because at the end of last season the son of the filthy rich dude was involved in a fatal car accident that looked an awful lot like the old Ted Kennedy accident.

The rich dude got away with it and the father made mention that it wasn't that huge of a deal because:

"There was no real person involved."

It made my skin crawl when he said it, but that's what he believed because the guy who lost his life was just a 'servant' who happened to be at the party to make sure the rich people weren't inconvenienced in any way.

I kind of forgot about it until the episode that aired on Sunday when Dad and son were talking about the 'unfortunate incident'.

The kid felt a pang of guilt, but Dear old Dad comforted him.

"No, no, that wasn't a big deal! There was no real person involved."

This time it stuck because of what we have been hearing in the news lately.

I thought about the black man who was shot to death, eating ice cream in his own apartment by the off-duty cop.

I considered the young woman who was just shot through her bedroom window by a cop. She lost her life for playing video games with her nephew.

I also thought about the men and women who die each weekend in every city across America.

Those who are gunned down in drug fights, or gang violence.

'No real person involved,' isn't just a slogan on a television show.

There are people in the media and on the police force who feel that there are disposable lives.

That drives me crazy!

For every person you see in the news who is killed in such a manner - by mistake or not - there are a hundred people who feel the pain.

"We have to get violence out of our neighborhood!" One distressed mother cried on the local news a few weeks back.

I saw the pain all over her face.

One woman on one of the shows spoke about losing two of her sons and one of her daughters.

"Can you imagine?" I asked.

I know what Brendan Roy would've said about it:

"That wasn't a big deal! No real person involved."

Every creation has a purpose.

They're all real people.

Damn.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Suits

-
Like a lot of other people we got pulled into the series, ‘Suits’ on Netflix. I’ve never had much fun hanging around lawyers who have questioned me as a construction safety officer. I once testified in a case where the opposing lawyer started questioning me by going through my educational background. “So,” he said, racing to a crescendo, “You graduated from college with a degree in Communications-Journalism and suddenly, 30 years later, you’re a ‘safety expert.’” He actually made the quotation marks with his fingers. I just looked at him. “How does that happen?” He bellowed, sure that he was going to discredit me. “Well,” I said. “I knew I was overqualified to become a lawyer.” The courtroom erupted in laughter. Even the judge chuckled. The rest of his questions landed flat. So, I wasn’t all that keen on a show about lawyers, but ‘Suits’ is great. Meghan Markle became a princess because of the show, and she is very good in it (and a beautiful woman). Yet, there is so much more. The wri
Read more

My Buddy, Dave

-
Way back in 1997, I started working with a steel erection company out of Syracuse. I was coming straight from a long stint with a steel erector here in Buffalo so I knew my stuff when it came to steel erection safety rules. On day one, I met with the safety director and he was just getting started as a safety guy, but man, he certainly cared about the guys he worked with. Dave was a good man from the start. He’d say things like: “You’re so full of beans.” Just a down to earth, hardworking guy who became a fast friend. We drove all around New York State setting up jobs. I always let Dave drive so that I could rest. One fine day, way up North of Syracuse, we passed a state trooper.  I glanced at the speedometer. “You’re screwed,” I said, and seconds later, the lights came on. Dave was beside himself.  The cop stopped by the window, grabbed the license and registration and headed back to his vehicle. “Here’s the thing,” I said. “You’re pissed, but you’re such a good guy that I bet you tha
Read more

Mom & Ollie

-
Image
 Ollie Stadium is a mess. The heavy rains rendered the backyard a mud pit and even though we threw in the side yard, the Big O was looking for more, and we were both covered in mud. I had to take some steam out of him somehow so I suggested we go visit Grandma. Ollie hates the car, but he laid quietly as we made the trip. We even brought the football because there is plenty of room to play at Grandma’s. Mom opened the door and started laughing. I thought about the love she had for every single dog we ever had. Oliver was quick to give my Mom a kiss, and then he stood beside her. The love between Mom and Dogs is a mutual bond. Through the years, Mom would make breakfast for the dogs.  Fried eggs, toast, bacon… She would wrap Christmas gifts for them. “To Jeter, Love Santa,” she would write on the cards. They played with the big chicken that made a lot of noise. Mom tossed the football and Ollie brought it back to her. As the visit drew to a close I headed for the door.  “C’mon, Oliver,”
Read more