The triumph of the mediocre.
October 27th, 2006 by guyWhat do Rachael Ray, YouTube and Deal or no Deal have in common? They celebrate the mediocre.
In Rachel Ray, the Food Network has forsaken chefs like Anthony Bourdain and Mario Batali who strive for authenticity, for someone who is as easily digestible as her food. She is Kraft Crumbles to their Pecorino Romano.
In YouTube we have the ultimate amateur night. Everyone and anyone is the director. Film, America’s greatest contribution to the history of art, is reduced to shaky camera accidents, jackass stunts and lip-synching fools.
And in Deal or No Deal we have a game show whose sole spectacle is someone opening a briefcase. What’s next? A game derived from a PowerPoint presentation? Spreadsheet Millionaire?
As Robert Hughes argues, it’s OK to be an elitist if what you’re demanding is the best of everything. And we do demand the best from our athletes, our technology, our scientists, even our military. Yet when it comes to art we are fed from Ray’s garbage bowl.
