On Larry King and Nostalgia

Larry King is another national treasure of sorts. He seems to be holding his age well and looks like he can still keep going for another fifty years on television. It's hard to believe that he has been around since the dawn of tv time. He started his career in 1957 in Miami, at a time when most people didn't even own a television. It was a very rare household that could afford the new gadget in the 1950's and most people read books back then for entertainment or went out to the local cinema. Cimemas used to give out gifts to people, not so much to bring them to the theatre, so much as a thankyou. They knew they had a captive audience, but they chose to do something good. I guess they weren't aware of marketing strategies back then, and bless them for that. Back to the old Black and White clunkers. To get a glimpse of the amazing new technology, some folks used to hang around the local appliance store and stare at the window display, with the array of huge television sets. At least one television was left on, and projected its moving pictures outward to the streets, to lure in would-be buyers. It was a temptation most succumbed to, eventually. Eventually everyone had one, and maybe two. Maybe three, and all in colour. Eventually everyone had their own tvs, and a house was divided by the many channels it offered. People found isolation within their own homes. No more sitting in front of an old set, and watching I Love Lucy, or Leave it to Beaver.

The above scenario has been presented, not so much as a trip down memory lane, but to emphasize just how old Larry King actually is. Picture the old hardware store, in a 1950's era shop. Fake foods haven't been invented yet, and things like Tang are still a decade away. People had values back then. Milk was delivered by a milkman who delivered his filled, glass bottles of milk right to people's doorways. Bread was also delivered to the customers. People trusted each other and always paid their bills, eventually. Society was essentially good and people were friendly and had time for their neighbours. Folks weren't compelled to lock their doors to keep out robbers, or killer, or kidnappers. There seemed to be no crime, at least not the kind that assaults us today.

Picture our society today. Larry King is still on the televison and he covers the hot topics, news and interviews the notorious. Think about what he shills today. The people that he interviews. The stories he covers. The children that are missing and their anguished parents that plead for their safe return. Flash back to the fifties, and bring yourself back to reality of our modern lives. What the hell has gone wrong...