Dancing with the Stars

Not bad, Cliffy.

Ok, what does this have to do with hope? Good Question.

I'm generally not a fan of reality TV. In most part because it seems to highlight the worst in humanity (who can betray whom, who can stab whom in the back, who can best step on as many people as possible in the name of WINNING AT ALL COSTS!). . Isn't too much of corporate America like that already? Isn't television supposed to be a break from all of that?

That's where Dancing comes in. The show is so positive. There's no Simon WhatshisBritishname nastily taking his personal insecurities out on barely pubescent singers. There's no crazy cook- guy raging around the kitchen making everyone miserable. I just can't hack that stuff. Dancing though is different. It's about people pushing themselves, confronting fears, letting loose and having fun, and dancing! Sure, there are B-listers trying to find that spotlight again. But the celebrities on the show are such great symbols for you and me and everyday average people. They're all famous for things other than dancing, and the show pushed them. There's a HUGE chance of making a complete fool of themselves on the highest rated TV show in the country. Maybe this is my childhood dread of dancing coming up (oh, I had some awkward moments at Bar Mitzvah parties), but there is some serious courage involved on that show!

So Dancing with the Stars is a sign for me that people can celebrate dancing (a wonderful thing in and of itself), can be positive, encourage others, take some major risks of making a fool of themselves, and just have fun. And that this is the top rated show on TV is a wonderful sign. Maybe it's a sign that we as a country are getting sick the lowest-common-denominator TV. I think so!