Educational TV of the 1950s

Okay, okay. .... There is indeed a downside to cutting oneself off from the sensory overload charitably called news these days. I leave it all behind for a couple of months and what do I find when I decided to come back? I have missed out on some seriously funny bullshit coming from the genius leader of the Right. I am sure he is only warming up for the big show on the 20th. I feel confident there's more to come and most of it will not be so funny or pleasant. 

Fuck him and his ignorant following. There is more to Life than giving him much, if any, attention. I just wish the media was not so Hell bent on broadcasting his every drooling mistake, mishap, rude remark. If they would ignore him, the news would be so much easier to take. .... And while I am at it, I heard Morning Joe and his wifely sidekick Mika caved to poor ratings and traveled south to Mar Lago to kiss the asshole's ring. Not a good look Joe. For ratings Joe? Apparently you have no self respect. Your credibility and any respect I may have had for you just took a huge nose dive.

During my two month hiatus, I filled some of the time I use to waste following the news by streaming old TV shows from the world I existed in during the 1950s and early 1960s. It was like listening to old rock songs or flipping through boxes of old family Kodak moments. 

Two of my favorite shows at age 7 through 11 was "Leave it to Beaver" and "The Rifleman". Both half hour shows were aimed at my age group and almost every episode had a positive message to share with all the little tackers who populated the U.S. landscape. Both shows were very popular. The Rifleman was the cowboy I dreamed of being. The Beaver was the kid who lived the life I was sure I wanted.

I streamed one or the other instead of the news during my morning wake up routines. At first it was an act of defiance and a show of just how disgusted I was with the results of the November election.  I was done with this country and everyone in it could go to Hell. Retreating to memories softened by the passing of time seemed a good alternative.

Then I got hooked on the damn shows. The 30 minute Life lessons were often corny and sappy, but the underlying messages they contained for still hold true today; basic ideals and ideals we all should aspire to. 

I once read, heard or maybe, just thought I did, someone say "We learn all we really need to know to live a decent life by age ten." .... or words to that effect. 

And maybe it's just me, but I think many of us could benefit watching a few "Beaver" and "Rifleman" re-runs to refresh some of the Life lessons offered us back before we became jaded adults.

Later ............................

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Musical choice today has no connection to the post. I was thinking of Harry Nilsson yesterday. Not sure why, but there it was. For the life of me I could not think of one tune by him, yet I remembered I liked his music back in the day. Thanks to YouTube, I found "Everybody's Talkin", a song he wrote and recorded for the film, "Midnight Cowboy". The movie is one of the great films of my life.

Enjoy.