ah, Scooter-Girl, we hardly knew ye

After two full seasons of semi-self-righteous boycotting, I've started watching American Idol this year. Not religiously, but frequently.

Just a couple of things to say about it: 1. Am bummed that Scooter-Girl got cut last night. Didn't think she could've gone all the way, but she was fun, and I wanted to see if she could've found her stride.

2. (and the seed of this is from my wonderful wife) The initial try-outs particularly, but some in the weeding out down to the final 32 showed this to a degree. We see the fruits of subjectivism and "you can be anything you want to be" that have been crammed down the throats of our youth in government schools for quite some time now.

How so?

Well, I think it's fairly safe to say that these three judges are pros when it comes to music--who can sing, who can't, etc. Even if they weren't before (and I think Paul Abdul's qualifications can be questioned on the basis of the Forever Your Girl album--and we shall not speak of Spellbound)*--suffering through the last couple of years on the panel clearly qualifies them as experts. When they say someone cannot sing--especially when all three say it--it's pretty certain that said person cannot sing. It's as true as 2+2=4. But how many will argue against them? "Well, that's just your opinion." "I know I can sing, you're wrong." No, no, no. There is objective truth, and one such truth is that not everyone can sing--you're one of us who can't!

Secondly, we need to face the fact that we can't be anything we want to be. I will never, ever, ever be a MLB player. For many reasons, I never could've been. There are physical, emotional, mental, intellecutal limitiations on each of us. My mind is not capable of thinking in certain ways. Howard Dean's temperment does not fit him to be President. The current CA governor, for all his skill/popularity/money can't be either--because of the Law of the Land. And even if person X had all the personality, all the talent, all the temperment to be a pop singer (or whatever), you still need the training, the opportunities, and the "luck" or "breaks" or whatever you call all the little things that can spring up in our path to get us to the record contract. Life is tough, wear a helmet.

*Okay, okay, in the interest of fair disclosure: I purchased both Forever Your Girl and Shut Up & Dance when I was in High School, which I think proves I know what I'm talking about.