Off the Cuff / My Other Journal

Voices -- high on finance

Truth is I don’t like reality shows. I understand many people love them and I respect that; however, there is a cable channel that has a more real feeling to it, since it works under the guise of informing and educating the public about finance. Since hubby loves this channel, CNBC, it is always on in our home. I said hubby loves, but to say he is entertained by it is more likely. If I stop my goofing about the internet and ask him about something the people are saying, he usually has not heard them. In turn, he’ll ask me what they were yelling about. Hubby must be mesmerized by the verbal duels between the hosts and the guests. Hubby's fascination must be a guy thing, I think.

As I write this, right now on TV, CNBC, Larry Kudlow show is going on. Sorry high-brow people, but I mean a show, real freaky-circus show, the kind you’ll pay money for, just to hear people and enjoy their fights rather than to understand them. I don’t know how today’s show will pan out, but on the average, hubby and I find we have to lower the sound on our TV.

But then, Power Lunch reality show comes head-to-head with the Larry Kudlow show as far as screaming is concerned. While Larry Kudlow is a prejudiced-to-the-right host, Power Lunch has five people on it, two of them women.

Those poor women! Since our societies are still sexist, the women have to fight hard to be heard or must play into the cultural norms dictated by the male crowd. In this show, one of the women sits straight like a totem pole and talks in an even voice, whereas the other rocks back and forth and from side to side, motioning with her hands, head, and body, as if dancing the flamenco. Yet, dancing is not enough for her to butt in and capture attention; so she screams at the top of her lungs whether she makes sense or not.

Although we sometimes turn off the sound to enjoy the motions of women, one cryonic, the other doing the flamenco, the fights between the men can come down to hoots, roars, and whoops. Would they be given foils or epees, several of them would be pierced through, many times over. What a duel to witness!

Now, as I write this, something’s going on in Larry Kudlow’s, someone’s saying “the president has a monkey on his back” in this “nanny state.” Such colorful language, but today it has been quiet so far, still. Even though Dennis (one of Larry’s regulars) is on "hypocrisy watch" and is yelling at the viewers.

Sorry, Dennis and the gang, in our home, we had nothing to do with whatever is ailing you!