My haunted TV

Published by Political Grind - September 5, 2007
http://politicalgrind.com/2007/09/05/my-haunted-tv/
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"No. This one will never forget...ever."
Snooper - Take Our Country Back
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My television set is haunted. The ghosts -- there are two of them -- can materialize on my screen suddenly and without warning. Generally, they make their intrusion right in the middle of an interesting program or movie; and, even though they were assigned no major role in the production, their unexpected appearance is so startling, so overwhelming and powerful, that they immediately dominate the screen, upstage the actors and trivialize the plot.

They are, like most ghosts, the uneasy vestigial remains of an existence cut short prematurely and violently. These visitations shock me into remembering them, or perhaps reproach me for having forgotten them. We existed, they say, we existed exactly the same way as you are existing right now. We are gone now, but you must never forget us.

These unsettling apparitions show up repeatedly on my screen in the most unexpected places -- comedies, documentaries, even old episodes of "Cops".

Last night, for example, I was watching a rerun of Bryan Singer's 1995 "The Usual Suspects" when, at precisely 34 minutes and 37 seconds into the movie, suddenly, there they were and almost immediately, the intricate and sinister machinations of the fictional crime lord Keyser Soze were rendered foolish and inconsequential.

Once again, the ghosts of those two tragic towers reappeared, dominating that familiar skyline, eloquent in their silence, incomprehensible in their size and majesty. We are gone now, they said, but you must never forget us.


















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Comments transposted from Political Grind:
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Right Truth
Excellent. You know, I do the same thing when watching movies. I never forget what's missing from newer movies either. Nice post.
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Snooper's blog: Take Our Country Back
Sometimes, when I am not paying attention, usually when I am blogging and casually listening to the shows everyone else is watching, I will look up and either see the Twin Towers or not when they should be there.

When I was a wee lad, my Dad would pick me up from school and we would have a snack or two as we sat and watched the hole being dug for the towers.

No. This one will never forget...ever.
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Faultlineusa
What a beautiful, haunting, and unexpected tribute! This is the finest example prose poetry - our psalm, our prayer, our lament. We will never forget!
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Miss Beth
I never thought of it quite this way, but you're absolutely right, Roger...watching old movies (and not so old) and there they are...and I remember once saying, even in the futuristic sci-fi's the towers are always there--and now they're not. Newer movies without them just don't "feel" right, you KNOW there's something missing, and if you're old enough to remember (none of my grandkids ever will), you know EXACTLY what's not right and what's missing.

Excellent post, my dear!
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Crossposted to Chron Watch Forum - January 1, 2008
http://www.chronwatch-america.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=47973