Few shows really grab me. And the ones that do are seriously jacked up. The last time I was so engrossed in a show was The Handmaid’s Tale, if that tells you anything. It feels like I’ve been hijacked by the train wreck “can’t look away” syndrome that grips most of us when we pass an intense car crash.
It’s twisted to be drawn to another’s suffering. Isn’t it?
Think about the global explosion of true crime podcasts in the last decade. Back in the day, when the only options were Dateline, 20/20, and Unsolved Mysteries, these stories were intriguing, but seemed to take place on a distant planet. These were also the days of Mr. Rogers’ singsong voice, asking us all to be his neighbor. Careful what you ask for there, buddy…
Technology has brought distant lands to our neighborhoods, our phones, our homes. Suddenly, the sick and twisted among us are everywhere. They always have been, but ignorance is bliss. Technology has assisted in removing the makeup from the face of society. Today, television producers and film makers have to reach into the darkest corners of the human psyche to extract material that feels as though it’s from a distant planet. But is it?
If at some point today I hear of a school shooting, or a mother killing her own children, I will barely flinch. These news stories would have brought the world to a screeching halt in the days of my youth. We are talking 35-40 years ago. To some of you readers, that may seem like an eternity ago, but I am certain it was only yesterday.
As difficult as it is to experience the human emotion of shock these days, I challenge you to search for it. For when we cease to be shocked, we are living in an era of our worst nightmares. Yellowjackets is on Showtime and Paramount Plus. Start there.
A Little MS with a Little MSW 
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