A professor, a rock star and an ambassador walk into a bar…

May 03

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Another town I’ve left behind, another drink completely blind
Another hotel I can’t find…

While not necessarily breaking one of Professor Kohn’s cardinal rules about historical essays (Never start with a quote unless absolutely necessary), those lyrics, courtesy of Lemmy & Co., paint a perfect picture. A picture that immediately popped into my head when I read the results of an online youth forum poll: according to that bastion of ballot tabulation, Listerine and MuchMusic, the tenth most popular dream job amongst kids is: concert roadie.

Being in a road crew on that never-ending tour might mean being free, but consider the more liberating, but primal experience that violence has to offer. Such an animalistic cathartic expression available to us – whether to relieve tension via a punching bag following a day of being wound up tighter than a fresh inmate’s bunghole, its many eruptions across the globe in the pages of every daily, rag and chronicle, or being the star player and motivating force behind the period of escapism I call: The Weekly Escapades of Bauer et al.

This week’s presentation proved to be a real zinger. Even though the level of ludicrousness was kicked up a notch with a covert attack on the Chinese consulate (woe betide the hapless viewer who launches himself into this thrilling series as it approaches its finale), the spectre of utilitarian morals raised its head and peered over the fourth wall: would you sacrifice the life of one to save the lives of many?

Fancy that – it’s not often that philosophy gets broadcasted to such a large audience. Who knew that dynamic entertainment could be coupled so neatly with moral questions – that’s quite the noggin exercise. Perhaps closing off with the Hetfield version of life on the road will sum things up nicely:

But I’ll take my time anywhere
Free to speak my mind anywhere
And I’ll redefine anywhere