Mad As Hell

So after reading my front page intro, hopefully most of you got my reference to 1976 film, "The Network," a movie which always ranks on "critics" top 100 lists. 

 When Peter Finch screams "I'm mad as Hell and I'm not gonna take this anymore," I'm sure so many of us want to get up and follow him. Sadly, we don't.  Whether it is because of a lack of venue or a lack of courage, some of us just choose to sink deeper. The more we take the garbage that his shoveled to us, the wider our moves get forced and the heavier the load is. 

  I'm sick of swallowing. It's time to spit it out. And here is our forum.

  So when Finch, playing the washed up TV anchor Howard Beale, decides to tell the country on-air that all of our lives "are simply bullshit," we all can relate. Who can't relate the frustration of a man who is disgusted by the problems around him but is not afraid to admit that he has no idea how to solve them.

 If you've never seen the tirade that earned him the Best Lead Actor award, light up a cigarette and enjoy. Mad As Hell

 And after his fiery outbursts prevented a billion dollar merger, the president of the company lectures Beale on how America really works. Ned Beatty, as the chairman of the board, tells Beale that he has "...meddled with the primal forces of nature, and I won't have it!"

 In this diatribe, we found out about the elite view us individuals - non-existent and unimportant. As replaceable as factory parts on an assembly line. Individuals no longer exist. We are unimportant. All that matters is that we play by the system and their rules. 

 But for who's benefit? Well, there is a way that you can let the 'powers that be' know that you are still alive and far from dead. You can let them hear your voice. Realize that they are here to you, not the other way around. You are the consumer, and you control where you spend your money - and at anytime if we are not satisfied with their standards, we can walk away. 

 Americans are fortunate. We are not allowed options, we are entitled to them. Silence is the language of cowards. Let all those chairman of the boards who take $400,000 massage getaways know that we will no longer stand for it. Not on our watch. We've seen what they can do while in control of America. It's time to make them accountable.

  There is no need to feel bullied. They can't do anything to you. For it is you who can hurt them where it counts - in their deep pockets. 

  We should not appreciate our individuality, we should dam well demand it.

  Uncertain about how Corporate America feels about you? Watch Beatty's scene. The Death Of the Individual. 

  Paddy Chayefsky could not have written his script any without any more ounces of truth to it. There's no room left. It is sadly overflowing with reality. I'm sure he never had a clue how on the money this story was, more now so than ever.

 Over thirty years later and it seems that we haven't learned a dam thing. 

 - MAP