Thank You, Mr. Clooney

One of the most noted aspects of this year's Oscar presentation was George Clooney's acceptance speech. I would like to second his motion in favor of those who are out of touch.

What does it mean to be out of touch? It means NOT to jump on the bandwagon. It means NOT to follow the trends. Most importantly, it means NOT to let others do your thinking for you. It means to view the world from a different angle, and, as anyone remotely acquainted with optics can tell you, at least two points of view are necessary to see the world in all its three dimentions. How incredibly dangerous to think that whatever the majority believes must always be right! I'm constantly surprised that this nation -- home of the power of the individual -- is also soooooooooooo demanding that everyone conform

Moreover, I hardly need point out that to many Americans the Founding Fathers were out of touch when they decried the monarchy. Abraham Lincoln was out of touch when he ended slavery. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were out of touch when they attempted to realize the promise of freedom. Germaine Greer and Bela Abzug were out of touch when they fought for the rights of women.

Of course, the great irony of the Right's claims about Hollywood elitism and separatism is that Hollywood only makes the product that will sell to Middle America. The job of show biz really is to be directly in touch with the audience. The best evidence of this is the ENORMOUS economic and success of pornography. Somebody out there is buying it. Oh, I know. You're just buying it so you can speak out against the garbage dirtying our nation. Because it will corrupt the mind of anyone who sees it. Except of course you.

So, try to be a little more out of touch. Try to find new ways to see the world. You can always get back in touch, but chances are, you won't want to.