I got a very nice email from some readers of the Newburyport Blog seeing if I would be interested in trying to interest folks in poverty here in Newburyport, MA and everywhere else.

Sigh…

We live in a superficial culture–a “Paris Hilton world.”

Guaranteed, most folks out there would rather look at a gorgeous blond than a starving kid.

People, apparently (see earlier entry), aren’t even interested enough to get their noses out of the coupon-ad section of the newspaper to find out that there is actually a mayoral primary election that could effect their lives right here in Newburyport, MA.

How do you get folks interested in something like “poverty?” Beats me.

I was listening to someone on TV the other night who said, “Freedom isn’t free.” Sobering.

But, so many of us take freedom, liberty, democracy for granted. Except of course if we were to lose it.

It’s a little bit like losing one’s health. One tends to take it as a “given” and don’t really appreciate it until it could be in jeopardy.

Ever sprain a wrist or hurt a toe? It’s like, “Wait a moment, who knew that a wrist or a toe were that important in life?” Well, they are. Same thing with the other stuff (freedom, democracy, etc.).

Our “Paris Hilton one sound-bite world” is a nice (or not so nice, depending) fantasy, but it has nothing whatsoever to do with reality.

And apparently the low, low price of hamburger is much more engrossing compared to having to figure out who to vote for mayor of Newburyport, Massachusetts.

And the word on the street is “forget that poor kid, bring on the gorgeous, filthy rich blonde.”

(I guess I’m still pissed at the electorate for its lousy attention span. What a way to end the week.)

Mary Eaton
Newburyport