"You Tube, The new Printing Press"

I have two hobbies that occupy my time whilst I convalesce. One is watching hours on MSNBC, and the other is reading. I am now reading a book called "From Dawn to Decadence." It is a fun romp through the last 500 years of Western Civilization. The author, Barzun, starts out by praising Guttenberg and the printing press for allowing people like Martin Luther, Erasmus and Petrarch to become so influential, and essentially change the face of the modern world. Some had more influence than others; it just depended on your tastes. Since this is a BLOG, which I believe was ancient Greek for "Short attention Span Literature,” you will have to do your own research to find out who these people were and what they did. (Wikepedia, always a good start.)

Anyway, I got to thinking about how, with a digital video camera, and a high-speed internet connection, one could become the next Luther. Being in the right place at the right time could change history, perspectives, ideas and social mores. Think of the “lucky” guy who caught George Allen on video. That 5 second, right place right time incident may have given the democrats a majority in the house. The troops would be fully funded, there would be no “artificial” time tables (aren’t all timetables artificial?), and all would be right in the world. Cum By Yah. Poor John McCain was caught on tape doing a grave disservice to Brian Willson and the Beach Boys. Joe Biden makes every attempt to end his presidential run before it can begin and there always seems to be someone there to catch it on tape. How many more bad southern accents can Hillary withstand?

A guy with a cell phone changed one of the most beloved TV characters, Kramer, into a vicious, hate spewing KKK member that threatened to ruin the legacy of “THE SHOW OF THE 90’s.” If it wasn’t for the internet, would anyone beyond Don Imus’s 100-150 75 year old, conservative old men, who listen to him on a regular basis, would have heard his horrendous comments? Alec Baldwin is now the male version of Joan Crawford because his wife’s attorneys had access to TMZ.com. David Hasselhoff looks like a drug induced Ronald McDonald commercial and Toby McGuire does his best Sean Penn impersonation. With a few clicks of a camera, a few more of the keyboard, one person who was “just stopping by" can change the World’s perspective.

Now while downing David Hasselhoff may not have the same social impact of what happened to George Allen, it will certainly change the way we watch Baywatch. Will any of us ever be able to watch Mitch run down the beach without envisioning ketchup, mustard and a variety of other condiments dripping down his torso? I think not. Just as Martin Luther allowed millions of Catholics to question the authority of the church and helped stir a revolution that has changed history forever, so to, can the people at You Tube claim similar responsibility. Rest in Peace Cosmo Kramer, rest in peace!