Spontaneity? Not in this country

There was a rare unplanned moment at Turner Field tonight. A portly fellow in a wedding dress rushed the field to cheers but, before he could toss his bouquet, was tackled to the ground by a phalanx of security personnel. Threat averted.

Imagine what would’ve happened to the two guys who chased Hank Aaron around the base paths after he broke Babe Ruth’s record. Two sniper’s bullets to the noggin I suspect.

Where have you gone, Morganna the Kissing Bandit? A nation turns its paranoid eyes to you.

Someone tell Atlanta Spirit they sold the Thrashers

	Atlanta Spirit, LLC is the parent company of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers and owns the operating rights to the world-class entertainment venue Philips Arena.

Hollywood vs. the kids

The cultural right’s fixation on permissiveness misses the real threat presented by the entertainment industry.

Fame is the leading value emphasized by television shows popular among 9-to-11-year-olds, a major change from the past, according to a study by UCLA psychologists released today.

Fame was 15th among 16 values in similar studies conducted in 1987 and 1997, before topping the 2007 study. Community feeling — being part of a group — was the No. 1 value in 1967, 1977 and 1997 and second in 1987, but 11th in 2007.

In other words, the narcissistic preening that permeates our culture is only going to get worse. Pray for a backlash.

Related articles

• Popular TV shows teach children fame is most important value, psychologists report; Being kind to others fell dramatically in importance over 10 years (sciencedaily.com)

Chris Brown still feels sorry for himself

The insufferable brat’s new album, F.A.M.E., stands for forgiving all my enemies — otherwise known as the people who don’t like him because he beat the shit out of his girlfriend.

Perhaps I should go ahead and seek Brown’s absolution for criticizing him the next time he punches a woman.