Friday, January 21, 2011

Portlandia



I'm really looking forward to the premiere of "Portlandia" tonight. Unlike many of my co-dwellers in this fine city, I haven't watched it on Hulu or YouTube or any other "I want my media when I want it, not when it's given to me" service. Not that I don't appreciate those services, I just haven't for Portlandia. I did, however, hear Ari Shapiro (who, it seems, lives in Portland) on NPR this morning doing a "touring interview" with the writer. My wife and I found ourselves cringing at the embarassing truths behind the comedy about the culture here. Okay, it's not all embarassing. Most of it, though.

I've thought for some time that the culture here in Portland needed to be exported. We've been watching for years as the rest of the world fights among themselves about things that we see as simple matters of right and wrong. Do what's right, stop doing what's wrong. Seems simple, right? Well, we do want you to be allowed to have your views, whatever they are, regarding what's right. Just don't try to force those views on us, see? Now, if the rest of the world would just think the way we do, everything would be better. No, no, no, I'm not going to listen to you when you tell me that I've just contradicted myself. I live in Portland.