by Frank Hyland

“Gross” Receipts

Day after day on virtually every media outlet, including – interestingly – sources such as National Public Radio (NPR), the drumbeat continues on the amount of money that the latest Hollywood “smash” hit (whatever that means) took in this week or this weekend. This week’s winner is, of course, the new movie about the comic book superhero Batman. That the yardstick of gross receipts measures a show’s popularity, no argument here. And this is a (relatively) free country, so advertising is allowed. That the yardstick of gross receipts measures quality, though, is where I part company with Hollywood and I hope you do as well.

I say that for a disturbing reason: Into what now passes as the “news” coverage has crept a yardstick that apparently presupposes that political races are identical to Hollywood movies. This past week, for example, we were “treated” to the news that the campaign for President of Senator Obama had taken in 52 million dollars, almost enough money to fill the gas tanks of Al Gore’s entourage. By itself, that would seem to be somewhat of interest, I suppose. In the context of seemingly endless reporting of the gross receipts of Hollywood movies, however, I would hope that you are feeling as insulted as I am on reading that figure. What the Main Line Tedium outlets (including NPR) are attempting to do is to present the gross receipts of Senator Obama as being a measure of his competence and his readiness to assume the most difficult job in the world (next to parenthood, that is). That makes Obama’s gross receipts even more “gross” in my opinion. It is even worse when we are told that Senator McCain took in “only” an amount (less than Obama). The fact that some number of people sent in that amount of money is not the same as saying that Obama is that good, or that he’s better than John McCain because McCain took in less money than Obama. That is, however, what is implicit in that kind of news coverage.

We have endured a seemingly endless campaign for President this time around, one that began last year and stretched and struggled its way to a “Finish Line” that is actually not here yet, pending the coronations still to come. Now, to add to that agony the weekly toting up of campaign receipts as if they tell us how a candidate will fare against issues such as Iran’s nuclear program is patently absurd. The implicit message in the so-called news coverage is that, because Obama took in more more money last week than McCain, we should elect him to the chair that will confront Iran, and that is an intolerable insult to your intelligence…..even if you like the Batman movie.