But the show is about talent.  I get that.  If Susan Boyle had shown up offering anything less than what she gave, she would have been laughed off the stage.  You can bet on that.  And that’s where I would have liked the kindness to kick in.  Had she not pulled out that soaring voice, instead of people booing her off, in my Bizarro Kelsey Place, I would have liked to see people still applauding her courage to get up and try.

Because AH-HA!  MY POINT!  I knew I’d find it around here somewhere.  Because we’re all not going to hit it out of the park and poke our former bullies in the eyes all the time, every single time.  Awesomeness, excellence are things we strive for but in the meantime, we’re dealing with a lot of learning.  And when the bar is set so high like what Susan had to achieve, I get scared and frankly, just don’t want to try.  There’s no room for the learning or the practice or the trying anymore in this American-Britain’s-Got-Talent-Idol World of ours.

We just see the outcome, and maybe if we’re lucky and a budget allows for it, we get a montage of the learning/practice/trying that only lasts for 90 seconds.

Let’s see some shows that deal with process beyond “America’s Biggest Loser.”  Some in-depth, real-time studies of the ups and downs, failures and falls of a process.

Or maybe they’re already out there?  L’il help?  Anyone?

So here’s my question.  What if Susan Boyle had walked out on to that stage, did her little jig of the hips from side to side, opened her mouth to sing “I Dreamed a Dream” and something else entirely different burst forth?  What if a totally tuneless, pitchless, warbling came out? 

We’d know about her for a different reason.  “Look at who this woman thinks she is!!!”  “What a disaster!”  The Susan Boyle Effect could also be dubbed the Reverse Oscar Effect.  You know the Oscar Effect – the most beautiful actor becomes the most hideous character and Bob’s your uncle!  They get an Oscar nomination if not the award.  I think the opposite holds true in waking real life.  The more frumpy, homely you are, the more you stray from the norm of appearance and behavior, the more outstanding your talent must be in order to be celebrated.

That makes me sad.  Sure, I’m happy, delighted, ecstatic for Susan Boyle.  But she’s just the one who was able to knock it out of the park and stick it to all those who’ve rolled their eyes at her through a lifetime. 

I’m not quite sure what my point is here but I think it’s along the line of acceptance.  We’re still far and away from it as a crowd and a culture.  There’s a proving that’s required of us by us and it starts early in life and becomes more and more difficult to succeed at the older we get. 

I think I’m rambling here so I’ll end and take the dog out for a walk.

But I’m not done with this!