From the recording Amusing Ourselves to Death

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Lyrics

THIS IS REALITY
(Lyrics and music by Winston Apple)

A nation hooked on television, steeped in media mediocrity
Is a formula for disaster in a country governed democratically
Politicians cling to office like it’s a life preserver in a raging sea
Slinging mud at anyone and everyone who dares to challenge their incumbency
And the voters cast their ballots based on the attack ads that they’ve seen
This is not a reality show - this is reality

Misinformation, disinformation, see the real fear factor at work
Tune in to Fox News or talk radio
It’s a right-wing circle knee-jerk
A mad parade of zany zealots freely promote the corporate point-of-view
Fear and unbalanced propaganda masquerading as news
Well-heeled personalities try to fake a little objectivity
And these unhinged reality shows are our new reality

From the battered beaches of the Jersey Shore
Through the heart of the country to the O. C.
Newton Minnow’s “vast wasteland” has spread well beyond TV
Big Brother is watching in the name of Homeland Security
If you wanna vote somebody off of the island
Check out the real politicians of D. C.
It’s time for us to give our so-called leaders a dose of reality

Real housewives are losing their houses
Workers keep looking but they can’t find work
And meanwhile Congress is channeling Nero
Fiddling while our country burns
We the People are the biggest losers when it takes audacity
To cling to a glimmer of hope of changing the culture of corruption in the D. C.
Our government is revolting and so are we
This is not a reality show – this is reality

Politicians and lobbyists keep trading spaces and scratching each other’s backs
Saying whatever they think we want to hear, with a casual disregard for facts
What we call “elections” have devolved into little more than expensive ad campaigns
Financed by corporations and special interests
Which pretty much explains why our representative seldom seem to represent you and me
And this Is not a reality show – this is reality
I repeat
Hey! This is not a reality show – this is reality
Repeat after me
Hey! This is not a reality show – this is reality

© 2011 Gary Winston Apple
Used by permission. All rights reserved.