Escapist pioneers

 

[yellow locker among orange ones]

With the Covid crisis and ongoing wars, escapism has become almost a daily need. It seems obvious today that if reality is too depressing (and drugs are not your style), a few minutes or hours of TikTok, YouTube, Netflix or cable television is the perfect way to create the illusion that everything is fine. However, people forget that once, through the 1970’s, in the United States, a few commercial television stations were the only source of home entertainment and were, on the whole, rather vanilla, i.e., directed to the average viewer as the major networks perceived such a creature (genially referred to as the Nielsen family). Today’s varied and potent range of escapism owes much to the earliest commercial TV pioneers that were willing to be different and prepare future generations how much fun it is, among things, to work out, trash athletes and cook gourmet food at home.

Jack LaLanne

Jack LaLanne

At a time when most people stopped exercising after high school or even did not know that they should keep in shape, Jack LaLanne had a morning workout show from 1951 to 1985. American housewives from the privacy of their own home would stretch and work out every morning once the children went off to school. One would think that the instructor was a hunky young man but instead he was rather older looking, quite different from today’s high-energy trainers. Somehow, he showed that you  don’t have to be a “jock” to exercise and that it even helped you feel younger and look better. Jack LaLanne had a significant role in creating the “stay fit” culture that impacts people of all ages today.

[Howard Cosell]

Howard Cosell

Watching sports is an ancient pastime. The ancient Greeks did it. Probably Neanderthal man did it but we admittely have no proof of that. Part of the fun of watching sports is making highly critical remarks about an athlete despite the fact that we may have never even played the sport or, at best, last played it several decades previously. However, through the 1960s, sports announcers were either employees of the team or maintained neutrality and only described the action. Then, Howard Cosell became a commentator in Monday Night Football and “told it like is” despite the fact that he had never played any American football in his life. He was the “average Joe” expressing his opinion on how awful the quarterback or team was, just what many of the viewers were thinking. Viewing Monday Night Football became a sort of a menage á trois, i.e., Team A vs. Team B. vs. Howard Cosell, with the third party being the most interesting. Today, any fan with an opinion can set up a podcast or YouTube channel and express their ignorance to the masses. Howard Cosell helped make that cool.

[Julia Child]

Julia Child

American home cuisine in the 1950’s was rather limited not because of the ingredients but instead due to the general ignorance of cooking. Most American women thought that home cooking and fancy restaurant dishes were two completely different worlds, like oil and water. Julia Child came along and showed them how to cook “fancy” dishes at home, changing their whole approach to cooking. Because the programs were live, she even made mistakes, which created more authenticity. Gradually, both men and women began to try to make new and adventurous food (everything is relative). Today, it is possible to watch “foodie” shows 24 hours a day as well as find recipes and demonstrations on the Internet including video demonstrations for any dish you can or cannot imagine. Some of these gurus actually make money doing so.  Julia Child had a major role in creating that culture.

Most people may have forgotten or never heard of these people now but their belief in their way of living helped create a world of personal freedom. It may feel that there are too many options and that people go too far. Yet, escapism is human too and healthy in moderation. All of today’s public fitness freaks, couch critics and cooking fanatics can thank these pioneers for their broadcasting of the joy of escapist life .

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