Sports Night: “The Quality of Mercy at 29K”

Date: February 6, 2021

Season 1, Episode 9

Music Video of the Day: Happy 6th Day of Black History Month!

Interstellar News: Today was a bad news day. The cats, however, have two new cat towers and absolutely love them.

Favorite Quote:

Casey: You’re not going to solve everybody’s problems. In fact, you’re not going to solve anybody’s problems, so you know what you should do?

Dan: What?

Casey: Anything. As much of it and as often as you can.

Casey and Dan discussing disposable income.

“Not fit for man nor beast out there, but here I am.”: I’ve always loved this episode and most of it is for the journey Dan goes on here. He’s young, white, and privileged, and he knows it in some ways but doesn’t in others. In the same vein as “Thespis“, he completely misses the whole point of giving. When you have more than you need, what does it hurt to give to a fellow human who may be down on their luck? So what if a homeless person buys booze instead of a meal, it’s their choice and their life. If that makes you uncomfortable, you can always buy them a meal directly or give to research or some other charity and let them decide how best to use the money.

The episode also focuses on a group climbing Mount Everest. It really is amazing what we can do, but it’s also interesting what we put emphasis on. Humanity has put so much stock and focus into entertainment that sports have become less about athletics and more about achievement, and there are even whole careers focused on reporting on about those achievements and dissecting them. I realize that I’m writing about a fictional show that is also a form of entertainment and also that we need distraction, especially in today’s world. It’s always bothered me that in America, and other parts of the world, there is such a high value placed on entertainment and much less is placed on education, volunteerism, or even health and welfare. I know I’ve bitched about these in past posts, but this episode really highlights to me that there are more important things in the world… and why aren’t we trying to do the incredible each and every day?

TA Out!