Our Big Screen Political Divide

Writing in the Examiner, Meghan Cox Gurdon details the trouble with planning movie night.

Writing in the Examiner, Meghan Cox Gurdon details the trouble with planning movie night:

What happens in a buffet culture when everyone -- and I mean a suburban Maryland neighborhood full of everyone -- has the opportunity to share a single, giant-screen TV?

These residents, like all Americans, are used to customizing their entertainment. They want to watch what they want when they want it. They want their children to watch what they want when they want it. And they don't necessarily want to have to sit through some dumb flick that somebody else wants. This being a buffet, on-demand, point-and-click culture, why should they? Everyone can have what everyone wants! That's the beauty of modern life.

Except when, as I say, there is one big TV for everyone to watch -- in this case, a screen procured by the people who run the community pool so that once a week the locals can enjoy an outdoor movie night.

It's a lovely idea: Families splashing around in the evening and then snuggling in their towels and cover-ups to take pleasure in a film together. No one demanded the screen; it arrived thanks to the efforts of a thoughtful neighbor.

So what happens? Well, this being Washington, everyone started lobbying.

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