Lowest Common Denominator

The comment of the house in our household is  – “lowest common denominator” – refers to what’s of interest, what’s good, what’s bad, whatever. Especially having to do with the public, its acceptance, popularity and all that.

Example: Donald Trump’s presidential ambition. His allure to the public is based on base reactions designed to get gut reactions. He is attracting attention to himself by reaching out to the lowest common denominator of society. His tactics are working. This says a lot about Trump AND the public he activates. Not a pretty match up! They both suffer from lower instincts.

Example: Movies are riddled with violence, sexuality and vivid action sequences. All speak to base emotions – blood and guts, sex in every scene and of every description, and action that never quits, seemingly because if it does the audience may just fall asleep! I find these movies tedious. They have very weak messages if they have one at all. The deeper human struggles and ambitions are avoided. The philosophical enigmas we all need help understanding. Unique perspectives on history or science, or anything else of compelling interest. No, these are not treated much in movie-dom. Instead sex and violence hold center stage.

No wonder theaters are dying and audiences are fading away. Their offerings are meager and vapid.

TV producers, however, have stepped up with quality and depth of topic. Not all, but many. At least with 400 TV channels from which to choose a viewer can avoid the garbage and actually find redeeming material to view.

Popular entertainment is not the only area dealing in lowest common denominator selections. How about sports? If the games aren’t violent or threatening same, viewership declines. Sports programming focuses on fights, crimes and infidelities of star players. Or scandals like ‘deflategate’ and point shaving. What happened to physical prowess, talent and achievement? Those should be the star qualities featured in sports, not the human failings that humankind struggles with. Lowest common denominator. Yes. There it is again!

News programming’s slide into this wretchedness long ago and continues its slide with competition from news channels on cable. If it is gory, violent, criminal or sexually deviant, the story airs. If it isn’t, it doesn’t. Lowest common denominator.

Automobile designs. How many look alike? How many make their name by being different. Tesla is different. Its propulsion is different from most other automobiles. But its looks!  Good grief! Tesla styling is breathtaking, alluring. It is anything but lowest common denominator.

Music appeals to many interests in modern society. There are market niches everywhere. Many are regional tastes, others are life phase focused, and some are age related. Love, loss, tragedy and a sea of emotions are the subject matters of the popular music genre. These are good things to focus on, but there are other uplifting topics to cover as well. Why don’t these get attention?

I could go on and on with this theme in every nook and cranny of modern day life. This only feeds dismay and disgust. Rather we should turn attention toward things that matter the most to us. What do we pine for? What do we strive for? What makes life a joy? What elevates our spirit? These are the sort of things we should be spending our time and energy on.

I love to watch faces of people who suddenly understand something for the first time. This is probably why teachers teach! Or musicians work so hard to compose or play an instrument. It is about connecting with other people, their minds, their hearts, and their inventiveness.

Connections. They are available everywhere around us; but do we notice? Are we aware of them? Do we plug into these relationships of whatever kind?

Connections. Meet and greet. Talk with purpose. Get to know someone. Allow brains to merge thoughts and strivings. Are we percolating or pickling? Moving forward toward a larger objective or just spending time? Wasting time? Frittering it away?

The lowest common denominator doesn’t account for much. It’s easy. Even pleasant. But the rewards are few. A colossal waste.

How about pursuing the highest common denominator? The high road?

There is a reason some people achieve little in life. And others make startling discoveries. We can’t all be heroes or super-people. But we can strive for the unique, the important and the mental gold. That success is internal and self motivating. It means something. To you. And to a few.

That which is popular is not always of value. Denominators are like that. It helps us discern value in life.

How’s your search doing these days?

September 1, 2015