Applause

Maybe it’s just me but I feel silly applauding. Think about it, clapping ones hands together to make noise in appreciation of something. Sometimes I think the price of admission to an event is my appreciation, or better yet stuffing cash into a tip jar.

There is a point where you can tell an audience is just doing it because they are supposed to, and the lack of length of the applause denotes a lack-luster performance. I love it when they ask the audience to hold their applause until the end of a debate.

I find the applause disingenuous at the State of the Union address the President makes every year. It nearly goes by party line, and sometimes the President forces all to applaud by throwing out a statement where it would be treasonous not to applaud.

Have you ever attended theater for the deaf? They don’t clap since they are deaf. No one would hear it. Instead they raise their hands and flutter them like Al Jolson going across the stage in black face.

I think it would be cool if we all carried electronic devices where we could reward performers with some sort of joyful stimuli. I’m thinking of a thing like a walky-talky that is combined with a taser that broadcasts energy that feels good. You point it at the performers, pull the trigger and waves of good feeling hit them.

When I go to a show I don’t want to become part of the show. I don’t want to have to sing along. I don’t want to dance. I don’t want to be called up on the stage. I want to sit like a lump and be entertained. If I like what I see and hear, I will hit the pleasure button rather than clapping like a seal.