Ep.33 Match Game

The Chicken Mind Nuggets's Podcast

Chicken Mind Nuggets.

Hosted by Wifey

Chickenmindnuggets.com

[e-mail]

@mindchicken

References for this episode

Introduction music graciously provided by

Music from https://filmmusic.io
"Thinking Music" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com)
License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Show script: (may differ slightly from spoken word)

Did you ever watch Match Game 74? Or any Match Game with Gene Rayburn? I started watching that show when I was in tiny house and it was on Buzzr network. I loved the dynamic relationship between Gene and Dicky Dawson, Betty White, Brett Summers, or any of the other stars they had on the show. They were unfiltered, yet really conservative about certain topics because it was the 70’s and you could only say certain things on air. I know that show got rebooted, but there is nothing like classic 70’s TV. There is something really innocent, but vulgar, and truthful, but incredibly scripted about the whole thing. Some things I can watch religiously while others I just cringe at. Can you imagine what people 100 years from now would think of our X-factor, Price is Right, or American Idol? I don’t want to know lol. It’s weird looking back that short in time to the 70’s and realizing how different life was. The burnt orange stage settings with the suede suits and feathered hair. Men perfectly groomed and women who generally gave an answer to, “what do you do?” with the words, “I am a housewife.” I think that is one of the reasons that I am attracted to that show. There WAS a time when people seemed happier and content with doing ONE thing: being a house wife, being a student, being a vagabond. Now success is measured by how much you CAN and ARE doing. Imagine you are on the stage with Gene Rayburn. He asks you your name, you say Ralph. He says, “welcome to the show Ralph, what do you do?” You give a 2021 response, “I work at a technology company for 40 hours a week plus 10 hours of mandatory overtime. My wife works the opposite shift than me so one of us is always there to watch the kids. We hope to one day cut down on our bills and downsize like those minimalists we see on YouTube, but we have a 3rd kid on the way, a mortgage, and student loans. Unfortunately, I never finished my degree, but who works in the field they went to school for anyway? In my free time I take the kids to social-distancing soccer practice or Uber at night for some extra funds. My wife sometimes Uber’s when she doesn’t have the kids so I can get 5 hours of sleep.”

I would image at this point Gene’s mouth would be on the floor and no one would be praising the heroic stance of the, “do-it-all dad.” There would probably be reactions of horror, disgust, whimpering, and shock as people tried to figure out how you had a life at all. I’m thinking, how can anyone follow up with a question after this? What would you ask them?” So, here’s the devil’s advocate: we all run a schedule like this. Not so much with the wife and kids, but with the burdens and the responsibilities, and the tasks, and the obligations, and the things we volunteered for, but ultimately we realize we are doing these things out of obligation. Is it necessary to be like this in a post Match Game 74 world? Maybe…but here is something both era’s have in common: when asked what people do, they answer with their primary responsibilities. This makes sense because the question, “what do you do?” implies that you will give a response with what you work for/with. Here is where I think the change in response becomes value added. Your response provides you with a sense of meaning and purpose. I am not an advocate for chasing happiness because happiness is fleeting, just like anger, so I think a better approach is to pursue something meaningful. I have spoken about this before, but lets try something and see how it works, for the both of us. Instead of a normal message that I have in this show, lets try something out together and see what changes it brings about in our lives. Let’s pretend we are asked, “what do you do?” Let’s formulate responses that convey meaning, purpose, loving action, and giving instead of obligation. Let’s convey our words to someone who doesn’t know us, as words that describe our journey to be mindful of our pursuit in creating something better. Let’s pretend that we are being asked this over and over, and we have to keep re-writing our draft as we find the bits that sounds like obligation and meaningless actions. We are not striving for perfection, far from it, we are just trying to have a different dialogue. I would LOVE to know what you came up.

If you have enjoyed this podcast, please follow me on twitter @mindchicken, or leave a review on iTunes, listen to anywhere you listen to podcasts, or visit chickenmindnuggets.com