There are at least two things that have made me happy over the past couple of days.

Thing one. Tonight was the finale of the Joe Schmoe Show. Matt Kennedy Gould, as he has shown all along, is the model Christian-- even though he probably isn't even a Christian. At least he's a model person. The guy is the nicest guy ever. Continually, throughout the show, he always calculated in favor of others. He was always consistent with who he was. He was not enslaved by the artistic irony that seeks to slyly place ourselves about everyone else in culture, and cynicism that demeans ideas that is so prevalent in our generation. He took the hits as they came to him. He valued truth. He stood up for those that were demeaned. Being nice to him was a virtue. That's one thing that's missing these days. Nice people, in our culture, are either considered fake or oblivious. No one can handle nice people, and even the words "nice person" is seen as quaint and belittling. It's far better to be angry and mean in our culture than it is to be nice. But Matt seems to live his life counterculturally-- which is to say, in line with traditional American culture. He wasn't without flaws, and he made no bones about his shortcomings-- he didn't gloss them over as being "just who he is" but he didn't let his flaws imprison him either. I'd love to be considered just a Joe Schmoe if it means being like Matt Kennedy Gould.

Thing two is very closely in line with thing one. Coming home from watching the kids in Hewitt last night I noticed something that was very hilarious-- a triumphant moment for small town community and locally controlled capitalism. The Church's chicken that was built less than a year ago on Hewitt drive across from Bush's fried chicken has closed down. I smiled so hard on that one my face almost broke. Somewhere in the corporate world not too long ago a meeting took place. In that meeting a group of executives, trying to squeeze as much money out of the market as possible said something along the lines of this-- "There's this small town fried chicken chain near Waco TX. It's ok, but these rednecks don't know what they're missing. We will build a Church's chicken directly in front of this place, driving them out of business, thus taking the entire fried chicken market in Hewitt TX." Needless to say, they got their ass kicked. Mr. Bush's, you're a hero.

Just two more triumpths for the Real America-- not the Hollywood or Harvard America.