This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The Republican Convention has ended and now on to the Democratic Convention, the next political version of Comic Con. All three so similar, where grown adults dress up in quixotic-looking costuming, spend time living briefly in the unreal world of aspiring to believe in characters and staged events, in film or on the stage.
They remind me of the current Pokémon rage, where normally rational people use their cell phones to chase around after cartoon images much like the declared political ideology that was spouted last week and will continue on this week's politician adorned dais.
With the economic and social suffering of millions of Americans still not truly addressed and the serious problems in police/citizen relationships, we are seeing frantic followers of the Pokémon fad invading memorial sites, causing accidents and injuries in search for something that doesn't really exist.
Much like the near obsession of those many fans who pay money, travel distances and adorn themselves in ridiculous garments to meet their favorite imaginary film and TV created heroes. And so much in comparison to the two political gabfests, where much is said and even more promised, in reality, merely whispers in the wind, the product of overly accelerated imaginations.
James F. Oshust
Salt Lake City