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America has a fascination with heroes. We love the man who in the face of incredible odd somehow manages to overcome all obstacles. We love to watch and read about that guy. There are some variations upon him. Sometimes he is a good looking charismatic fellow who has natural ability to lead. Other times he is more of a lone wolf who prefers not to be leader but when called to action grudgingly accepts the call to arms, think of Rick in Casablanca.

They are often described as ordinary men, at least that is how the suits want to sell it to you. They want you to identify with these guys. They want you to think of them as being no different from you. It makes it easier for you to pretend that you could be the star of that story. And if that happens it is that much easier to sell a few more tickets and make a few more dollars.

But reality is different from the movies. It makes sense. Why would you want to go watch a movie about ordinary life. Ok, scratch that, reality television proves that people will watch anything, or does it. Are the so called stars of reality television really ordinary people. I suppose that to an extent they are, but there are some distinctions.

They get paid real money to put their lives on television. They go on free vacations to places that you probably can’t afford. You can argue that they have given up their freedom, but I am not so sure that I agree.

I am waiting for the day when Hollywood starts writing about what is really going on. I am waiting to read articles about an angry society that is growing less civil by the day. I am waiting to see the movie about the middle class father who has been out of work for a year. He is angry in a way that few people can understand. His anger is barely contained and just beneath the surface.

It is a different sort of story because he will snap but it is not going to have the sex appeal of a person who just goes postal. It won’t be the story of of a guy who grabs a gun and goes on a murderous rampage. He won’t steal a tank or semi and run amok upon the freeways.

This story will be different. You’ll see him struggle to keep it together. You’ll see the moments when he screams at his wife and kids for what should be minor offenses. Some nights you’ll see him pacing and watch as he takes solace in a bottle. And you’ll wonder if the occasional drink will turn into something more frequent.

And if it does you’ll cluck your lips and mutter about how it could always be worse, at least some of you will. Some of you who love the drama will secretly hope that he slips over that edge and that maybe he’ll start smacking the wife and kids around.

Some of you will root for the unhappy ending and should you be confronted about it  you’ll claim that you don’t really want bad things to happen. But we both know that it is a lie, because you are angry too. You might not even realize it, but it is a pandemic of epic proportions, this anger.

The angry man isn’t really any different from you or I because he is us. He is our shadow and our reflection. He is the boogie monster that hides inside of us. He is that thing that we fear we can become. He’ll feed upon our darkness and our anger. Rage provides sustains him, unthinking fury about all that is unfair.

The angry man is the monster in the mirror. He is us and we are him. That is the kind of reality television that we should see but it won’t happen. America loves happy stories and happy endings and the angry man just doesn’t belong.