I was watching a results show for America's Got Talent - I could pretend I was just flipping channels whilst reading War and Peace, but I wasn't. I was lounging and watching television. Hey, I'm human.
It was at that excruciating phase when three contestants are on stage, waiting to see which of them will continue as one of the 12 finalists. It really came down to two people: Haspop, a French dancer/comedian/contortionist/mime (I have no idea what he is, other than very talented - one of the judges likened him to Chaplin) and an 11-year rapper/dancer named CJ Dippa. This is a big deal, a really big deal, and potentially life-changing. Of course both of them really really wanted it, and of course the show's producers make them wait an excruciating period while the camera lingers on their faces, the adults tense, the kid nearly bursting out of his skin with frustration, desire, and anticipation all rolled up together.
Haspop's name was announced, and what he did next made me love him. Without a moment's hesitation - without taking even a second to express jubilation or joy - he moved to envelope the 11-year-old in a hug, his back to the camera, completely shielding the kid from the cameras, sparing him even one moment of millions of people seeing him breaking down or sobbing. The other group on stage followed suit, ostensibly congratulating Haspop but forming a protective group around this talented kid with big dreams who had probably just had the biggest disappointment of his young life. Who could then be ushered off stage to deal with it out of the view of the camera.
Sometimes, when watching vaguely schlocky television, you get to see something that revives your faith in people.
1 comments:
It's nice when cheesy television still manages to restore your faith in human-kind, huh?
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