Bridgewater Review

Volume 22 | Issue 2 Article 4

Dec-2003 Editor's Notebook: The Lone Ranger's Creed Michael Kryzanek Bridgewater State College, [email protected]

Recommended Citation Kryzanek, Michael (2003). Editor's Notebook: The Lone Ranger's Creed. Bridgewater Review, 22(2), 2. Available at: http://vc.bridgew.edu/br_rev/vol22/iss2/4

This item is available as part of Virtual Commons, the open-access institutional repository of Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK MICHAEL KRYZANEK bank account.Television heroesdon’tteachthenew ful blondintowandmillionsof dollarsinhisSwiss tofightanotherdaywithabeauti- other thansurviving anti-herohasnocreed, unlike ClaytonMoore,today’s society.gates themoralmorassofpost-modern And mented, thetaintedandtattooedherowhonavi- make itanymoreaswearebombarded withthetor- hats fightingtobringbadguysjusticejustdon’t shadeofgray.filled withevery Masked meninwhite defined aswhitevs.black,goodevil,butisrather young boysaskindofcor the screenbytelevisionexecutives andignoredby Today aherolike theLoneRangerwouldbelaughedoff nugget. of courseIabsorbedevery and show asateachinglessononSaturdaymornings, simple nuggetsofgoodandrightwerebroughtintothe must givebacktotheearthwhatwetake fromit.These the peoplewasbestcreationofman,andthatwe ofthepeople,bypeopleandfor that government of usshoulduseourGod-givengiftstothemaximum, believed thatallmenwerecreatedequal,ever creedofconduct.Thisherotheoldwest Ranger’s stood for. ClaytonMoorecalledthese valuestheLone of youngpeopleonthevaluesthatmasked man keeping hisheroaliveandeducatinganewgeneration Clayton Moorecontinuedtravelingaroundthecountry and right.LongaftertheLoneRangerwentoffair, tance ofusingtelevisionheroestofightforwhatisgood was areallifegentlemanwhobelievedintheimpor- sion, ClaytonMoore,whoportrayedthemasked man, Although theLoneRangerwasaninventionoftelevi- fight thebadguys. man. Icouldn’twaituntilnext weektoseemyhero Within thirtyminutestheLoneRangeralwaysgothis to the him amanofmystery, andhisdailyrideintothesunset The factthattheLoneRangerhidbehindamaskmade symbolized allthatwasgoodandrightintheworld. white hat,hishorseSilverandhandledguns sionable boy, IthoughtthattheLoneRangerwithhis American waytothewildwest.Asayoung,impres- IndiansidekickTontotrusted bringjusticeandthe Saturday mor When Iwasgrowingupinthe1950sspentmy William Tell Overture Editor’s Notebook nings watchingtheLoneRangerandhis The LoneRanger’s Creed ny. Theworldisnolonger got mybloodpumping. by MichaelKryzanek y one Silver Away!” Ranger wouldsayasherodeoffintothesunset:“HiHo human dignity andsomebasic enced mylifewithsomesimpletruths don’t havetoseetheLoneRangerknowthatheinflu- mask Sometimes ifIamlucky ofthe Imightcatcharerun creed,isnowprettymuchforgotten. Lone Ranger’s Clayton Moorediedafewyearsagoandhiscreed,the fundamentalist whoseidealofmoralityisfi do seeinthewayofacreedisusuallysomeranting and leavingpeopletocontroltheirownlives.Whatwe moral compass.We take prideinbeingnon-judgmental We seemcontenttoliveourliveswithoutmuchofa charity. and strippedofthoseoldstandbys,faith,hope what isbad.It’sallamishmashofgraywithoutvalue about whatisrightwiththeworld,whilecondemning heights, nocelebrationofgoodness,attempttoteach and valuevoid.Thereisnoattempttoelevateusnew movies, videogamesandmusicisacompletehuman seems thatwhatweseeandhearontelevision,the It for theplanetandbeliefinfundamentaltruths? of dateaboutfriendship,equality, democracy, concern creedofconduct?What’ssoout with theLoneRanger’s old-fashioned kindofguyIask,what’ssooutdate new philosophersofnihilism.Thatmaybesobutasan ofabsolutes.Thosedaysaregone;sosaythe in terms was amuchsimplertimewherepeopleactuallythought mote theanti-heroisthat1950sofLoneRanger The excuse thatisoftenfoistedonusbythosewhopro- tobelievein. ship, orthatthereareundeniabletruths make thisabetterworld,ortheimportanceoffriend- in ordertolivetogetherpeaceandhar it istoliveinafreesociety stone andwhohasnoideawhatitistobehuman, —Michael Kryzanek isEditorofthe —Michael Kryzanek ed manononeoftheseoldiescablechannels.ButI . Thanksmask sionable youthsabouttheirabilityto , andwhatneedstobedone ed man.AstheLone generation ofimpres- Bridgewater Review mony re andbrim . -