Perhaps Havrilesky thinks it's cute. I see it as dumping contempt on anyone who reads her column. There is a certain mindset, especially among the last few generations of college-educated people, that enjoy this kind of contempt. This is, mind you, the same generations that took to their bosoms a child murderer with a wiseass mouth and made the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies a roaring success.

This kind of slash-and-burn commentary fits that audience. And it's everywhere, from Havrilesky's old columns to message boards like "Ain't It Cool News" to computer magazines. (I kid you not. A magazine called "Maximum PC" has a columnist who provides tips to novices, who calls them "idiots" for not knowing what he knew, and concludes by practically telling them they should kill themselves for being so stupid.)

I think it speaks volumes about these generations. They see themselves as losers in life already. They fill the rolls at colleges, but they believe (with good reason) that after they graduate they'll never find the good jobs they were promised, and that in fact the economy may collapse and they'll all starve to death. So they laugh as the Aqua Teens, the crew of Sealab 2021, and the retarded Squidbillies destroy themselves. And yes, it's funny, but taken as a steady diet it suggests a generation dedicated to despair.

I grew up in the 60's, and most of the outrageous stuff in that decade protested the established order and its ideas. Behind most of it was the hope that there would be a better life for everyone someday. Today, that hope is gone. The whole situation is reminiscent of an old cartoon in "Playboy," where a couple having an affair see a mushroom cloud going off in the distance. The man says "We have just enough time to order another magnum of champagne from room service." They don't want to stop the bomb from going off, and probably don't see stopping it as possible; they just want to get drunk (and probably screw the bellboy out of his pre-apocalypse tip).

You might claim I'm taking it too seriously. But if popular culture has taught us anything, it's that people choose content that reflects their values. If people are avidly reading contempt and enjoying being spit upon, they believe that life is pointless. Not just TV, not just people who care about TV, but all of life.

I hope that Havrilesky still has hope for something. I say this with the full knowledge that she probably won't. Quite possibly, she's going to twist my words, call me "my little turkey turd" or something, and continue her contributions to our national culture of despair.

Once again, she is more interested in trying to shock the reader with her expletives and curse words instead of doing the job for which she was hired; television reviewer. Just like her brother, who was more praised for his witty and caustic turn of a phrase than his understanding of what was appearing on the movie screen in front of him, Rex's sis seems to have impressed the early posters with her verbal jackbooting over the subject of Deadwood.

This is the choice we're left with in television critics, and you have your choice. You can have the media whores who simply repeat the press releases of the networks and add a few superlatives - you can find them on Entertainment Tonight or Ain't It Cool News. They are the equivalent of the White House reporters so accurately described by Stephen Colbert. Or you can have the Reed equivalent (and no, although my surname is Reed, they are no relation, thank God) whose criticism is mainly "TV sucks! Look at me instead!"

At least it's summertime, full of reruns, busted pilots and PR pieces for summer movies, and Havrilesky won't have anything to "critique." Maybe, like a naga, she'll chew on her own tail and swallow herself whole.

Indy's whip will become a radio. The Nazi torturer's branding iron will become a hair styling comb. And the Nazis will become misunderstood orphans. Not to mention that in the climactic sword vs. pistol scene, Indy won't be shooting a pistol, but throwing a nerf ball at the swordsman's crotch (with canned laughter added).

They don't make films like the original any more. What they do instead is remake the original.

Her impending death occurred with the Disney/Pixar film "Toy Story." Of all the copyrighted toys that found their way into that film, Barbie was excluded; Mattel didn't think it was proper for their toy to be celebrated. They used the generic "Bo Peep" lamp instead.

As a form of revenge, in "Toy Story 2," she appeared as "Tour Guide Barbie." She was easily the joke with the fastest audience recognition in the film, on two levels; the bland lack-of-personality character Mattel has always promoted was exactly like the mechanized behavior Disney "cast members" must display before the public.

But the real death occurred when Disney put on a show at EPCOT's American Pavilion called "Barbie's World." It was perhaps the worst attended stage performance since the "Dick Tracy" show. It had Barbie doing bland Barbie things like hugging animals and playing flight attendant, in song and dance. At one point, Ken observed her worrying about her hair and said, "Don't worry, It's plastic anyway." That got the only positive audience response of the entire sticky mess.

Barbie's dead because Mattel didn't want her to be anything or do anything, for fear of alienating their customer base - the most dedicated of which are gay guys looking for collectibles more provocative than Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. Girls are more likely to pick up Bratz, who are more unapologetic material girls. (Bratz are more likely to give you an uplifted middle finger than a smile.)