I was thinking of this when I read another blog concerning those build it/do it yourself for the well to do shows.

The movie is framed around the television show "The Truman Show." Its main character, Truman Burbank, has lived his entire life since before birth in front of cameras for the show, though he himself is unaware of this fact. Truman's life is filmed through thousands of hidden cameras, 24 hours a day and broadcast live around the world, allowing executive producer Christof to capture Truman's real emotion and human behavior when put in certain situations. Truman's hometown of Seahaven is a complete set built under a giant dome and populated by the show's actors and crew, allowing Christof to control every aspect of Truman's life, even the weather. To prevent Truman from discovering his false reality, Christof has invented means of dissuading his sense of exploration, including "killing" his father in a storm while on a fishing trip to instill in him a fear of the water, and making many news reports and 'adverts' about the dangers of travelling, and featuring television shows about how good it is to stay at home.

Unlike Truman Burbank there are a lot of people who live a life in a bubble by their own choice. This is not a political or even a religious or economic condition. Though I will admit that for many their financial reality prevents them from physically changing their residence or traveling to any great extent. But even for those who are quite capable to moving or visiting outside their current bubble, they choose not to do so.

For even those who do travel and venture beyond their hometown will still remain isolated from the rest of the world around them. Because they seek out and socialize only with those with whom they are identical or at least similar.  If they travel from their suburban enclave to the city, they will avoid those areas that they have been told are "unsafe" for them.  Seeking out and socializing only with those that are from the same social and economic stratta.  

They live their lives in a protected and scripted little world of their own making. And if anything infiltrates this world and upsets it, they come all unglued.   We see this with the extreem right but as I said before not exclusive to them. As the left wing has the same reaction and the center as well.

I grew up in an area such as this in north eastern Ohio that was totally white. The people there most likely did not see anyone who was from another race of enthenticity except on the television.  Even if they did go into any of the larger metro areas such as Cleveland or Akron or Painesville.  I myself did not see any Black people or Native Americans until I my family moved to south west Florida.  Even when I was living outside of Philadelphia  with my grandparents I never saw anyone who was not white.

And most rarely socialized with those who were not of their own "kind" as it were.  This can be especially true for those who are financially well off since they can afford the biggest and best bubble in which to live their lives. Ignoring and avoiding those they find offensive and inconvenient.

Now for a number of these people they can no-longer live entirely in their own little world. Their own bubble. The media and internet have make this more and more difficult. The world is intruding and they do not like it. Not one bit. It makes them uncomfortable and they do not know how to deal with it.

This is one of the aspects of Glenn Beck and his followers.   The see their world being assailed by the government and terrorists and people with whom they did and do not want to associate with do to their religion or race or background.  Marginalized and mocked.

But as Gildor Inglorion said to Frodo "You can fence your selves in but you cannot for ever fence the wide world out."

In the end Truman leaves his show and bubble behind and ventures into the wide world. Far to many of us choose not to do so, continuously attempting to make sure nobody changes the script or the set of our comfortable little show.

But we need to in order to learn how to give a damn.