Guilty pleasure alert:

I gush over The Muppets.

I always have.

Even now, I eagerly anticipate the release of a new movie, often waiting a decade at a time, just to nostalgically marvel at Jim Henson’s Muppet creations that once graced my television set during my youth. Each new flick is a delightful time machine ride back to my blissful childhood. I savor the mix of lovable Muppets and larger-than-life celebrities who teamed up to deliver laughter-filled lessons in prime time… and it worked on me every single time.

45 years to the week, “The Muppet Movie” made its theatrical appearance on the big screen. Just this week, Disney+ released a new documentary on Kermit’s creator: Jim Henson Idea Man.

As you’ve gathered from the oozing, The Muppets remain one of my happy places.

Fozzie Bear with his Dad jokes.

Gonzo “fitting out” with adoring chickens.

Bunsen and Beaker fiddling in the lab.

Miss Piggy with her impassioned passion.

The Electric Mayhem jamming with Animal on the drums.

Kermit, the vulnerable green leader.

Caption: “It’s nice to be important, but it’s important to be nice.” – Kermit

Over the history of the franchise, there have been over 1000 Muppets created.

The full, felicitous ensemble that flicker across my mind make me grin…with the exception of two.

Enter “Statler” and “Waldorf”.

Leave it to two old white guys to sit high-and-mighty above the action ridiculing what they witness from afar.

But this weekly dose was not meant to be just another knock on white dudes. It’s a nudge to all races across all ages and genders for how many go about behaving on “the socials”.

Statler and Waldorf gave us our first true sneak preview of what social media has turned into today.

Non-committed bystanders.

The outskirts of the Arena.

Heckling what’s below.

Seldom in the game.

In 2024, the average person tallied an estimated 143 minutes daily on Social Media (up 2 minutes from 2021):

• Tik Tok: 67 minutes

• YouTube: 55 minutes

• Facebook: 39 minutes

• Instagram: 31 minutes

• Twitter: 9 minutes

• Snapchat: 7 minutes

These numbers don’t include other “sideline statistics” like the 3 hours of daily content the average person streams or, according to Nielson, the 21 million years’ worth of video Americans streamed in 2023.

Living is seldom done from a box found in the balcony. Poor leadership wreaks of Ivory Tower Syndrome. Courage is far from commenting from afar.

So? What’s it going to be?

Are you a bystander in the audience?

Or starring in the show of your own life?

Remember…

Fozzie still gets on that stage to deliver his jokes.

Gonzo musters the courage to shoot himself out of a cannon.