Fallibility

The Middle Room prides itself on being respectful of religious differences. However, as we recently discussed, our charity has a limit. Let us repeat, once more, the most important rule for those wishing to keep our friendship:

Unless you are an established super-villain, you do NOT mess with our superheroes.

Today, bright and early at 9:30 AM, we rushed from our beds and turned on our televisions to watch the Spectacular Spider-man on the CW. What we saw shocked and horrified us. No webslinger graced our set, no super-villain attack, or anything of the like.

Just coverage. Live news coverage. Of Pope Benedict XVI (iD&Di: .04). He's holding mass, and the CW, along with every other television station in New York City, feels the need to cover it live, complete with commentary analyzing each action and scheduling decision as though this were a sporting event.

We should not have been surprised. The last few days have been nearly round the clock coverage of the Pope: where he's going and what he's doing, analysis of his papal style, and speculation on what he'll say. We appreciate the importance behind this one man, and until now have viewed the whole thing in good humor.

But that all changed today at 9:30 AM when Spider-man was bumped for more coverage. As we said, we have nothing but respect for the Pope. But - let us be honest here - he is no Spider-man. When has the Pope fought Electro? When has he wrestled with the Lizard to redeem Dr. Connors? There can be no comparison: Spider-man is a true hero, and deserves better than this oversight.

We ask you, in all seriousness, which of these two men has done more for New York City?

Which leads us to ask: who do we blame for this outrage? Is it the Pope's fault? No, in truth, he is only doing as he has ever done.

We in The Middle Room believe we know. The fault, of course, lies with the CW. Frankly, they have forgotten their origins and abandoned their responsibilities: oh, yes fans of Spider-man know something of responsibility. There were many other stations covering this, some of which, unlike the CW, have reputations as news outlets. There was no need for them to join in. There was no need for any of this.

We do not expect much from the CW, but we expect to be able to watch our Saturday morning cartoons at the arranged hour. This is a disappointment, to say the least.