Life sure isn't what it used to be.

The last few minutes of A Christmas Story, set in the 1940s, are as serene as can be. Christmas is over. The kids are peacefully sleeping. They're in a home full of love. There's a certain gentleness to it.

"All of a sudden, bang, here are two women beating the bejesus out of each other in a ring," Jim says in the latest installment of the Jim Gearhart Show podcast, available here as well on iTunes and Google Play.

Jim watched A Christmas Story on TV, as he does every year. But when the movie ends and the commercials begin, 2017 offers an awfully rude awakening.

There were helicopters exploding. A wrecking ball knocking out traffic on the George Washington Bridge. Violence and mayhem all over — weaved so seamlessly into what passes for entertainment we barely notice it most of the time. The contrast was startling

"Imagine what this is doing to the human brain," Jim says. "I'm not sure I am mature enough for my mind to separate all of this stuff out."
And all we had to worry about in the movie was little ralphie shooting his eye out with a BB gun.

That's it's just part of what Jim takes on in the latest installment of his podcast. Check out the full episode to hear the rest. And Email Jim at Jim@NJ1015.com.

The Jim Gearhart Podcast is available every week on New Jersey 101.5 and in the New Jersey 101.5 app. You can also subscribe with your favorite podcasting app for iPhones, Android devices or your computer:

Love podcasts? Also check out Forever 39, Annette and Megan's new podcast about turning 40 — and loving life along the way. This week they wonder ... why do people renew their vows?

And on Speaking Millennial, the gang decides: Santa was the ORIGINAL fake news..

— Townsquare Media staff

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