an interview with Alan Caruba

Alan Caruba created The Boring Institute in 1984 as a way to spoof the media and the way they cover celebrities, films, television, politics and sports. The Institute is also a clearinghouse for information about boredom. It offers a popular guide "Beating Boredom" that has helped thousands of people, old and young, to overcome and avoid boredom in their lives. It can be purchased and downloaded directly from The Boring Institute.

Alan has been a public relations counselor for more than three decades. He has also worked as a reporter, columnist, feature writer and editor for newspapers in New Jersey. He maintains three websites of interest to this interview: The Boring Institute, Anxiety Center and Caruba.com.

Don: Your Boring Institute site is a great resource, Alan. It's a pleasure to have this occasion to communicate with you about boredom-thanks for your granting this interview with SeekWellness.com.

Alan: Thanks. "The Institute was created in 1984 as a media spoof of boring films, TV, celebrities and such, and it still is, but over the years, the requests for information on how to overcome and avoid boredom led me to research the topic. I became an expert on it more by accident than design.

Don: As a wellness promoter, I agree wholeheartedly with you about the health and other hazards of boredom. I very much enjoyed your site, with its varied content and endless examples of your wit and irreverence. I have to tell you, though, I was, at first, mighty suspicious when I came upon an extensive quote from one of America's most boring, as well as self-righteous, pompous and holier-than-thou commentators, the righteous Bill Bennett of drug war and morality (in) fame. Of course, it was a good quote (from "The Death of Outrage") but still, have you no shame?

Alan: A wise person takes the truth from whatever source offers it. I don't let politics get in the way and Bennett is right in saying one of the scourges of this nation is widespread boredom. It may well account for why fewer than half of all registered voters actually do vote. In a democracy, that's bad news.

Don: You describe boredom as the most overlooked cause of a variety of personal and social problems, and link boredom with suicides, depression, school dropouts, crime, addictions, eating disorders, sexual promiscuity, low voter turnout, poor productivity, sorry self-esteem and, not surprisingly given all the rest, health problems. Do you think there's any chance you might, on occasions, get a little carried away? I mean, boredom is NOT good, but it's not exactly the plague, thermonuclear war, a Taliban government or a Laura Schlessinger talk show, either. Explain yourself.

Alan: You're right. However, my research does show very clear links between boredom and the problems you cited. When people, as individuals or as a society, get bored, they make very bad decisions. Individually, those decisions tend to be self-destructive, such as using drugs, abusing alcohol, overeating, dropping out of school, et cetera.

Don: I think your back-to-school tips for students to help them get the most out of the educational experience are excellent, which I'll list for the benefit of our visitors at SeekWellness.com. After the listing, I have a question for you.

Go with the flow. What could be easier than to show up on time, do what is asked of you, and take full advantage of the learning opportunities school offers?

Go to bed! Staying up late to watch TV or "hang out" drains your brain of the power that it needs to learn anything. Begin the day, as well, with a good breakfast.

TV sucks out your brain. The more TV you watch, the less exercise your brain gets. Only watch programs you really like. Then turn it off and discover how much time you have for other activities. Like homework!

You can learn it. Your brain has an extraordinary power to learn virtually anything. Trust it. Always ask for help when you need it.

School equals $uccess. School opens the door to success. Good grades really do count.

Get the reading habit. To succeed at anything, reading is essential. And fun, too!

Develop test-skills. You can learn how to take a test, any test. Then prepare well for each one.

Choose school-friendly friends.

Didn't you miss one? How about "take care of your body with vigorous exercise, eat well and learn other wellness skills such as stress management?"

Alan: You're right again. I don't think today's young people get enough real exercise because most of their diversions involve passive activities such as surfing the Net, listening to music and, of course the temptations of drug and alcohol use. I think earlier generations were, in general, healthier.

Don: You use the phrase "boredom's victims." Does this not shift responsibility and focus away from the individual's need to DO something about boredom, such as (your top tips) getting the reading habit, pursue hobbies, and being a joiner?

Alan: I mean "victim" in the sense of being victimized by one's own lack of initiative to do something. However, boredom literally shuts down the mind. It is an early stage of depression and, as such, it often renders the bored person unable to make positive decisions to overcome and avoid boredom. Those who read regularly are literally "feeding" their minds, keeping them active. Those that have hobbies they enjoy are also providing themselves with a sense of joy in life, and those who join groups of people who share their interests are the smartest and happiest of all. Volunteering your time to help others is the biggest "high" of all.

Don: You have an extensive list, year by year going back to 1984, of boring celebrities. I agree -- they are ALL boring! I think your suggestion for 2001, namely, that all of us "resolve to pay more attention to our own lives than the various celebrities who, all too often, aren't really that smart or that nice," is excellent advice. Who is NOT boring among celebrities and, if you can name any, what is it that enables them to escape falling into this dismal situation? I want to know in case I ever become a celebrity!

Alan: Our annual list of "The Most Boring Celebrities of the Year" is based on "massive media overexposure." These are the celebrities who, even if we like them, we're sick of by the end of any given year because we have just read and heard too much about them. Smart celebrities know that not being in the news all the time allows the public to renew their interest in them when they do something new.

Don: You said something about the Golden Raspberry awards that I have long believed is true of the Oscar awards, Emmy awards and all other awards of which I am not a nominee, namely, that they "are perpetrated by sissies who are afraid to publicly defend their choices." This is great stuff, Alan, but I do have one complaint -- you wrote that Gary Shandling nose-dived in the movie "What Planet Are You From" and that he took Annette Benning with him! How could you write such a thing? This was my favorite movie of the whole bloody decade and Annette Benning (and Shandling) were awesome, in my opinion. Explain this outrage, please!

Alan: I can only respectfully suggest you have no taste at all. A total lack of judgment. And, you should not be allowed to recommend any films to anyone. As to the "Razzies," I was rather tongue-in-cheek trying to drum up a phony feud. That didn't work! The fact that we both seem to agree on the same films as boring doesn't surprise me much. Great minds work in the same way, you know.

Don: Are you familiar with the wellness concept, or what I term "self-management for lifestyle artistry?" If so, what is it about this idea, besides boredom avoidance and elimination, that you personally most value, practice and promote?

Alan: I referred to it earlier. Just as one should feed the body and keep it healthy, so, too, one must feed the mind. I have a 97-year-old Mother who reads all the novels recommended in my monthly Internet site about new fiction and nonfiction, Bookviews.com. Without her to read the tons of new novels that come in, I wouldn't be able to get to the nonfiction books. Her mind is still as sharp as it ever was. She is concerned, though, that so many novels rely on gratuitous amounts of profanity and are less than inspiring on a moral or spiritual level.

Don: Any parting thoughts, ideas, suggestions or words of wisdom for the folks reading this interview at SeekWellness? How can visitors to SeekWellness learn more about your work?

Alan: The easiest way to learn more about The Boring Institute is of course, to visit our Internet site at www.boringinstitute.com. I always answer email inquiries so, if people have questions, they can always send them along.

June 2001