The Theatre of the Absurd – Alamogordo and Otero County's Cast of Characters

November 20th marked National Absurdity Day, a holiday that celebrates the nonsensical, the irrational, and the downright bizarre. Few places embody the spirit of absurdity better than the newsroom of a small-town paper such as AlamogordoTownNews.org and streaming KALHRadio.org studios, where every day feels like a scene from Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.

In Beckett’s play, Vladimir and Estragon wait endlessly for a figure who never arrives. Their conversations loop, their actions repeat, and their hope is both comic and tragic. In Alamogordo, our journalists and radio personalities wait for transparency, accountability, and openness from community influencers. 

Instead, what arrives is often outrage—not at misconduct, but at being exposed.

The absurdity doesn’t end there. 

Some individuals, once influential, now demand relevance by insisting their names appear in stories. If they are omitted, they cry foul, as though coverage itself validates their existence. Others, caught in questionable dealings, rail against the press for daring to shine a light. It is a paradox worthy of Beckett: whether included or excluded, the complaints are comical and endless.

Yet, just as Vladimir and Estragon cling to each other for survival, our newsroom and streaming radio station clings to its mission—truth-telling, highlighting the stories of the region, and engaging community dialogue. 

Absurdity may be the daily soundtrack, but persistence is the lesson.

Alamogordo Absurdity Awards 2025

In honor of National Absurdity Day, we will allow our readers to define the recepient in their own minds or in responsive commentary AlamogordoTownNews.org and streaming KALHRadio.org proudly presents this year’s tongue-in-cheek awards of the Absurdity:

The Godot Award: Goes to the county leader who promises “transparency and real leadership” at every meeting and via every social media post but never delivers documents or true accountable leadership until forced by IPRA requests. Like Godot, the promise of real leadership is always coming—yet never arrives.

The Vanishing Relevance Award: Awarded to the once-prominent former Alamogordo business owner who calls those around the newsroom, but never directly to the newsroom, furious because their name wasn’t mentioned in a news story. Their relevance is measured not by deeds but by column inches.

The Spotlight Backlash Award: For the community leader who loudly complains when their questionable dealings are broadcast or reported raising questions before the public. The absurdity? Anger at being caught, not at the misconduct itself.

The Endless Waiting Award: To the committee that has met for  years about the pressing social issues before our city and county but has yet to produce a single tangible result. Like Vladimir and Estragon, they wait and wait, but nothing changes.

The Absurd Complaint Award: For the state house politician who insists coverage is biased because their favorite issue for the base isn't recognized as relevant to every day citizens.  Real journalism, apparently, is judged by the applause of the base, not the needs of the community.

The Beckett Banter Award: To the community leader who delivers statements so circular they say nothing at all. “We are reviewing the matter, and once reviewed, we will consider reviewing further.” Beckett himself would applaud.

Absurdity is not despair—it is a reminder that life, and small town independent journalism, are often irrational. But in embracing the absurd, we find humor, resilience, and the courage to keep reporting. In Alamogordo, the absurd complaints prove one thing: the independet press and the First Amendment matters, because it makes people care enough to react -"but they read it."  The outrage, the complaints, the endless banter all show that our media coverage has a community impact. 

National Absurdity Day reminded us to laugh at the irrational, but also to persist. Because in the end, the independent press isn’t waiting for Godot—it’s waiting for whats next, and is responsible to chronicle into the archives of regional history, the  stories and the characters that make up the fabric of who we are as a people and a somewhat civil society.