The Love Hate Society
Thursday, August 04, 2005At one point in our culture, did it start becoming an accepted and now popular idea, to take things that at one point were bad or wrong or whatever, put them on display, and find it entertaining? For the sake of keeping this under 784,346 pages long, let's narrow the scope to television.
There's a new show debuting tonight called "Starved." The show is situation comedy about people with eating disorders, or basically "'Friends': Behind the Scenes." The show is written by and the actors are people who have actually battled with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulemia during their lifetime, but still, does that make it ok? Last time I checked those were both serious and quite possibly deadly issues, and now they have a sitcom? I'm sure thee will be some educational content in it, there had better be, but it's just part of a trend in television.
Is our society that low that we need to put people with issues on display to make ourselves feel better? Hey look! That person is making fun of anorexia, so my diet isn't that big of a deal. Wow! Look at how nasty that family's kids are! My little Hellenic with no respect for rules really aren't that bad. Gee look, that dad on TV can't relate to his kids because he's too busy working too! I guess it's perfectly fine!
Thanks to reality TV they took the bottom out of the barrel, extended it a few feet lower, and found a seedier, scummier new low. See look! I don't have to work for pay! I can just eat maggots and rat-cockroach milkshakes! Yeah! That's right! Plot against that unsuspecting person to screw them out of the house! Look at those brats trying to make it at boot camp! haha!
So is this how we make ourselves feel better now? By putting the less fortunate on display and then making fun of them? Hey look all you poor parents, people with eating disorders, drunks and whatnot, we don't care if this is something you're fighting and possibly dying from, you're our entertainment!
What happened to the feelgood television of old, when we could be entertained by a wholesome family that did fun things? Now it has to be a dad who's father sucked, trying to make it with three kids and try and be a decent father. Even the wholesomeish families now have some issues come up. One of the girls gets pregnant or a friend shoots himself.
What happened to feeling good about feeling good? What happened to being inspired? Now it seems like we just look for distractions that show us that our lives don't suck, look at these poor shmucks that have it worse!
Everybody has problems, everybody needs help at some point. But why as a society did we stop focusing on the fun side of life, on enjoying ourselves and the time we have, and get so caught up in issues?
Lighten up people! I slack because I care! You people are to serious for your own good sometimes, but don't take something that's serious and make fun of it! I think the fine line between those got trampled a while back. How about we go back and find it?
On that note, feel free feel better about yourself by reading about my dating silliness below! :O)
posted by Chief Slacker @ 3:51 PM,
15 Comments:
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At Thu Aug 04, 04:42:00 PM,
Tamanna said...
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I agree.
American TV is the pits.
Apart from Sunset Beach.
And the Magnificent Seven - that's some good wholesome-ish programming... -
At Thu Aug 04, 04:54:00 PM,
Kira said...
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I never turn on TV except to play DVDs or use my PS2, so I have no idea what's even ON these days.
One of the big downsides of putting up misery or problems on TV is that it unintentionally glamorizes things. So, if you didn't realize that your options for eating disorders had a range, you do now...and you can hope that you get one and get put on TV! -
At Thu Aug 04, 05:22:00 PM,
Marie said...
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You have laid out some very interesting observations. And apparently there is a large demographic out there because Reality TV shows keep increasing as does the viewership. So there definitely must be an appeal. I agree. I wonder how it's come this far? I didn't know about this new show you described. I'm so out of touch with some of these shows that pop up and just don't watch much TV these days. It's not entertaining like it used to be with some of the more quality shows or comedies.
Great post, Chief! :) -
At Thu Aug 04, 06:14:00 PM,
Leesa said...
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I agree too. It's like they are expoiting anything and everything to get you to watch. And we do! Do we feel better about ourselves afterwards??
I watched Brat Camp. I don't watch other reality TV. I don't feel good after watching it, but it did draw me in.
I do agree that showing drug addicts (Intervention) and Starved is not quality TV to me. -
At Fri Aug 05, 09:39:00 AM,
Anisa said...
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i know...when we see these people acting so extreme, it can make us think nothing we do is so bad after all! i think that reinforces that as a society we're just fine and don't need to change.
and that inflated ego is a dangerous thing! -
At Fri Aug 05, 10:27:00 AM,
OzzyC said...
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I refuse to watch these shows. I didn't watch Survior, and haven't watched any so-called reality show since then. Okay, I did watch "Average Joe." But that was more of a spoof on reality TV than a reality show.
Yep, it's all crap. And when the networks DO manage to come up with something that's half-way worthwhile to watch, the drive it into the ground in the name of maximizing their immediate profits. (Think CSI and all of its spinoffs.)
In fact, I pretty much refuse to watch TV anymore. I can't wait until Internet TV is mainstream and reliable enough for the networks to finally crumble into dust. -
At Fri Aug 05, 11:35:00 AM,
jlybn123 said...
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I agree that taking something as serious as bulimia and anorexia, is going way over the top! That shouldn't even be allowed. Like you said, there better be some knowledge gained somewhere from that!
I admit, I am a fan of "Real World", "The Surreal Life", stuff like that. I find it funny as heck! No, I don't learn anything at all from it, but shoot, it's entertaining!!! I watch when I can, and if I miss it, oh well...it doesn't matter.
But I also miss the shows that I grew up watching...Brady Bunch, Laverne & Shirley, Good Times, Three's Company, and the list goes on. Those were all hilarious shows that usually focused on learning something in the end, some sort of lesson learned by the family as a unit.
Maybe it's gotten this way because the expectations for children and families unfortunately aren't what they used to be...most children grow up in broken families or in homes where both parents work because, well they have to, in order to make it! It's a shame that all (or most) mommies can't stay home to care for their children, like they used to be able to, once upon a time. I think things would be much different if that were the case...
Ok, I think I'm done now! LOL
Great post! -
At Fri Aug 05, 12:21:00 PM,
Chief Slacker said...
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Fudge - I've never heard of either of those programs... heh. There some entertaining TV, but it's hard to find.
Kira - Heh, yeah I need ot screw up my loife so they put me on TV :O)
Marie - Well yeah, who doesn't want to feel better about themself? Why work at improving you life when you can jsut watch some other persons crappy life and suddenly feel better about your own?
Leesa - I didn't get to watch it last night, but I can't believe it was quality. And yeah, somehow that stuff does suck you in.
Diana - It's not a reality show, it's a sitcom. It's like "Friends" with eating disorders. And you're right, so called "reality" Tv is rarely that realistic. When they take 3 weeks of shooting and cut it down to 8 hours worth of programming, all you're going to see is highlighs, that only the way the editors want you to see it.
Anisa - Exactly my point, but it becomes a chicken and egg question, is TV greading society, or is a degrading society effecting TV?
OzzyC - Yeah, there's a reason when I moved to my new place that I didn't get cable. It's not worth the money.
Jlybn - I miss shows like that too! Now every show has some catch to it. So many things are different in the world now taht it's kinda sad. Hopefully everything will come back around. -
At Fri Aug 05, 12:24:00 PM,
Tamanna said...
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You haven't heard of Sunset Beach????
You haven't lived. -
At Fri Aug 05, 12:33:00 PM,
Chief Slacker said...
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Fudge - What is it? A Soap?
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At Fri Aug 05, 02:37:00 PM,
Tamanna said...
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Lol.
Only the most hilarious soap in the entire world.
Maybe it's because I'm English and see soaps pretending to be real all the time, but Sunset Beach is one soap that is just pure escapism.
Possibly like the Bold and the Beautiful, but I've never watched those, so I don't know.
Anyway, watch it for a week, and you'll never look at television in the same way again. -
At Fri Aug 05, 02:40:00 PM,
Chief Slacker said...
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Wait, is Sunset Beach the one with the Evil Midget and whatnot? Maybe I do know of it...
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At Fri Aug 05, 03:20:00 PM,
Tamanna said...
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No, I believe that's Austin Powers.
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At Fri Aug 05, 03:23:00 PM,
Chief Slacker said...
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No, no, I remeber now it's something like Passions or whatever.
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At Sun Aug 07, 05:43:00 AM,
Paulius said...
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There has been a trend towards exploitative gutter TV lately.
However, the old 'feel good' TV as you called it was just as bad.
'wholesome' isn't real. There's no such thing as a perfect family, where the big problem of the week is little Timmy stole a piece of chalk from the schoolhouse...but at the end of the show, he's given it back, apologised and everyone has learned something.
Good TV lies somewhere in the middle.
The problem is people mistake 'edgy', 'gritty' and 'realistic' for offensive, obnoxious and over the top