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All hail stupidity

2/10/2011

18 Comments

 
Picture
TV wasteland? Definitely.
“Two things are infinite: the universe and stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former.”
- Albert Einstein

There’s this girl. She’s smart, beautiful, and talented. Her grades? Great, too, but only because she works hard to maintain them. She’s on the volleyball team, is first chair in band, and just made National Honor Society, too. As for her boyfriend? He’s a nice guy who treats her well. Her parents are pretty cool, too.

So, wanna watch a TV show on her life?

OF COURSE NOT. Her life's boring! But there’s this other girl….

What a hot mess. Last year she quit school so she could work as a pole dancer to support her 10 month-old daughter. She’s not sure who the father is, but no worries. Her sights are set on a new baby daddy. Will it be the heavy metal biker who likes to spank her in public, the stoner with a World of Warcraft addiction, or the totally hot ladies’ man who also happens to be a pimp? Whoever it is, she better snag him soon -- her alcoholic mom is kicking her out of the house in a week.

YEAH, BABY! That’s what I’m talking about. We wanna watch HER!

And that, my dearies, it’s what wrong with America today.

Okay, I get it. The drama is crazy fun and over-the-top characters are a scream. But I’m so tired of the media rewarding stupidity and bad behavior by giving morons TV shows. I mean, what does that say about us?

I know, I know. Just because you watch it, doesn’t mean you’ll act that way. For most folks, that’s true. But there are others out there who aren’t so bright. They take their cues from the media, like those girls who are trying to get pregnant so they can be on ‘Teen Mom’ or the scores of people making embarrassing videos of themselves so they can be on ‘Real World.’ Heck, some just do it for 15 minutes of fame on YouTube.

It seems we’re moving from a culture that venerates those wise and honorable to one that idolizes the flamboyantly misguided. And while Snooki might be nabbing $10K per episode on ‘Jersey Shore,’ there are a lot more wannabes out there spending their minimum wage paychecks on bronzer and hair spray hoping to make it big.

Their chances don’t look good.

So go ahead and watch the stupid shows, just don't be fooled into thinking they've got the ticket to real success.

photo credit from Flickr autowich photo stream
18 Comments
Ian C - My Twist News link
2/10/2011 01:26:11 am

I can't agree with you more. Our thirst for drama just cannot be quenched with Days of our Lives anymore. What makes people watch is the pseudo-reality of the show. Yes these are real people in real places, and the situations seem real enough, but this is such a small slice of reality which is skewed by the presence of TV cameras with the objective of generating ratings.
Would you watch an oompa loompa with a poof drink herself into oblivion and fall face first onto a sandy beach in real life? Yeah..me too.
Do the cameras follow the stupid people or do the stupid people follow the cameras?

Reply
Mom link
2/10/2011 01:29:44 am

Ian,
So well said. So can you tell me what show that oompa loompa's on? Sounds like a hoot!

Reply
Tershbango link
2/10/2011 01:54:09 am

I love the horrible people. They give me hope that maybe someday I can make something of myself. :)

Reply
Mom link
2/10/2011 02:05:57 am

Tershbango,
Don't sell yourself short! I see you more as a developer of a TV show based on your life. It'd be hilarious, you know.

Reply
nothingprofound link
2/10/2011 02:30:57 am

It's fun to watch people in trouble, people who are doing stupid things. That's what literature/the movies/drama has always been: people in trouble. But the audience has to be able to identify on some level with what they're seeing, and I think these reality shows presents a slice of life they're familiar with. However outrageous or exaggerated they may seem, they're a reflection of what's actually happening in the society.

Reply
Mom link
2/10/2011 03:19:26 am

I think you're right. I just hope kids realized it's not a true reflection, but an exaggerated one. Plus what they are seeing is a compilation of all the crazy moments that were captured during the filming period jammed and edited into a segment designed to thrill and captivate the viewer.

Reply
TJ Lubrano link
2/10/2011 07:10:14 am

Ciaoo Janene!

You know, I hardly watch TV nowadays and I completely agree with you & what NP said. You gotta love NP :D.

It is more fun to watch people on TV, who are e.g. dumber or weirder than us. Forget our sorrows for a few minutes. Only difference is that people like Snooki actually make money with it, so in a way it can be more depressing in the end and this can cause the not so bright people take a change by acting the same.

It's interesting to see how society and the people in it works. Because in the end the real life series are also script in a way and people tend to forget this all the time. Just like how people look at what is considered perfect in outer appearances. Nowadays perfect are skinny models who are airbrushed in their pictures. Again people forget this. Almost nothing is real, but we still set it as an example to strive for.

Oh! That picture of the TV reminds me of my old neighbor. He wasn't tooooo bright and and one day he got upset of what he saw on TV that he threw it out of the window. No kidding. I'm just glad no one walked around when he threw it out.

/end ramble ^_^

Xxx

Reply
Queen Cyrie
2/10/2011 08:39:38 am

Mom,
I also get frightened by the non-reality shows I watch: the crime dramas, forensic files, etc...why is our society so obsessed with serial killers and criminals?

Reply
Mom link
2/10/2011 10:45:27 am

TJ,
So true. It's amazing how much of those shows are actually scripted or just 'pushed along' in a certain direction. I wonder how much reality is really in reality TV. Love the bit about throwing the TV out the window. I've been tempted myself!

Queen Cyrie,
I know, right? There's such a huge obsession with crime shows. Maybe with all the crime out there in real life, we find comfort in shows where the bad guy always (or almost always) gets caught and punished in the end. Wish that happened more in real life.

Reply
Justus Steel link
2/10/2011 11:42:06 am

It's not just the shows their, Mom, it's the music too. Listen to these songs today, if it's not about how great the sex and detailed accounts of what he's gonna do to his girlfriend, it's what he's gonna do to the one that's not his girlfriend. Or what not his girlfriend will do if he leaves his present girl, and I'm not talking about bake him cookies. All I can say is "Why is it so hot, and how did we get in this handbasket?"

Reply
Mom link
2/10/2011 09:23:21 pm

Justus,
Ugh. Don't even get me started on music. There are sooo many good songs out there...and so much crap. Drives me crazy.

Reply
timethief link
2/11/2011 05:40:41 am

Thank GAWD! I don't get this stupid show up here.

Reply
PhotoDiction link
2/11/2011 08:02:41 am

I remember that when people with screwed up lives were the subject of a movie or program, they usually got rewarded with happiness once they straightened their lives up. Today, the message seems to be that its ok to be screwed up, as long as you can make a living out of it. Hmmmm - maybe things haven't changed so much...

Reply
Jay.me
2/11/2011 03:00:27 pm

I like some of the programs on the history,learning,science,biography and hgtv type channels --As far as the other stuff...I do like the New Adventures of Old Christine. =)

Reply
jay.me
2/11/2011 03:01:39 pm

WooHoo! It worked! =D

Reply
Mom link
2/13/2011 08:16:06 am

TT,
Hehe! It's not a real show but, dang, it sure would blend in amidst all the crazy ones we have!

Photodiction,
LOL. You're sure right about the first part...and sure right about the second part, too! What a strange world we live in.

Jay.me,
You get an A+ for diligence. Thank you so much. :) And you're right, there are a lot of great shows out there, too. I wonder if we have too many channels and too much air time to fill. Hmmmm....

Reply
Rico Swaff link
2/16/2011 12:46:12 pm

I don't think I've ever read anything you have written that I have disagreed with. Not bullshittin ya.

I hate those shows.... it gives people incentive to be jackasses.

Reply
Mom link
2/16/2011 01:52:09 pm

Rico,
You've never disagreed with me? Well, that makes you one smart man. ;) As for 'Incentive to be jackasses?' You hit the nail on the head.

Reply



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