Talk Show Inconsideration

[rowyn]

I've been jamming away at work, plowing through the results of all my research in two+ year old payment reports. Phew. I've got more to go that I realized, initially, but at least I've got amounts and dates and stuff to pin the various discrepancies on. Progress!

I'm feeling sort of restless on my lunch break. I ate lunch even faster than usual, so I could escape the TV set. My co-workers were watching "Jenny Jones". Now I know: talk shows are worse than soap operas. The talk-show script are inferior, the pacing is incoherent, the dialogue is dreadful, and the content is insulting. And, what's worst from my perspective, the talk shows are harder to ignore. I can tune out soap operas, but the talk show was full of disjointed jumps and screaming, so it kept grabbing my attention, whether I wanted to focus on it or not.

She had a bunch of body-building women on. They looked like typical tall, heavily muscled women, except that they had massive breasts, which made me wonder if they'd had implants; most of the body builders I've seen in the past had muscles that dwarfed their breasts. Anyway, this was all fine with me; I thought they looked nice enough in a muscular sort of way. However, they'd apparently stocked the audience with rude idiots. What is it, do they tell people at the door "Hey, shout out insults whenever you feel like it, you're on TV, doesn't matter how much of a dumb jerk you look like"?

It seems to me there was a time when the audience on talk shows displayed some sympathy, or at least basic human consideration, for the guests.

I guess the ratings on "consideration" must not be as good.

Comments

[jordangreywolf.livejournal.com]

I can't help but think that shows like this are part of some conspiracy to convince us that the world is going to Heck in a Handbasket. =P

[level-head.livejournal.com]

There is a certain aspect of "self fulfilling prophesy" in this. In convincing us of this outlandish notion, the notion is becoming reality.

The seeking of fame is a peculiar motivator. The ready access to fame is an insidious tempter. And a shouted insult, recorded on videotape, amounts to "fame" to the folks in this live audience. And spectacle to the larger audience in the world.

I hope, not for censorship, but for business failure due to lack of interest in such garbage. I remain optomistic, but I am necessarily patient.

===|==============/ Level Head

[rowyn]

Yeah. If these are those rats, pushing the button in the hopes of getting that extra-yummy treat that hasn't been supplied in years -- I wish they'd fall over and *die* already. :/

[rowyn]

I dunno about the world going to heck, but it goes along way to proving to me that TV is. :P

[tkurogrym.livejournal.com]

It's both disturbing and a little frightening to realize what media executives believe is the "common denomenator" of American humanity...and even worse that ratings regularly prove them to be right. :P (Of course ratings actually only account for a very small subset of people, thankfully. I can continue to blissfully believe that sympathy and kindness exist in the public. Woo.)

[rowyn]

and even worse that ratings regularly prove them to be right.

I'm not sure that the ratings do, actually. Even if this drek is faring better than slightly-less-pandering competition, overall TV viewership is *way* down over the last decade or so, I gather. People are tuning out in droves, particularly from the Big Four networks. Maybe crap is what appeals to those who're left watching, but I wonder if TV has alienated such a large chunk of the population with this schlock that even if they produce something good, we don't come back to watch it.

what do we expect ?

[ex-strangess744.livejournal.com]

We have a huge number of people unable to understand the world they live in, yet pissed off at it and passively putting sand in the gears....and all they want is a chance to howl and hit something because their lives suck and they know that they won't get any better. so they enjoy the new spectacles to have their release.

sigh.

Re: what do we expect ?

[rowyn]

You know, I've been pretty good in the last few months about replying to comments left in my journal -- but I haven't replied to *any* of the comments left on this entry. O.o I'm not sure why that is, except that maybe 'cause it's such a depressing subject I don't wanna think about it anymore. :/