December 02, 2003

TV is Trash

We were listening to this talk radio program while we were driving to the airport after Thanksgiving break. The guy was complaining about the promo for that show with Paris Hilton and Lionel Ritchie's daughter (the fact that thats the only way he referred to her says a lot), the Simple Life. Appearntly it was aired sometime around a football game over the weekend, which hints at the target audience. He made a couple points in the period I was listening. One was that TV is mostly regurgitated trash. Appearntly, the Simple Life is basically Green Acres only its reality tv. They're recreating a old fictional comedy as a reality show. And its not like From the Earth to the Moon fiction, but silly fiction, something thats not trying to pass for reality. A lot of reality progamming lately watched by common people so they feel better about their common lives. Its all about the rich bimbos, empty "attractive" people, and even the ordinary joe doing/saying trite and petty things and screwing up. These two chicks starring on the show are famous because they are famous. They are where they are simply because they are hieresses to fortunes.

I guess my problem with it is like what I was saying to Bobby, it seems like such a stagnant life. Its like what my sociology teacher was saying, religion is no longer the opiate of the masses its television. Bobby said his sister used to sit around and watch MTV and talk on the phone a lot. Thats the profile of everyone I know who watches this garbage. There's no growth involved. They don't gain knowledge about anything, they don't grow personally, everything cycles around this empty "reality" the tv feeds them and whatever menial experiences they had at work.

I miss stories. Stories where even the smallest details were planned out, characters are developed, and ideas are presented. One of the reasons I like cartoons is because of the artistic element involved. Everything has to be created in a cartoon, visuals, sound, etc. I know there are a lot of crap cartoons out there, but those aside, a cartoon is art. Compare the thought and work that goes into even making something silly like Pokemon as compared to Real World. Need I elaborate? Put sterotypical group of young adults in house, turn on camera, repeat. In most cartoons there is a story. Finding Nemo is the most recent one I've watched. So we have a cast of imaginary sea creatures and some humans. The primary characters' personalities all develop as they are challenged and rewarded as the story progresses and at the end they all learn something about themselves.

But thats not the way it happens in reality. It probably should though. People should grow and change, they should discover things about themselves as a result of their experiences. But that takes effort, its so much easier to sit and watch TV and think "Well at least I'm better than that person."