It's very interesting to see the double standards by the major networks when it comes to humanoid behavior. Early on in the day, one is served news'n'views where even the slightest aberrance in "normal" behavior is frowned upon, and gets that sanctimonious quip from Matt Lauer, or other talking head. "It's okay to have a drink before dinner, but I mean, she was in there from like 5pm to what must have been almost 8-9pm!" Absolutely shocking! I find it humorous to say the least that because someone can read a teleprompter (it's not that easy you know, look at Ann Curry!) and get paid stupid amounts of money for doing so, they suddenly seem to think that their own opinion or insight is either of any significance, or is of interest to anyone. They are a talking head who reads lines that are written by others, on subject matters that have been researched by others, and which yet others have selected for programming. De facto, an authority on nothing, other than taking cues from floor staff and camera personnel, and producers beyond them, reading their lines, and exiting in time for the ads. Remind me why this allows some to think that the audience actually looks to you for your opinion, on anything? Ah yes, it's true, the new contract is for a ridiculous $500,000 per week, so of course one must be an amazing intellect and all-round educational guru, right? Wrong.
But we have to listen to condescension and holy sanctimony over people having affairs, sexscapades, partying, teenagers and drink, drugs, sloth, bullying and that girl who ate 50 cream donuts for her breakfast while someone in the same room died from hunger, beside her. Blah, blah, and blah. We get the equivalent of the daily sermon served to us with breakfast on how one should live a clean, safe, healthy, risk-free, and aberrance-free existence. But wait a minute, isn't that the kind of life that say, robots, experience? Even the family dog has more fun; he gets to lift his leg against your favorite armchair when you are out, sleep in your still warm bed when you leave the house, and stick his face onto the dirty plates in the left-open-by-mistake dishwasher, at least. But fair enough, we watch the show, so we get preached to by the likes of Saint Matt who comes with a huge NBC endorsement, so everything he says is in line with corporate messaging.
Move on a few hours, onto evening programming, and the dreaded reality TV genre. Wait a second, isn't this almost the polar opposite of everything we were lectured on, earlier? Suddenly bullying is back in fashion? Hate is a lovely four letter word? Racism is now in? Violence and the threat of it are so good for ratings, that this is approved of also? Jealousy now sanctioned as perfectly healthy entertainment? Disdain of beautiful people because you happen to be ugly, inside and out, is seen as something to focus on, up close and personal with a camera? I could go on, and on. And on. I am not even amalgamating a variety of TV shows either: all of the above can be seen weekly on this season of NBC's Apprentice. Don't get me wrong, people, I am a solid admirer of my man, The Trumpster, but there has been more sheer ugliness in humanoid form this season, than I can remember being acceptable previously. The behavior of one so-called "star" in particular has been so high school, so ugly, so jealous, so bullying and so over-the-top macho that she should have been yanked. But no, ratings are King, and because it's reality TV we can get away with it, sanction it, wash our hands of it, and say, we don't approve of such behavior, but it's reality TV, nothing we can do!
But isn't that the whole point? It's reality TV, just like real life is reality. The very fact that it is, theoretically, "reality" and kids in particular watch it, is a total double standard. "Yes, we know, that at 7am or so we like to be sanctimonious and preach to you all about the rights and wrongs in life, on our news magazine shows, but then we say that once you have done a good day's work, and it's then 7pm, well, that is time to let the pigeons loose and go express all that pent up anger, frustration, hate, jealousy and the need to hurt others, verbally or physically, or ideally, both.
It always comes back to that lovely, nasty five letter word. M-o-n-e-y. The real message? When it comes to ratings (i.e. money), the TV stations would put on starvation in Africa as a reality show, if their research teams told them that it is the next big thing, and a rival channel was already working on a new show. Human behavior is always changed by lots of cold, hard cash, and the sanctimonious TV networks are no different, or in fact, are the best (worst) example. - Kevin Mc & Cristina
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