Very perceptive expose of drivel on TV, Dr. Lovely. Especially telling is the NBC exec's lament about his glorifying of drumpf's phony claim to business savvy. Without that 'Apprentice' show putrefying the TV, we citizens might not have suffered having his gruesome mug and his blather on the screen every time we look, and he wouldn't ever have become president. Also, the degree of gratuitous violence displayed on TV is a poisonous influence on young minds, as surely as is drumpf's poisonous rhetoric.
Agree with all of this. Similar thoughts about the trash that they serve up as “reality TV”, with all the pettiness and rudeness and hate. It’s such vapid nonsense. And have you seen what passes for a documentary now? Ancient Aliens, Swamp People? I’ve read others, too, who say the super hero movie tsunami has done real damage to young men’s perceptions not only surrounding violence but the value of human life. It’s overly simplistic but we definitely need to recognize that our entertainment industries are also participating in the dumbing down of America. I don’t think that’s an accident.
It is shameful and should be criminal, but of course it’s not, bc of free speech and even more bc we are sucked into a culture of greed and constant consumerism to support unregulated capitalism that’s logical and ultimate conclusion can only be our destruction as populations grow and resources remain finite, and that is devastating for a habitable planet. And the fossil fuel industry has known this since the 1970s but decided that profit was more important than ppl, all other complex life forms and the planet which sustains it. To this day, they invest in advertising and lobbyists to insist that it is not a problem in spite of what their own research has concluded. Again, it is despicable that media of all kinds practices this manipulation and destruction. I grew up when the middle class grew bc there were mores and regulations that supported more than just a very few. And now, these monsters of greed and no morality, are teaching people with real needs to admire billionaires who are antithetical to any concept of democracy, so the majority of ppl who have been losing ground for decades are left to yearn for the unattainable and are taught to feel inadequate as they struggle to live normal lives where they can feed and house and educate their families. And the latest iterations of these low-life money grubbers want to destroy public education, to keep the populace needy and misinformed and subject to heartless manipulation so they can attain lives of serfs in a feudal society, workers w no compensation to further line the pockets of the already obscenely wealthy who will ultimately choke on the same polluted air and overheated environment, drowning with everyone else. What fools at all levels! Gordon Gecko was wrong about greed being good. Loving care and compassion for all is the only way that can save us if it’s not already too late, and sorry to say it probably is. This twisted, destructive means of ‘progress’ must stop! Vote for representatives that will make policies that will benefit the majority, not the few. The few will never be protected from those that have nothing to lose.
Never seen a single one of those cringey “reality” shows. Never understood the appeal. The most satisfying shows I watch are those where some entitled, rich snob gets it handed to him. If something explodes along the way, all the better. I work in psych, and I know exactly what this says about me.
Interesting topic and long overdue for discussion and critiques. I've never been attracted to so-called reality shows. They're certainly not representative of my reality, nor anyone I know. The skewed perception, particularly of younger folks, that wealth signifies anything of value other than money - like good character, trustworthiness, honor - is a sad state of affairs and harmful to our psyche, sense of self-worth, and perspective.
I admittedly have watched the RH (sporadically) but a lot of it was escapism from some really deep stuff I was going through.
I am hesitant to post the above bc I don't think we should shame people who indulge in a little reality tv (which I don't think your post did but have seen before ) and nothing good comes from shaming others. I love Abbott Elementary. And most sit coms that shed a light on our differences or shared experiences in an uplifting way. Sit coms in particular were an anxiety relief and an escape from a rough childhood. I understand what you are saying about reality tv - 100 percent . ❤️
This is such an interesting essay to ponder. It presents a deeper truth towards how our culture and civilization evolved, or devolved, into a materialistic and greedy world system. I wonder if capitalism has run its course? Or maybe needing to reform and regulate it? Deregulation has only served the 1% and corrupted our government. Isn’t that what Dickens wrote about? Might trump be the catalyst to destroy in order to rebuild? I hate to see him in these terms, he’s a rotten man, could there be a higher purpose? I’m sure that’s controversial, and what do I know, maybe it’s trying to make sense of the unimaginable. Thank you so much for the mind walk spring-boarding from your fascinating work.
Great post
Thank you for reading!
I’m falling deep down all of these rabbit holes now. Thanks 🙏 😂
Let us know what you find! Thanks for reading, Sam!
Very perceptive expose of drivel on TV, Dr. Lovely. Especially telling is the NBC exec's lament about his glorifying of drumpf's phony claim to business savvy. Without that 'Apprentice' show putrefying the TV, we citizens might not have suffered having his gruesome mug and his blather on the screen every time we look, and he wouldn't ever have become president. Also, the degree of gratuitous violence displayed on TV is a poisonous influence on young minds, as surely as is drumpf's poisonous rhetoric.
Can you imagine if they’d found someone else for the Apprentice, and we all just never cared about Donald? Maddening little ripple events.
Thank you for reading, Dennis!
That explains it! I only watch PBS. Thanks for explaining why that's a good idea.
You instinctively knew. Thank you for reading, JoAnn!
Once again, spot on.
Thank you for reading, Al!
Agree with all of this. Similar thoughts about the trash that they serve up as “reality TV”, with all the pettiness and rudeness and hate. It’s such vapid nonsense. And have you seen what passes for a documentary now? Ancient Aliens, Swamp People? I’ve read others, too, who say the super hero movie tsunami has done real damage to young men’s perceptions not only surrounding violence but the value of human life. It’s overly simplistic but we definitely need to recognize that our entertainment industries are also participating in the dumbing down of America. I don’t think that’s an accident.
It is shameful and should be criminal, but of course it’s not, bc of free speech and even more bc we are sucked into a culture of greed and constant consumerism to support unregulated capitalism that’s logical and ultimate conclusion can only be our destruction as populations grow and resources remain finite, and that is devastating for a habitable planet. And the fossil fuel industry has known this since the 1970s but decided that profit was more important than ppl, all other complex life forms and the planet which sustains it. To this day, they invest in advertising and lobbyists to insist that it is not a problem in spite of what their own research has concluded. Again, it is despicable that media of all kinds practices this manipulation and destruction. I grew up when the middle class grew bc there were mores and regulations that supported more than just a very few. And now, these monsters of greed and no morality, are teaching people with real needs to admire billionaires who are antithetical to any concept of democracy, so the majority of ppl who have been losing ground for decades are left to yearn for the unattainable and are taught to feel inadequate as they struggle to live normal lives where they can feed and house and educate their families. And the latest iterations of these low-life money grubbers want to destroy public education, to keep the populace needy and misinformed and subject to heartless manipulation so they can attain lives of serfs in a feudal society, workers w no compensation to further line the pockets of the already obscenely wealthy who will ultimately choke on the same polluted air and overheated environment, drowning with everyone else. What fools at all levels! Gordon Gecko was wrong about greed being good. Loving care and compassion for all is the only way that can save us if it’s not already too late, and sorry to say it probably is. This twisted, destructive means of ‘progress’ must stop! Vote for representatives that will make policies that will benefit the majority, not the few. The few will never be protected from those that have nothing to lose.
Never seen a single one of those cringey “reality” shows. Never understood the appeal. The most satisfying shows I watch are those where some entitled, rich snob gets it handed to him. If something explodes along the way, all the better. I work in psych, and I know exactly what this says about me.
Very good article...many points to ponder over!!!
I’ve never watched any of those shows
Excellent. Lately I’ve been consuming Call The Midwife on Netflix. No Real Housewives on Bravo for me. I’m enjoying real housewives in the East End.
Yes! Much different vibe there! Thank you for reading, Beatrice!
Great post thanks for sharing!
Interesting topic and long overdue for discussion and critiques. I've never been attracted to so-called reality shows. They're certainly not representative of my reality, nor anyone I know. The skewed perception, particularly of younger folks, that wealth signifies anything of value other than money - like good character, trustworthiness, honor - is a sad state of affairs and harmful to our psyche, sense of self-worth, and perspective.
The American Witness
(On watching “Landman” by Taylor Sheridan)
_______
In Midland, they measure time
in barrels and bodies,
the latter worth less than the former,
though both feed the ground in their own way.
Five crosses now mark the field
where the Hernandez family burned—
uncle, cousins, brothers-in-law,
their names already fading
from corporate memory
faster than smoke rising
from that steel graveyard.
The screen flickers their story,
Sheridan's lens capturing truth
in high definition: how easily
wealth steps over bodies,
how quickly tragedy becomes
just another episode
in America's favorite show.
The owner signs checks
with a golden pen,
each stroke worth an hour
of his normal profit,
each zero a small circle
like the wreaths laid
at the funeral mass.
The widows clutch envelopes
thick with guilt money,
while somewhere deep
in the company books,
their husbands' deaths
are listed under
"operational losses,"
right between
"equipment maintenance"
and "quarterly projections."
This is what they mean by uplift—
these stories we tell ourselves
through Landman's unflinching gaze:
where lives are measured
in tax write-offs,
where grief comes with a price tag,
and tomorrow's shift
starts at dawn,
new brown hands
already reaching
for the tools their cousins
left still warm.
The roughnecks say
the ground remembers
what the ledgers forget—
how many times this soil
has drunk both oil and blood,
how little difference
the earth makes
between the two.
And in his office,
high above the fields,
the owner watches digits climb
across his screen,
each hour bringing wealth
that could fund
a hundred funerals,
a thousand grieving mothers,
while below, the derricks
bow and rise,
bow and rise,
like mechanical mourners
that never tire
of counting profits
against prophecies
of who might be next.
Great post .
I admittedly have watched the RH (sporadically) but a lot of it was escapism from some really deep stuff I was going through.
I am hesitant to post the above bc I don't think we should shame people who indulge in a little reality tv (which I don't think your post did but have seen before ) and nothing good comes from shaming others. I love Abbott Elementary. And most sit coms that shed a light on our differences or shared experiences in an uplifting way. Sit coms in particular were an anxiety relief and an escape from a rough childhood. I understand what you are saying about reality tv - 100 percent . ❤️
This is such an interesting essay to ponder. It presents a deeper truth towards how our culture and civilization evolved, or devolved, into a materialistic and greedy world system. I wonder if capitalism has run its course? Or maybe needing to reform and regulate it? Deregulation has only served the 1% and corrupted our government. Isn’t that what Dickens wrote about? Might trump be the catalyst to destroy in order to rebuild? I hate to see him in these terms, he’s a rotten man, could there be a higher purpose? I’m sure that’s controversial, and what do I know, maybe it’s trying to make sense of the unimaginable. Thank you so much for the mind walk spring-boarding from your fascinating work.