For those of you who know me at all, you know that I love TV. It's one of my vices really.. along with shopping, reading, eating, pens, eating some more, dancing, and things that smell good.... yes, I realize that's a lot of vices but hey, you only live once. This last year or so I put myself on a new show limit because I just had wayyy too many shows and school was getting in the way of keeping up with them. So I put a self-imposed limit on myself and decided not to take on any new shows. Now that school is done and I'm unemployed however, it's on.
Last night I watched a new ABC show called "Off the Map". At first glance, it seemed like a mashup of LOST, Grey's and ER. Medical drama in a rural setting with limited resources.
What I always remind myself when watching a show is that it is for entertainment purposes only. What scares me though is how many people confuse that with reality. You see, I watch tv to get away from the reality of life for an hour or two a day(or more..), but I KNOW that there is a difference between fantasy tv land and the real world. I get that clinics aren't going to have 4580934 emergency surgeries to perform in one day, but would people watch the show if they didn't? I get that these doctors who were rejected or had other issues in America have now been sent to work in this clinic is not realistic. I get that the attitude that we can just go in and save a country from all of it's problems is not realistic and kind of degrading. I get that developing countries don't want handouts nor do they need handouts and our reject doctors to come in and make everything okay. I get that it's not as "glamorous" as it's made out to be. I get that stereotypes are raging in these shows. I get it.. I really do. I'm that person who has issues with all of these things.. But is that really the point of these shows? I mean sure, we all want to believe that watching tv should be educational too.. but it really isn't. It's meant for entertainment. that's it. Is it our fault that we've let TV overtake our lives and so many people ARE using it as and education source as well? Well yes, but that is another problem in itself.
I think we as a society need to stop criticizing every little thing that happens and sometimes just sit back and take something exactly for what it is.. a show meant to entertain.
Hmm, if you got through all of that I commend you.. I'll give you a cookie. I swear, it makes sense in my head.. but it's now 3 am and it's not translating well into coherent thoughts.. so I think it's time to call it a night. I'll try again tomorrow.
I agree that we should learn to take certain things at face value, TV being one of the most apparent. However, if we stop evaluating and criticizing what we see on a daily basis we will lose our sense of reality all together.
ReplyDeleteAs adults, we hopefully have the ability to recognize the difference between reality and fantasy. But for youth, this might not be as easy. It's the younger generations that we need to education on the inequalities of what they see on TV and what they will see in the real world. If we do that, then it will all be okay.