50 shades of the wealthy dominating the middle and working class.

[Emelina]

Seems that one could take the whole 50 shades thing as a metaphor for how the rich treat the not-rich:

My problem is that the media is owned by the rich and essentially, as Chomsky and others have pointed out, gives of entertainment laced with corporate propaganda. And yet many Americans just buy into it. People watch "reality" shows featuring rich women shopping for shoes and that is entertainment? It is almost as if we have class porn where the masses that will never "get any" fantasize about themselves shopping for shoes, or a new car at an exclusive lot, or botox injections or whatever.

Then to make it worse we have candidates from both parties funded by the corporations and expect them not to do as the money-donors say? That is akin to believing that a pimp takes orders from his workers. The politicians will do what the donors tell them to do, be it war, what goes into our food or what rights we are given.

Too bad there is no "safe word" the public can use anymore. It used to be "Constitution" but that was done away with under the Cheney presidency.

[leveymg]

1. Voting has largely become a ritual of consent without real choices. Consent and difference are

illusions that strengthen control over the state by the propertied. The rest are presumed criminals or terrorists who can choose between cheap distractions or homicide/suicide by policeman.

[upaloopa]

2. My wife watches the reality shows where rich

women take shopping trips to major cities around the world.
I call them the "poor little rich girl" shows.
They seem to end up in some room where they sit around and complain a lot.
I don't know why she likes those shows. She isn't influenced by them negatively

[Emelina]

3. Are you sure?

Don't these reality shows use products that are in some way part of a product placement form of advertising? Doesn't this just make people who cannot afford these items feel more and more like they are missing out?

[upaloopa]

4. My wife really has her head together.

I am sure the shows don't effect her negatively. That's one reason why I wonder why she likes them.

[Emelina]

5. Maybe some people watch them for pure escapism.

I once read that the people who were regular viewers of The Jerry Springer Show had way higher levels of education than the average in the USA.