Why they show us, and why we watch.

[SoCalDem]

Everything in most people's lives is precarious, if not downright suck-y about now.

Media is tired of the whole health care issue, and they look desperately for anything to distract themselves and us..

and they know we'll watch.

Fake reality is always easier to swallow than real reality. Fake reality exists only in that moment, and at any time the participants can choose to leave it altogether (or they are "voted" off/out)

real reality has scary stuff in it..stuff like:

cancer
sick kids
low-pay jobs
no money
lost jobs
foreclosed houses
shitty schools
nasty divorces
angry custody cases
missing child support payments
turned off utilities
repossessed cars

Real reality is inescapable for most people. Once in that vortex, they are pretty much stuck, barring a miracle.

Media is desperate to show us things that are different from reality.

Our Balloon-Boy story of late, proves the point. His family is odd..nothing like most of us.

They are hucksters, raising the next generation of hucksters

They are people on the margin, doing wacky things, in hopes that someone somewhere will pay to see them in action..

They are a symptom of so much that is wrong these days. they think they are living off-the-grid, but they still need money, so they have turned themselves into an "attraction", and are constantly on the prowl for ways to market themselves..


and there are unfortunately enough people whose own lives are so boring, or so frightening, they are eager to escape for a while, so they buy into this..

think back to the 1930s.. people were pole-sitting, high-wire walking, going over falls in barrels..wing-walking.. holding killer dance-marathons.. all for attention and possibly a few bucks

and today we have
Survivor
Dancing with the (dim) Stars
American Idol
Flip this House
Decorate this House
Sell this House
Clean this House
Let's Sew an Ugly Dress
Kick someone OUT of this House
Kate+8-1
Octofreak+14,-public interest
Fernando Lama's Bad Boy's Family
Ozzie Osborne's loony family
Kardashians on the Rampage




the list is endless

[timeforpeace]

1. Wouldn't know. Don't watch TV. Hint, hint.

[SoCalDem]

2. you're not the boss of me

:P:rofl:

[Lagomorph]

3. I watch SyFy...

Problems never last longer than 2 hours and are always solved by nuking it or vaporizing it in deep space.

[SoCalDem]

4. or an hour if you're watching Eureka or Warehouse 13

:)

[Junkdrawer]

5. Kick

:kick: