So this Memorial Day Weekend (which isn't over yet!) has been relaxing so far. With another day off ahead, I have decided to reflect and add a media related idea! So while down in New Jersey for my cousin's graduation party I was mingling with family and catching up and whatnot. One of my cousins, works for the NYPD down in the Bronx. He works in narcotics and usually has a crazy story or two for us. This got us into a discussion about the television show The Wire. He says it is the closest television portrayal of his job that he has ever seen. My boyfriend has seen seasons 1-4, (there are 5 all together) and I have seen none. So, this conversation has now launched my own Wire marathon that started today. I am halfway through season 1. I keep asking my boyfriend, "Is Baltimore really like that?" and I keep having to reaffirm that I understand what is going on, but so far so good. So this leads me to my question (finally!) are television shows that portray what is really happening better for the American psyche or should we just stick to Glee? I mean I know I've picked two polar opposite shows, and I have a raised a question that is multi-facetted, but if you do narcotics work 7 days a week for 40+ hours a week, do you really want to go home and watch a tv shows that mimics your life for entertainment?
For your first part of the question, I would have to say it's not a matter of "better," per se. I feel, as an American citizen, it is important that the people of and in this country know what is going on. Even if that comes from a source of entertainment, such as a fiction TV show based on such events. I believe this for two reasons: First of all, it's good to know about things that happen in our country, be they good or bad, so we can prepare ourselves for the day and/or so we can try and change them. Without knowing about the bad, we won't even have a chance to change it for the better (not that enough try to). Secondly, entertainment is entertainment. Also, some of the most poignant types of entertainment and humor come from tragedy, which I see as a sort of coping mechanism.
ReplyDeleteHowever, while I have never seen "Glee," or heard of it for that matter, my immediate judgment on it (based on its name, alone) is that it is absolute, mind-numbing garbage that does nothing but narcotize the masses into a false sense of security that our government can easily take advantage of and use to control us. No joke.
o My boyfriend is also a fan of the wire. I on the other hand can't stand the show. I feel like people enjoy watching TV a lot of the time to "escape from reality". It gives them a chance to "live" in another world for the 30 minutes, hour, hour and a half that the show runs. Some people go this route and seek out shows which will do this for them, soap operas, dramas comedies etc. But i also feel like the content of these shows often becomes more meaningful, and has more of an impact on it's viewers if it is based in truth or real events. If we are left saying "wow i can't believe that really happened" it makes the story obviously more real, more tangible and we hold onto it longer. You empathize with the characters more and find yourself becoming involved in the story in a whole new way. However, how many of us often have to be in the mood to watch shows like this? Some people may watch them more often, but for me i need to be looking for something with this intensity (really feel up to it) before throwing in the film. I love a good true crime, drama, etc. story, but i wouldn't watch one every day, whereas something like "the Hangover" i could pop in 10 times a day and have no problem watching it. This is because, like Ryan mentions, it's easy to just submit to "mind numbing garbage" (easy shows) that will just wash over you, requiring little effort or thought. So finally to get to your question.... i think that it's important to have variety; to have shows around which involve thought and truth and some "work" for lack of a better word. These shows may not be the easy escape we’re looking for but they involve a bit more "effort" than brainless comedies or soap opera dramas. I have to admit that one of my guilty pleasures is watching "My name is Earl". My brain literally feels like it's turning to mush when i watch it, there probably is not a more "stupid" show on TV. But that's why put it on, for that purpose of an escape. If i were to do this all the time my brain might literally stop working haha. And general, if people continued to use this as an escape day after day all the time and those were the only shows available, it wouldn't necessarily be the best thing for a continually growing lazy America. It's great that other options are available, ones that will bring you back to reality in a sense, but still have that rolled up into a TV show, a drama, with a sense of added elements to create a good and TV worthy story.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny that you've started to watch this show because it's literally first on my list of shows to watch. It's an interesting idea to think about of wanting shows to actually portray real life. I've always prefered realistic type shows to others. For instance, I'm not into Lost or Hereos or 24 mostly because of how far-fetched they can get. On the contrary, there are shows that I'm into that are more realistic but no where close to real life. Shows such as Dexter, Weeds, and Law & Order: SVU are what I prefer because of their realistic aspect. The funny thing being, most of these shows are far-fetched themselves. For a woman to start selling drugs out of a small town is one thing, but then for her to run away and avoid the FBI is a little ridiculous. Shows like that, however, are still filed under Realistic types. The same goes for Dexter, the blood-spatter analysist who doubles as a serial killer. The list goes on and on, but these shows are the realistic ones to me.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, I don't think we'll ever have a TV Show that's truly realistic. Unless you watch an investigative documentary, you aren't going to see a lot of the illegal behind the scenes parts of some lives. On the contrary, some shows will make that behind-the-scenes stuff up just to cause extra drama. I think it's best we stick with the realistic shows we have.
I love the wire. I heard it was good, then I watched one season and I couldn't stop watching. Back-to-Back I did the whole series and one realistic element that happens in season 3 is a look at the education system in inner city schools. Like the cop who says "The Wire" is close to reality of his narcotics job as it gets, it was much like what I have come to learn about the education system around Boston. It shows the politics of the school system and how the kids are being left behind by their education. I say this with my sources coming from an English teacher who taught in a public high school in Boston, and he dealt with. I don't want to spoil the "The Wire" for anyone who hasn't seen it, but they that education is portrayed in the public schools of Baltimore is not that far off of from what's going on in reality. I do think media portrayal can come close, but it is still a medium that is not the exact reality that exists (this is not a pipe).
ReplyDeleteI do think that exposure to important issues is definitely needed. The history channel makes an old school subject entertaining and informative. Television is a huge influence, and to have shows that are presented in an interesting way and informative is absolutely necessary.
The Wire is the new hit show and i am also a big fan. West Baltimore is portrayed very well and that the atmosphere and environment are very real, which makes the show even better. I believe that most shows have a realism effect to it, because if it were fake (Like 'V' (Vistors))it wouldn't have as great an effect. Another sketchy example could be Lost. Getting stuck on an island is a very realistic possibility. People have been stranded on islands before with no knowledge of whats going on. However, Cast Away really put the show Lost on the map. Cast Away, starring Tom Hanks, was a lot more realistic because he had to survive all by himself so that he could get back to his wife and children. However, Lost doesn't have that same effect because there are a group of people and that the island is a situation all by itself. I believe the American psyche should be as realistic as it can get because people are as interested in the past or the future than it is with present time. It is tough to tell what is really going to happen in the future (movies like I am Legend, 2012 and Sixth Sense and such) because you cannot travel through time to find out. However, if you display real life situations, with real life threats and plots, the audience will be very interested in the show/movie.
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