I've always loved what the late comedic genius Bill Hicks said about American TV in the late 80's and early 90's when he observed that much of the programming was obviously designed to put consumers to sleep so they won't notice what is really happening in the world ... this was the era of the American Gladiator, and LONG before shows like Survivor or the other "reality" shows turned up ... then a few short years ago another comedic genius, this time Robin Williams pondered if Caligula, the hedonistic Roman Empire would look at our current culture and say: "WTF people?" at what he was witnessing ...
Today, with the launch of "The Real Housewives of Vancouver" I can only hope we've scraped the absolute BOTTOM of the barrel, and our tv network executives will finally abandon the foolishness that fills our screens and STOP using self-absorbed bimbos as programming fodder for a society that has lost its way.
I have some respect for shows like "Til Debt Do Us Part" and "Princess" where the intent is to help people deal with thier financial woes by addressing the root causes of the problems they are facing. Often the overspending is caused by an unrealistic and unchecked sense of entitlement that has arisen because the word NO has never passed the lips of those who don't understand what it means to work and save for something ... That air of entitlement though, has so deeply permeated our culture that we have come to regard the Real Housewives shows as something worth watching.
I will admit I have watched some of the other Real Housewives shows for brief periods from time to time, but the attitude and world view of these divas turns my stomach ... what I would like to see, rather than shows that highlight out of control spending, is a show that highlights the struggles of REAL people who are struggling with under employment and living cheque to cheque ... people who know what it means to live on minimum wage and struggle to put a roof over their head and food on the table.
Instead of watching the super wealth flaunt their riches and preen around showing us how much they can spend, let's have programmes that show us HOW TO SURVIVE in a world that has lost its way ...
As I watch what the various tv networks have to offer, I can't help but wonder what Marshall McLulhan would say of the media and the message it continues to puke up all over our screens, and how we could possibly sit and continue to watch this tripe.
My empassioned prayer today is for programming that is worthwhile for a change ...
I would rather watch Hoarders and see people struggling with real life and make positive and live altering changes, then EVER watch ANY of the Real Housewives programmes with people so out of touch with reality that they can't see it ...
Sad is all I can offer - just profoundly sad!!
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