Entitlement TV
Dave Gibson
August 13, 2008
During a recent painful bout with a sinus infection, I was forced to take a long look at what currently passes for entertainment upon the aptly named "idiot box." The scenes I witnessed during those agonizing days, inflicted more pain upon my head than the affliction which befell me.
Ours has truly become an entitlement society. Nothing displays this sad truth more than our own television screens. Apparently, Americans have lost the ability or the will to control their own lives.
Everyday, we can tune into television shows which star our fellow countrymen as they all too willingly allow therapists, nutritionists, designers, as well as all manner of experts, and camera crews into their private lives. These otherwise self-sustaining adults readily take orders from strangers on matters from re-decorating to remaining faithful to their spouses.
My first experience with America's overgrown children was watching the popular Dr. Phil Show. For an hour, the self-styled relationship guru known to all of us as "Dr. Phil," barks out orders and judgmental advice to his doe-eyed, submissive guests. Apparently, American couples have become so pitiful that they must throw themselves at the mercy of someone named "Dr. Phil," in order to save their marriage. Couples who claim to be too busy with work and kids to talk to one another, somehow have enough time to make a trip to Dr. Phil's studio! I guess even multi-tasking "super-moms" can spare two days in exchange for their fifteen minutes of fame.
The whining does not stop at noon! The evening is also full of "handout" shows. "Extreme Makeover-Home Edition" always portrays a family of beggars who want a luxury home. The show begins with a tearful look at a most-deserving family, who has written the show to plead their need for a mansion. The overly-sensitive crew is never short on hugs, beautiful fabrics, and crocodile tears. The family is whisked away in a limousine, on a trip which they could never afford, and returns a few days later to a home which they could never afford. I guess after all else fails...You can beg your way to the American dream!
Then there is perhaps the most disturbing of all of these shows, otherwise known as "Nanny 911." Hapless parents, usually with half a dozen kids, ask a group of English nannies to instill manners in their children and basically give up control of their home to a complete stranger. It is the truly pathetic human who cannot call upon their own parental instincts. Am I the only one who thinks it strange that humans are the only mammals who seem to have great difficulty in raising their own offspring?
These shows reminded of the last time I became ill and after struggling with my blurry vision, gave up on reading and resorted to watching television. It was during this feverish period that I discovered a show which displayed all of the manufactured grief that could possibly fit into a half an hour...I discovered an all-girl affair called "Starting Over". This show found very whiny women who seemed to relish the role of victim-hood, and placed them together in one house. The women worked for weeks on such pressing matters as "eliminating chaos," "growing up at 40," and "learning to drop the hustle." The show employed other women known as "life coaches" to kick-start the ladies' spirits. I thought…All of this time, I have been living my life without the benefit of a coach, it must be my parents' fault!
The popularity of such welfare programming speaks to the truly low state of this nation. Consider for a moment, your grandparents´ reaction to such a show. I can hear my grandfather right now shouting at the television (an activity which was usually reserved for Friday night fights or Redskins' games)..."What's wrong with you? Grow up already!" "Can't you make your own way?"
As much as I miss my grandfather, I am thankful that he is not here to see the weak-minded, nation we have become. We do not need television shows, personal trainers, and life coaches (whatever they are) to fix that which is wrong in our lives. We do however, need self-discipline and determination to achieve our goals. The tools we need to lose weight, make a good living, and raise healthy and productive children are inside all of us. Unfortunately, too many of us have become too lazy to implement hard choices.
Amazing that our grandparents saved the world from the Nazis, fought the Cold War, and built this nation's infrastructure--all without the help of "life coaches!"...How did they do it?
It is evident that the notion of shame has truly become a thing of the past.
Ours has truly become an entitlement society. Nothing displays this sad truth more than our own television screens. Apparently, Americans have lost the ability or the will to control their own lives.
Everyday, we can tune into television shows which star our fellow countrymen as they all too willingly allow therapists, nutritionists, designers, as well as all manner of experts, and camera crews into their private lives. These otherwise self-sustaining adults readily take orders from strangers on matters from re-decorating to remaining faithful to their spouses.
My first experience with America's overgrown children was watching the popular Dr. Phil Show. For an hour, the self-styled relationship guru known to all of us as "Dr. Phil," barks out orders and judgmental advice to his doe-eyed, submissive guests. Apparently, American couples have become so pitiful that they must throw themselves at the mercy of someone named "Dr. Phil," in order to save their marriage. Couples who claim to be too busy with work and kids to talk to one another, somehow have enough time to make a trip to Dr. Phil's studio! I guess even multi-tasking "super-moms" can spare two days in exchange for their fifteen minutes of fame.
The whining does not stop at noon! The evening is also full of "handout" shows. "Extreme Makeover-Home Edition" always portrays a family of beggars who want a luxury home. The show begins with a tearful look at a most-deserving family, who has written the show to plead their need for a mansion. The overly-sensitive crew is never short on hugs, beautiful fabrics, and crocodile tears. The family is whisked away in a limousine, on a trip which they could never afford, and returns a few days later to a home which they could never afford. I guess after all else fails...You can beg your way to the American dream!
Then there is perhaps the most disturbing of all of these shows, otherwise known as "Nanny 911." Hapless parents, usually with half a dozen kids, ask a group of English nannies to instill manners in their children and basically give up control of their home to a complete stranger. It is the truly pathetic human who cannot call upon their own parental instincts. Am I the only one who thinks it strange that humans are the only mammals who seem to have great difficulty in raising their own offspring?
These shows reminded of the last time I became ill and after struggling with my blurry vision, gave up on reading and resorted to watching television. It was during this feverish period that I discovered a show which displayed all of the manufactured grief that could possibly fit into a half an hour...I discovered an all-girl affair called "Starting Over". This show found very whiny women who seemed to relish the role of victim-hood, and placed them together in one house. The women worked for weeks on such pressing matters as "eliminating chaos," "growing up at 40," and "learning to drop the hustle." The show employed other women known as "life coaches" to kick-start the ladies' spirits. I thought…All of this time, I have been living my life without the benefit of a coach, it must be my parents' fault!
The popularity of such welfare programming speaks to the truly low state of this nation. Consider for a moment, your grandparents´ reaction to such a show. I can hear my grandfather right now shouting at the television (an activity which was usually reserved for Friday night fights or Redskins' games)..."What's wrong with you? Grow up already!" "Can't you make your own way?"
As much as I miss my grandfather, I am thankful that he is not here to see the weak-minded, nation we have become. We do not need television shows, personal trainers, and life coaches (whatever they are) to fix that which is wrong in our lives. We do however, need self-discipline and determination to achieve our goals. The tools we need to lose weight, make a good living, and raise healthy and productive children are inside all of us. Unfortunately, too many of us have become too lazy to implement hard choices.
Amazing that our grandparents saved the world from the Nazis, fought the Cold War, and built this nation's infrastructure--all without the help of "life coaches!"...How did they do it?
It is evident that the notion of shame has truly become a thing of the past.