Is Our Media Becoming Mere Voyeurism?
Pete LaTona
May 30, 2009
In the early 70's, Frank Zappa and the Mothers Invention wrote a song whose lyrics began:
"I am vile and pernicious, obsessed and deranged"
"I have existed for ages, without any name"
"I am the worst you can get, have you guessed me yet?"
"I am the slime oozing out of your TV set"
The sad truth is that our programming has not improved, and in this writer's opinion, began taking a wicked turn for the worst in the past 5 -10 years. Our television and news programming too often employs the tactics of shock and awe. Producers must assume their audience's senses have become so numb, that entertainment requires a sharp blow with a stick. Nothing can be left to the imagination and nothing should require any thinking, just straight forward easy to digest garbage.
Reality shows are all the rage, and most of them appeal to our most unappealing qualities. Not only are they cheap to produce relative to other shows, but more importantly to the producers, they are drawing large audiences. We don't watch these for education, information or inspiration, we watch them to exercise our voyeuristic pleasures and stare at outlandish behaviors.
News shows cater to our voyeuristic pleasures. Local news is filled with one negative story after another. Do we need to share in the tragedies of people we do not know? When does it become none of our business? We don't so much sympathize with these victims as we gawk at them. Where is their right to privacy? The national news is only slightly better. There is still the constant barrage of negative stories about people we do not know and cannot help. What is in us that fascinate us so much with the sufferings of others? Does it make our lives seem easier? Do we need reporters thrusting microphones in the faces of people who have just suffered a great loss? Of course not! There is no value in it, but the industry knows there is a huge public appetite for it. Don't even get me started on the OctuMom. This desperate woman is in desperate need of help and what do we do? We fan the fire of her narcissism fueling further proliferation of her disease and thereby condemn her and her children to a very difficult life ahead.
This article would get ridiculously long if I cited a laundry list of offensive television. Either you get my point by know or you do not. Our virtual society is not helping as it provides more and more means to peep into other's lives. Let's not waste time ranting against the television producers. They are giving us what we demand. They are pleasing our taste buds. If our tastes and demands change the programming will change. We need to take a look at our selves. Why are we accepting this voyeuristic entertainment? Why aren't we demanding programming that either educates, informs or inspires? What is wrong with us?
Are our lives so empty and desperate that we need entertainment that shocks our senses? What is the reason we get pleasure watching people suffer or make fool of them selves. Is it impossible to be entertained by stories that educate, inform or inspire? Let's begin a new demand for programming we would be proud for our children to watch! The good news is that we don't need to organize or protest or vote in new laws. We only need to show some scrutiny and discrimination as to what we let into our brains. It is as easy as either turning the TV off or at least switching the channels when the slime starts to ooze out. We have our own personal voting box and all we need to do is use some judgment as to who we vote for. We are not helpless, we are actually in control. The producers are in it for the money and they will give us what we demand.
"I am vile and pernicious, obsessed and deranged"
"I have existed for ages, without any name"
"I am the worst you can get, have you guessed me yet?"
"I am the slime oozing out of your TV set"
The sad truth is that our programming has not improved, and in this writer's opinion, began taking a wicked turn for the worst in the past 5 -10 years. Our television and news programming too often employs the tactics of shock and awe. Producers must assume their audience's senses have become so numb, that entertainment requires a sharp blow with a stick. Nothing can be left to the imagination and nothing should require any thinking, just straight forward easy to digest garbage.
Reality shows are all the rage, and most of them appeal to our most unappealing qualities. Not only are they cheap to produce relative to other shows, but more importantly to the producers, they are drawing large audiences. We don't watch these for education, information or inspiration, we watch them to exercise our voyeuristic pleasures and stare at outlandish behaviors.
News shows cater to our voyeuristic pleasures. Local news is filled with one negative story after another. Do we need to share in the tragedies of people we do not know? When does it become none of our business? We don't so much sympathize with these victims as we gawk at them. Where is their right to privacy? The national news is only slightly better. There is still the constant barrage of negative stories about people we do not know and cannot help. What is in us that fascinate us so much with the sufferings of others? Does it make our lives seem easier? Do we need reporters thrusting microphones in the faces of people who have just suffered a great loss? Of course not! There is no value in it, but the industry knows there is a huge public appetite for it. Don't even get me started on the OctuMom. This desperate woman is in desperate need of help and what do we do? We fan the fire of her narcissism fueling further proliferation of her disease and thereby condemn her and her children to a very difficult life ahead.
This article would get ridiculously long if I cited a laundry list of offensive television. Either you get my point by know or you do not. Our virtual society is not helping as it provides more and more means to peep into other's lives. Let's not waste time ranting against the television producers. They are giving us what we demand. They are pleasing our taste buds. If our tastes and demands change the programming will change. We need to take a look at our selves. Why are we accepting this voyeuristic entertainment? Why aren't we demanding programming that either educates, informs or inspires? What is wrong with us?
Are our lives so empty and desperate that we need entertainment that shocks our senses? What is the reason we get pleasure watching people suffer or make fool of them selves. Is it impossible to be entertained by stories that educate, inform or inspire? Let's begin a new demand for programming we would be proud for our children to watch! The good news is that we don't need to organize or protest or vote in new laws. We only need to show some scrutiny and discrimination as to what we let into our brains. It is as easy as either turning the TV off or at least switching the channels when the slime starts to ooze out. We have our own personal voting box and all we need to do is use some judgment as to who we vote for. We are not helpless, we are actually in control. The producers are in it for the money and they will give us what we demand.
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