Post: What the F**k Happened to Television?!
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10-29-2011, 04:39 AM
#1
Chaz
Tremble Underfoot
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What The Hell Happened to TV?
What The Hell Happened to TV?
Okay, if you're like me and born between the years 1991 and 1996 and had access to some sort of television,
you must remember the old programming that once inhabited our TV sets. Classic shows like the ones you see
above and many others. Nickelodean, Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network were
the three greatest channels that ever existed in our generation. They had shows like Johnny Bravo,
All That, The Wild Thornberries, The Amanda Show, Lizzie McGuire, Hey Arnold, The PowerPuff Girls
(shut up you know you watched it), Looney Toons, etc.
For some bizarre reason though, which I haven't been able to fathom, these very shows that you and
I grew up with died out. Why? Did they start to lose ratings? We're they just getting tired of making shows?
Did the next generation bring in a new demographic that needed to be appealed to? Who knows?
These shows were the foundation of entertainment for our generation. As these shows died out,
new shows rushed in. Nickelodean started airing shows that weren't animated cartoons. Disney Channel
no longer has any shows that are related to Disney at all. And Cartoon Network just lost its luster, aside from
Adult Swim of course.
Now we look at these networks, and TV in general, and it is all inundated with shows like 16 and Pregnant,
Wizards of Waverly Place, Phineas and Ferb, Victorious, iCarly, Big Time Rush, and let us not forget the infamously
known Jersey Shore. Now don't get this wrong, some of the shows just named are tolerable. And I personally don't
mind some of them because they are actually a tad humorous. And in a way, they act as a mirror to shows in the
past that we used to watch. But the other shows, the ones that depict a lifestyle or a fashion, or a certain way
people should act because it's cool, are despicable. The shows of generations past didn't convince people that
certain actions were cool, and that having a troubled lifestyle was cool and that you could be on TV because of it.
Now, saying that these shows have convinced people to act a certain way is probably out of line, but there is
absolutely no denying that the very shows on television today have influenced people in a tremendous way.
How many people have you seen in the past year or so that try to imitate the "guidos" on Jersey Shore by wearing
the same clothes and wearing the same hairstyles that they do? However, the classic shows we used to watch were
special because their main purpose was simply to provide its audience with humor and laughs.
I would like to see the networks de-familiarize those TV shows. De-familiarization is the process of changing
a situation from the normality that it percieved as. For 16 and Pregnant, instead of showing the white teenager
who is about to buy her own house, has a boyfriend, and somewhat rich parents, why not show
the black teenager (and for the record, I’m being racial not racist) who is struggling to stay in school, and has
no job and is struggling day to day to take care of her own child, all because she made one poor decision and
is now forced to live life harder because she had a kid earlier than expected. Or, instead of showing
the 6 or 7 white, fairly attractive people in a house with one or two minorities (Real World) while they fight
unnecessarily and attempt to depict how all 23-27 year old individuals act, why not do what Dave Chappelle
did an exceptional job of, and de-familiarize the situation. For those who haven’t seen it before, watch this for a bit.
Yeah, a lot of it is ridiculous and would not really happen, but the fact is that networks
are showing the people “reality through broken glass.”
Continually they show audiences reality in the way that America wants to perceive it. No one
wants to see the struggling teenager take care of her child/children, or the 6-7 average Italians go to
parties and clubs and pick up girls. And the reason why? No one wants to see it.
It’s not what America wants to see. People want to see reality through the broken glass,
and accept a perception of reality that in fact isn’t real at all.
Bring back the old shows that had no greater purpose than maybe to enlighten us with some morals,
and to provide us with laughs. I miss the good ol’ days of Jerry always kicking Tom’s ass.
The following 17 users say thank you to Chaz for this useful post:
10-29-2011, 05:41 AM
#4
getxscared
Space Ninja
10-29-2011, 05:48 AM
#5
192.168.1.1
Slave of the sky.
The following user thanked 192.168.1.1 for this useful post:
10-29-2011, 06:02 AM
#7
deathkid1212
I’m too L33T
10-29-2011, 06:16 AM
#9
192.168.1.1
Slave of the sky.
10-29-2011, 06:28 AM
#10
Rip The Jacker
Banned
Now, this raises the question of "is the media a reflection of society, or is society a reflection of the media?" I think the latter is more likely, as the media does tend to change in order to please a general audience. I've noticed that modern forms of media, particularly TV programs, are an accurate representation of the decline of interest in quality shows and the increasing widespread appeal in simple-minded or poorly produced programs....I do miss being able to watch top-notch cartoons such as Rocket Power, Cow & Chicken, and Ed Edd and Eddy on the original channels they were broadcasted from. Now I need to seek side channels and internet downloads in order to view a single episode of any of these cherished TV shows.
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