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But they don't....won't just b/c you say so? Come on Denny, wake up and smell the roses, parents come home from work, and tv is the babysitter
So what? Are we supposed to ban TV because parents are too lazy to monitor what their kids watch? Are we going to ban books that could potentially give kids the wrong idea too? All this talk about TV influencing kids is just a cop-out. Kids don't shoot up their classmates because TV or video games are violent. There are plenty of kids who watch those same shows and play the same games who grow up to be healthy adults. What's the difference? Their parents taught them right and wrong.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
well, you and I may feel that way, but Denny, there are a whole lot of people out there who are influenced easily...I mean, just look at some of the entertainment threads and how people start to analyzie a series...like True Blood for instance...
Chatting about your favorite show and analyzing the plot and characters isn't the same as being influenced by it. I can watch a movie like Inception where the main character enters people's dreams and steals their ideas. But that doesn't mean I'll come away thinking it's OK to do such a thing.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
Very true, however, again, most people are quit as aware as you are, believe me...and yes, Leave it to Beaver was a fantasy, however, you never saw Mrs. Cleaver stabbing her neighbor with a butcher knife or sleeping with her best friends husband....and the kids were very polite, even Eddy...today, watch how kids talk back to parents on TV...it's deemed acceptable....you've seen many threads on the behavior of kids, yes, it's the parents fault, but when you watch shows day in and out, with kids who are very impolite with a chip on they're shoulders...blood and guts all the time, my gosh, what do you expect?
I expect viewers to be smart enough to recognize the difference between fantasy and reality. You can watch a show where the main character's cheating on her husband, even find yourself sympathizing with her. But if you come away thinking it's OK to cheat on one's spouse, that says more about you than it does about TV. The fact that you could be so easily persuaded to do something you know is wrong all because you saw it on a TV show implies that your moral foundation was probably pretty weak to begin with. I've lost count of how many times I've seen someone get shot to death on TV or in the movies. But despite being desensitized to movie violence, it hasn't desensitized me to real-life violence. Why? Because even when I'm watching the movie, I know the person isn't actually being killed. It's fake. Same with the kids talking back to their TV parents. Give kids some credit for intelligence. They can see those kids on TV and laugh. But they can also come away remembering that they could never get away with that in real life.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
yeah, if you can find many with minds of they're own today...tv actually tells people how to think and feel....and there are a lot of people out there who buy it? Gossip, has been infiltrated into the evening news now a days, I mean who give a good you know what about Brad Pitt and his wife? But so many people are into this stuff, like it's they're close neighbor or something?????? The minds of American's are getting less and less intellectual...because of what they watch, there is nothing on to challenge the mind....the arts are going out of business? Why? They're constantly begging for donations to stay afloat?
TV can put forth ideas, but it's up to the viewer to reject them. Think about all the commercials you see telling you to buy their product. Do you buy a product just because you've seen the commercial for it a thousand times? No, because you have a mind of your own and can reject whatever message the commercial is sending. What you see on TV is a reflection of the audience's preferences. Brad and Angelina aren't on the evening news because the producers are trying to shove them down our throats. They're on the news because some network exec realized they'll attract more viewers if they did stories about them. So if you have a problem with what's on TV, don't blame the execs. Blame the rest of the public for saying to the entertainment industry that they like this stuff. Sure, television may not be intellectually challenging. But again, it comes down to what the audience wants. If they don't want to be challenged, if they just want fluff, then that's what TV is going to give them. I knew some really smart guys in college, people who'd discuss the arts, philosophy, economics, politics, etc. But they'd still take time out to watch Beavis and Butthead. People have their tastes and it may not make sense to the rest of us. But I don't infer stuff about them since I know what people find entertaining isn't really under their control.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
Your absolutely right, b/c they are becoming desensitized by it....you watch blood and guts, I mean, you want more...it's addictive...crime and corruption are the in thing...as well as graphic vampire shows, and explicit sex....
Now you're contradicting yourself. First you say people are becoming desensitized to violence. Then you say it's addictive and they want more. If you become desensitized to something, why would you want more?
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
yeah, your right again, but I cannot believe you refuse to see the connection...just b/c you believe that, Denny, there are hundreds of thousands of people out there whose life is ONLY TV?
But that doesn't prove there's a connection between TV and how people think. If someone spends all their free time watching TV, I don't assume that's where they get all their ideas. I just conclude they enjoy TV and would rather watch that instead of doing other things.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
today, parents know, it's dangerous to talk on cell phones, while driving, but they still do it, what message does that send to kids....or how bout speeding? Does anyone do the speed limit any more....Denny, it's a ripple down effect....TV isn't the only cause, however, it is a major influence on how society thinks and feels.
When I was growing up, neither of my parents engaged in regular exercise. If we follow your line of thinking, I would've come away thinking exercise is pointless. But I didn't. In the back of my mind, I knew that exercise was good for me, although at that age I probably couldn't explain exactly why. Not seeing my parents exercise certainly didn't help matters. It's hard to listen to your parents tell you to do something when they're not following their own advice. But I don't blame them. I blame myself for not doing what I know I should've done. They may have been hypocrites, but ultimately the responsibility lay with me. I was the one who knew what I had to do but chose not to. The idea of not exercising wasn't planted in my head by my parents. It was something I decided on my own. Likewise, the kid who talks on his cell phone while driving does it anyway, not because he sees his parents doing it, but because, like a lot of young people, they think they can do anything and don't like being told what they can't do.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
Your mentality doesn't allow this to seep through, but there are people out there who are very influenced by not only TV, but being a part of the crowd....followers...and a hord of individualists who take advantage of this knowledge. It's proven conditioning....
I used to think like you anytime I saw the people spouting right-wing talking points they heard on Fox. It was easy to look at them and say they got their ideas from Hannity, Beck, etc. But now I realize it's the other way around. Fox knows there are people out there predisposed to believe certain things, things like the government is bad, that Muslims are terrorists, that global warming is a hoax. So along comes Fox to tell them they're right and run stories that fit with their viewers' existing beliefs. Take the birther stuff. Did Fox plant the idea that Obama was born in Kenya in viewers heads? No. These people started off already believing Obama wasn't a real American, because of his skin color, cause of his name, etc. So when Fox poses the question "where is Obama's birth certificate?", these people can nod their heads and say "yeah, I bet he wasn't born here." People love to feel like they belong to a group. They want to know that there are others just like them, who think like them, who want the same things, etc. So the people who watch Fox can take comfort in knowing the world is full of people who agree with them. And here's a "news" channel telling them they're right and that the "liberal" media is wrong. Just like the rest of TV, Fox knows who its audience and gives them what they want. So if you got a problem with what TV in general is showing, blame the viewers. What's on TV is more or less a reflection of what they want.
So what? Are we supposed to ban TV because parents are too lazy to monitor what their kids watch? Are we going to ban books that could potentially give kids the wrong idea too? All this talk about TV influencing kids is just a cop-out. Kids don't shoot up their classmates because TV or video games are violent. There are plenty of kids who watch those same shows and play the same games who grow up to be healthy adults. What's the difference? Their parents taught them right and wrong.
Sheesh Denny, you asked the question, I gave you my point of view, and you take it to the complete other end of the spectrum? No, I'm not saying ban TV...
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Chatting about your favorite show and analyzing the plot and characters isn't the same as being influenced by it. I can watch a movie like Inception where the main character enters people's dreams and steals their ideas. But that doesn't mean I'll come away thinking it's OK to do such a thing.
Chatting about it is one thing, however, I don't think your aware of how many people actually view this differently from you? Boy, kiddo, you don't bend at all, which makes it very difficult to have a discussion with you...your very wise, but not very flexable...Denny, just b/c you think one way, doesn't mean your right and I'm wrong, or visa versa...you asked and I'm giving you my opinion
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I expect viewers to be smart enough to recognize the difference between fantasy and reality.
You expect...well, I have news for you, people are not going to live up to your expectations, ever...the only one who can do that is you.
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You can watch a show where the main character's cheating on her husband, even find yourself sympathizing with her. But if you come away thinking it's OK to cheat on one's spouse, that says more about you than it does about TV.
When you see this time and again, over and over it becomes acceptable behavior...when I was little, men didn't cheat on they're husbands on TV...but that wasn't the real world either....however....violence and sex surely does have an impact on society...and if you clean up the violence, everything else falls into place, but it will never happen, as American's have grown so corrupt. Rules don't mean anything to people anymore...and some are void of morals. It's not all b/c of TV, how ever, TV does have an impact over society..about what is acceptable and what is not.
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The fact that you could be so easily persuaded to do something you know is wrong all because you saw it on a TV show implies that your moral foundation was probably pretty weak to begin with.
Conditioning takes years....and years...it doesn't happen overnight...however, if all a kid watches is TV and plays video games, where do you think his beliefs will come from? I went from a generation of TV shows that showed respect for parents...and then TV sitcoms slowly started showing kids talking back to they're parents...I remember how mad my father was about it...and this happened over the past say 40 years...and kids see stuff and actually think it's real. I know parents whose kids thought they could fly and tried it...
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I've lost count of how many times I've seen someone get shot to death on TV or in the movies. But despite being desensitized to movie violence, it hasn't desensitized me to real-life violence. Why?
Well, that's you...period...I remember how TV shows never showed graphic violence....and over the last forty years, violence became more graphic...some of which I cannot watch...but more I can...b/c I'm becoming desensitized, however, maybe twenty years ago, I couldn't have watched that stuff....
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Because even when I'm watching the movie, I know the person isn't actually being killed. It's fake. Same with the kids talking back to their TV parents. Give kids some credit for intelligence. They can see those kids on TV and laugh. But they can also come away remembering that they could never get away with that in real life.
Well I know it's fake to, but it's still freakin scarey, and gives people ideas...how many times have you heard the copes talk about copy cat killers...who watch these movies and it gives them ideas...insane, yeah, but it's as real and alive as you are....
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TV can put forth ideas, but it's up to the viewer to reject them. Think about all the commercials you see telling you to buy their product. Do you buy a product just because you've seen the commercial for it a thousand times?
No I don't but people do, and people are just as addicted to buying these products as gamblers are to the casinos...or they wouldn't be on....
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No, because you have a mind of your own and can reject whatever message the commercial is sending. What you see on TV is a reflection of the audience's preferences. Brad and Angelina aren't on the evening news because the producers are trying to shove them down our throats. They're on the news because some network exec realized they'll attract more viewers if they did stories about them.
yeah, I stated that...which shows the mentality of most, not all, but most Americans. Scarey....and that is why people thrive on gossip...b/c they're so used to seeing it on TV, it now makes sense...I mean, I know a woman who talks about movie stars like they're her personal friends...
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So if you have a problem with what's on TV, don't blame the execs. Blame the rest of the public for saying to the entertainment industry that they like this stuff. Sure, television may not be intellectually challenging. But again, it comes down to what the audience wants. If they don't want to be challenged, if they just want fluff, then that's what TV is going to give them. I knew some really smart guys in college, people who'd discuss the arts, philosophy, economics, politics, etc. But they'd still take time out to watch Beavis and Butthead. People have their tastes and it may not make sense to the rest of us. But I don't infer stuff about them since I know what people find entertaining isn't really under their control.
It is under our control....like I said before, if they'd not watch this crap, the producers wouldn't get ratings and they'd put other things on TV...your going off on a tangine here and I agree with most of what you say, however, I'm having fun discussing this, don't get upset....I agree with most of what you say, however, I do disagree and believe and always will that TV conditions people. Not all but a lot of people. I mean, there are people out there who absolutely believe the news media to be 100% right?
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Now you're contradicting yourself. First you say people are becoming desensitized to violence. Then you say it's addictive and they want more. If you become desensitized to something, why would you want more?
Well, it stands to reason...if your desensitized slowly, lets say two years ago I saw a movie that was pretty violent...blood and guts, and this years I'm watching True Blood which is extremely violent...the more I watch the more desensitized I become, and the next movie is even worse...but I can watch it now...when before maybe several years ago, I couldn't.
Denny, I'm not saying TV is totally to blame for the way people are and act today, what I'm saying is, TV is definately an additive for the way people think and feel...now you don't agree with me, fine...however, I believe it...I've seen it...I'm 61 years old and I've seen a lot of changes in the world b/c of TV...not all of them good...
Just like cell phones have made people extremely rude and so totally unaware of the space of others....I'm outside taking a break, and someone comes out and talks on they're cell phone and all I want is peace and quiet...however, they don't care and have no concept of the fact, that I don't want to hear they're privet conversations....but that is another thread....
Sounds a bit like a high school exam question, lol. Discuss...
I'm of the opinion they generally reinforce stereotypes, but there are definitely exceptions, although there's a general tone of mocking and patronising that's maybe a by-product of humour that I think can make it harder for people to free themselves from the superficialities that breed insecurity.
Sitcoms are art, and no that's not a facetious comment. Any item that is for expressive purposes is art. And people relate to art, which is one reason why we create it. People in some sense can relate to Two and a Half Men, Charlie is a player and Alan is a single father. Both are things many can relate to.
I also reckon it takes somebody of sub-par reasoning to believe pop-culture values. Sitcoms often put forward these things, which IMO is why they are popular.
Sounds a bit like a high school exam question, lol. Discuss...
I'm of the opinion they generally reinforce stereotypes, but there are definitely exceptions, although there's a general tone of mocking and patronising that's maybe a by-product of humour that I think can make it harder for people to free themselves from the superficialities that breed insecurity.
The media is both a reflection of society and a shaper of perceptions of what's acceptable behavior. Look at how men and women are portrayed these days. Men are the dolts and oafs, but women are the strong intelligent types that have an even hand and correct all the mans errors. Some also show violence against men as if it's a laughing matter.
Has anyone yet brought up the fact that Ralph was constantly intimating that he was going to punch his wife in the face on The Honeymooners in the 30s? Or that this and other shows were "teaching" that it was cute and funny when husbands gambled life savings, career, etc. on crazy schemes and that they should be forgiven for both of these ongoing actions by a wife who, in the end, always kissed and hugged them with a big grin?
"Teaching" bizarre stuff is not exactly news when it comes to TV, folks. And sitcoms have always been a sort of Bizarro World version of reality. All in the Family comes to mind, too. Even The Flintstones (a show that was an obviously direct takeoff on The Honeymooners with Fred's constant dribbling away of the household income, etc. with crazy schemes, and his abuse of his best friend, who just kept good-naturedly coming back for more as many times as he was insulted...and of course, Wilma smiling and giving that funny lug a big ol' kiss at the end of each episode) come to mind. How about The Dukes of Hazzard? Wasn't it soooooooooo funny how they drove lethally and constantly outsmarted the cops while doing so? What about Dallas, where the cruel rich man could be a cult hero? How about Hogan's Heroes? Nazis are so hilarious! Bewitched: Marriage only works when the wife denies who she truly is, or, if she slips up and actually acts according to her nature, that she's willing to apologize for it. What about soap operas, which teach that a marriage just isn't a marriage unless somebody is cheating? Whomever bases his or her life on TV wasn't headed for huge relationship success to begin with. I mean come on. And no. It is definitely not anything new.
Aww, so cute! Such an innocent time. (rolling eyes)
yanno, when I was a little girl, and we watched this, he used to really scare me....I hated that show, b/c I really thought he was going to hit her???? Silly huh?
Has anyone yet brought up the fact that Ralph was constantly intimating that he was going to punch his wife in the face on The Honeymooners in the 30s? Or that this and other shows were "teaching" that it was cute and funny when husbands gambled life savings, career, etc. on crazy schemes and that they should be forgiven for both of these ongoing actions by a wife who, in the end, always kissed and hugged them with a big grin?
"Teaching" bizarre stuff is not exactly news when it comes to TV, folks. And sitcoms have always been a sort of Bizarro World version of reality. All in the Family comes to mind, too. Even The Flintstones (a show that was an obviously direct takeoff on The Honeymooners with Fred's constant dribbling away of the household income, etc. with crazy schemes, and his abuse of his best friend, who just kept good-naturedly coming back for more as many times as he was insulted...and of course, Wilma smiling and giving that funny lug a big ol' kiss at the end of each episode) come to mind. How about The Dukes of Hazzard? Wasn't it soooooooooo funny how they drove lethally and constantly outsmarted the cops while doing so? What about Dallas, where the cruel rich man could be a cult hero? How about Hogan's Heroes? Nazis are so hilarious! Bewitched: Marriage only works when the wife denies who she truly is, or, if she slips up and actually acts according to her nature, that she's willing to apologize for it. What about soap operas, which teach that a marriage just isn't a marriage unless somebody is cheating? Whomever bases his or her life on TV wasn't headed for huge relationship success to begin with. I mean come on. And no. It is definitely not anything new.
YOU GO GIRL, you said exactly what I've been trying to say.....we laugh at what we should deem immoral and corrupt....remember good times, I used to hate that show the way JJ talked to his parents...he has such a cocky attitude.....
Sheesh Denny, you asked the question, I gave you my point of view, and you take it to the complete other end of the spectrum? No, I'm not saying ban TV...
Well then I don't quite get what your point is. If you're so convinced that TV is sending out dangerous messages, that it's corrupting our youth, that it's making people devalue their marriages, then why aren't you calling for it be be banned or at least censored? I think you're not because you realize that people aren't that easily influenced, that despite the barrage of messages we get everyday, we can ignore a lot of it if we choose to.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
Chatting about it is one thing, however, I don't think your aware of how many people actually view this differently from you? Boy, kiddo, you don't bend at all, which makes it very difficult to have a discussion with you...your very wise, but not very flexable...Denny, just b/c you think one way, doesn't mean your right and I'm wrong, or visa versa...you asked and I'm giving you my opinion
So because you haven't convinced me, that makes me inflexible? The problem is that you just haven't made your case. You told me to look at threads in the entertainment section and see how people analyze their favorite shows. But how does analyzing a show prove that you're being influenced by it?
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
You expect...well, I have news for you, people are not going to live up to your expectations, ever...the only one who can do that is you.
I could easily say the same about you. You expect that most people won't be able to filter out what they see or hear on TV.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
When you see this time and again, over and over it becomes acceptable behavior...when I was little, men didn't cheat on they're husbands on TV...but that wasn't the real world either....however....violence and sex surely does have an impact on society...and if you clean up the violence, everything else falls into place, but it will never happen, as American's have grown so corrupt. Rules don't mean anything to people anymore...and some are void of morals. It's not all b/c of TV, how ever, TV does have an impact over society..about what is acceptable and what is not.
Correlation doesn't prove causation. Seeing the same act over and over doesn't automatically make it more acceptable. Whitewashing TV to make it cleaner and less violent isn't going to make the world a less violent place or make people cheat less.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
Conditioning takes years....and years...it doesn't happen overnight...however, if all a kid watches is TV and plays video games, where do you think his beliefs will come from? I went from a generation of TV shows that showed respect for parents...and then TV sitcoms slowly started showing kids talking back to they're parents...I remember how mad my father was about it...and this happened over the past say 40 years...and kids see stuff and actually think it's real. I know parents whose kids thought they could fly and tried it...
And I and a lot of my friends grew up watching shows like The A-Team where people were shooting and punching each other every 5 minutes. We also played games like Doom where all you do is kill everything in sight. But we didn't let it influence our beliefs.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
Well I know it's fake to, but it's still freakin scarey, and gives people ideas...how many times have you heard the copes talk about copy cat killers...who watch these movies and it gives them ideas...insane, yeah, but it's as real and alive as you are....
People who kill don't need TV or movies to give them ideas on how to kill someone. Humans have been killing each other LONG before TV was invented.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
No I don't but people do, and people are just as addicted to buying these products as gamblers are to the casinos...or they wouldn't be on....
Oh I see. So you're different. What makes you able to resist the message those commercials send out when everyone else who sees them can't? Did it ever occur to you that maybe those commercials air over and over precisely because people AREN'T buying? After all, if people are addicted to your product, you shouldn't need to advertise it. It's only if you're worried they'll stop buying or switch to a competitor that you have to remind them of why your product is so great.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
yeah, I stated that...which shows the mentality of most, not all, but most Americans. Scarey....and that is why people thrive on gossip...b/c they're so used to seeing it on TV, it now makes sense...I mean, I know a woman who talks about movie stars like they're her personal friends...
No, they gossip because they find it entertaining. I personally don't understand why people are interested in following Lindsay Lohan's personal life. More people would rather hear about American Idol than what's happening in Washington or Afghanistan. It's sad, but they don't follow this fluff because they see it all the time. They follow it because they want to and the entertainment shows know that, which is why they give the audience what it wants.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
It is under our control....like I said before, if they'd not watch this crap, the producers wouldn't get ratings and they'd put other things on TV...your going off on a tangine here and I agree with most of what you say, however, I'm having fun discussing this, don't get upset....I agree with most of what you say, however, I do disagree and believe and always will that TV conditions people. Not all but a lot of people. I mean, there are people out there who absolutely believe the news media to be 100% right?
Actually I'm going off-topic. You've been claiming that TV influences what people think. But now we're agreeing that what the entertainment industry puts out is really just a reflection of what viewers want. As for people who believe in the media, I think you'll find they only believe the media who says stuff that fits in with their previous views. If it contradicts something they believe, they're more likely to dismiss the news as biased.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
Well, it stands to reason...if your desensitized slowly, lets say two years ago I saw a movie that was pretty violent...blood and guts, and this years I'm watching True Blood which is extremely violent...the more I watch the more desensitized I become, and the next movie is even worse...but I can watch it now...when before maybe several years ago, I couldn't.
But you still haven't explained how becoming desensitized to something can make you want more of it? When I was a kid, I loved action movies because the stunts and special effects were unbelievable. But now I've seen so many movies with endless action and special effects that I'm actually left bored. It doesn't impress me anymore because I've seen it so many times. In other words, I'm desensitized to it, which has left craving less of it, not more.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
Denny, I'm not saying TV is totally to blame for the way people are and act today, what I'm saying is, TV is definately an additive for the way people think and feel...now you don't agree with me, fine...however, I believe it...I've seen it...I'm 61 years old and I've seen a lot of changes in the world b/c of TV...not all of them good...
I think it's a generational thing. My parents are in their 60s too and feel the same as you. But I'm in my 30s and just see TV more of a reflection of what's going on in the real world compared to TV of the 50s.
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Originally Posted by cremebrulee
Just like cell phones have made people extremely rude and so totally unaware of the space of others....I'm outside taking a break, and someone comes out and talks on they're cell phone and all I want is peace and quiet...however, they don't care and have no concept of the fact, that I don't want to hear they're privet conversations....but that is another thread....
Well this is another example where I think you've got cause and effect mixed up. I don't think cell phones have made people rude. I think they were rude to begin with and cell phones have just made it more obvious. You could be sitting in a movie theater and the person next to you is on their phone during the movie. But something tells me if they didn't have a phone, but a friend sitting next to them, they'd still be talking during the movie. The cell phone just gives them another way to be impolite, but it doesn't MAKE them impolite.
DennyCrane Well then I don't quite get what your point is. If you're so convinced that TV is sending out dangerous messages, that it's corrupting our youth, that it's making people devalue their marriages, then why aren't you calling for it be be banned or at least censored? I think you're not because you realize that people aren't that easily influenced, that despite the barrage of messages we get everyday, we can ignore a lot of it if we choose to.
So because you haven't convinced me, that makes me inflexible? The problem is that you just haven't made your case. You told me to look at threads in the entertainment section and see how people analyze their favorite shows. But how does analyzing a show prove that you're being influenced by it?
I could easily say the same about you. You expect that most people won't be able to filter out what they see or hear on TV.
Correlation doesn't prove causation. Seeing the same act over and over doesn't automatically make it more acceptable. Whitewashing TV to make it cleaner and less violent isn't going to make the world a less violent place or make people cheat less.
And I and a lot of my friends grew up watching shows like The A-Team where people were shooting and punching each other every 5 minutes. We also played games like Doom where all you do is kill everything in sight. But we didn't let it influence our beliefs.
People who kill don't need TV or movies to give them ideas on how to kill someone. Humans have been killing each other LONG before TV was invented.
Oh I see. So you're different. What makes you able to resist the message those commercials send out when everyone else who sees them can't? Did it ever occur to you that maybe those commercials air over and over precisely because people AREN'T buying? After all, if people are addicted to your product, you shouldn't need to advertise it. It's only if you're worried they'll stop buying or switch to a competitor that you have to remind them of why your product is so great.
No, they gossip because they find it entertaining. I personally don't understand why people are interested in following Lindsay Lohan's personal life. More people would rather hear about American Idol than what's happening in Washington or Afghanistan. It's sad, but they don't follow this fluff because they see it all the time. They follow it because they want to and the entertainment shows know that, which is why they give the audience what it wants.
Actually I'm going off-topic. You've been claiming that TV influences what people think. But now we're agreeing that what the entertainment industry puts out is really just a reflection of what viewers want. As for people who believe in the media, I think you'll find they only believe the media who says stuff that fits in with their previous views. If it contradicts something they believe, they're more likely to dismiss the news as biased.
But you still haven't explained how becoming desensitized to something can make you want more of it? When I was a kid, I loved action movies because the stunts and special effects were unbelievable. But now I've seen so many movies with endless action and special effects that I'm actually left bored. It doesn't impress me anymore because I've seen it so many times. In other words, I'm desensitized to it, which has left craving less of it, not more.
I think it's a generational thing. My parents are in their 60s too and feel the same as you. But I'm in my 30s and just see TV more of a reflection of what's going on in the real world compared to TV of the 50s.
Well this is another example where I think you've got cause and effect mixed up. I don't think cell phones have made people rude. I think they were rude to begin with and cell phones have just made it more obvious. You could be sitting in a movie theater and the person next to you is on their phone during the movie. But something tells me if they didn't have a phone, but a friend sitting next to them, they'd still be talking during the movie. The cell phone just gives them another way to be impolite, but it doesn't MAKE them impolite.
Denny, you started this thread, you asked people for they're opinion...I gave you mine, everything I say you kick the dog until it's dead and then you keep on kicking it with your own opinion...doesn't say your wrong and I'm right, it's simply my opinion....you asked I told you....stop trying to tell me how to think and feel by twisting everything I say back over to your opinion....
fine, you don't agree with me....sheeesh....over and out....
You remind me of an old boyfriend who just loved to be contrary....and tell you your feelings were wrong...because I thought one way and he thought another....
you can't keep telling people there wrong because you don't agree with them...everyone has a right to an opinion...boy oh boy, do I feel sorry for your wife...she's got a long road ahead of her....you have no idea of the words flexable, allowance and being able to look at a broader picture....it's your way or the highway...and man oh man do you see things that are not even there, I don't believe your able to listen and reflect on someone else's views....?????? I'm sorry but I don't.
So, I'm wrong, wrong, wong, and your right...hows that...?
excuse me, but your giving me a headache....gotta go....
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