You know, I used to think a lot of things on TV were ridiculous and asinine.
I still do.
Yet I’m starting to understand something about programming ‘- every time we tune in and watch a show, it’s like we’re casting a vote saying that we approve of whatever we’re watching. My revelation came as I sat and watched the beginning of the eighth season of ‘American Idol.’
Eight seasons! Holy crap! What were we thinking?
But as I watched contestant after contestant humiliate them self, honestly believing they had a shot at the title, it became clear that whatever I may think about the intelligence level of the show, America needs BS like this.
We need it because we have to see that others out there are struggling, failing or just plain worse at singing Michael Jackson classics than we might be. And I think that’s what the real draw of the show is: the crash and burn factor.
We, as a country, love to see that someone has it worse than us, and it’s no surprise. With the country going to hell in a hand basket, people need things to turn their attention away from the issues that really matter, from their own personal woes.
Would you rather think about your defaulted mortgage, your failing business or the woman who throws a tantrum because she wasn’t chosen, screaming (and I mean SCREAMING) ‘NOOOOOOOOO!!’ and writhing about on the ground like she’s being skewered on national television (I guarantee you this one is up on YouTube).
We’re a country full of procrastinators and people who prefer to be distracted from reality. That’s the only way to possibly validate the existence of not only ‘American Idol.’
It’s the only explanation as to why movie theaters continue to sell out weekend after weekend despite an economic meltdown.
People always want to escape their lives, but now people want to escape the world itself.’
Don’t get me wrong ‘- I don’t think people should spend every day mired in their own existence.
People need a break and an escape; it’s natural and healthy.’
And in a world where we’re bombarded constantly by media, it’s easy to see how we can get wrapped up in the trials and tribulations of others.
(I have to admit I’m partial to watching ‘Big Brother After Dark’ and seeing all the seedy activities of the house guests long after the majority of the national audience stops watching).
But we can’t function as intelligent people if we continue to substitute our own lives with the lives of others.
We even let ourselves get wrapped up in our friends’ (or relatives’ or significant others’ or, in some cases, ex’s) lives via Facebook and Myspace, constantly updating each other about what we’re doing and why it matters, hungry for comments and input.
Today, more than ever, we need to be aware of ourselves, our own situations, so that we might better master and overcome them, or at the very least cope.
Let entertainment do its job and entertain you.
Don’t let it subvert your very existence.
Oh, and a parting thought. Simon Cowell, it’s funny when you’re a douchebag and embarrass and harass the contestants in person. Please, don’t change a bit.
Josh Kratovil may be reached at jkratovil@ut.edu.
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