Something depressing

[apocalypsos]

Every time I feel the urge to say something along the lines of, "If the issues at hand are such a problem, then why are you still watching?", I have to remind myself of the following three things:

1. If I gave up shows that have skeevy women's issues, I wouldn't be watching anything.
2. If I gave up shows that have skeevy racial issues, I wouldn't be watching anything.
3. If I gave up shows that have skeevy gay and lesbian issues, I wouldn't be watching anything.

Sad, but true.

Comments

[snellios.livejournal.com]

i still think you should become a TV writer!

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

Ditto. But you can always write in and politely tell them about the issues.

Or trope about it, like I do.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

But you can always write in and politely tell them about the issues.

Yes, this. Emphasis on "politely." :)

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

Always the emphasis on politely. Always.

I'm actually making people think on Digg because I'm being polite when I ask them to prove the things they say negative about Obama or positive about McCain.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Yeah, making them think usually works out a lot better than making them, first and foremost, pissed as hell.

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

True, and it gives them hope regarding the opposition.

"If this person is polite, maybe they're not all screaming freakouts who can't carry on a conversation like a civilized person."

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

... heh. The pointed, thinly veiled sarcasm in this conversation is starting to show a little, isn't it? ;)

[paradisacorbasi.livejournal.com]

Is it? o.O I hadn't noticed. ;D

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

There's a line from one of the Spider Robinson's Callahan books that I'm trying to remember, along the lines of 'If we don't keep watching TV, it's only going to get worse.'

Watch the shows, enjoy them for what they are, but don't pretend the flaws aren't there and don't let TPTB think they don't matter.

[fakymcfakerson.livejournal.com]

Middleman? Proof that TV can evolve?

(of course, just because I haven't noticed the issues doesn't mean they're not there, but I hope!)

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

Pushing Daisies? /meek

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

Well, so far, so good on that count, but it's only nine episodes and I'm terrified I'm going to turn it on this season and the other shoe's going to drop. :(

[laurelin-kit.livejournal.com]

Wonderfalls did okay (on issues - story was fantastic) for its 13 episodes and I heard Six Feet Under was excellent, so I have hope.

[xzombiexkittenx.livejournal.com]

I'm a big fan of Mad Men right now because the chacters are racists and mysogynists and homophobic because it's the early 60s. And they write it well. Very well so that we, as the audience react towards the character and the writing in very different ways. Well worth a watch if you're tired of being skeeved.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I keep meaning to sit down and watch it (I've heard pretty much all of that), but with my schedule it's ridiculous. *sigh*

[cidercupcakes.livejournal.com]

Hrm. I mean, yeah, definitely, but at the same time, the degree definitely makes a difference. No show's ever going to be perfect on all fronts, but there are certainly some shows making more of an effort than others.

Personally, I've no problem with people just watching something because it hits their storytelling kinks. Lord knows my taste can be pretty lousy. If someone can just say, without defensiveness, "yeah, it fails a lot on Issue A, but it uses Theme Z and Character Type N, so it's pretty much crack for me," I tend to have a lot more respect for them. BtVS fails hard on race -- a whole show set in SoCal and we get one Latina, in a bit part in the seventh season, no Asians, and one Black (again, bit part in the seventh season)? REALLY? -- and frankly I think Joss's feminist cred is overrated, but A) he tries, which is more than certain other showrunners do, and B) much more importantly, he uses characters and issues that appeal to me on a very fundamental level, so I'm (usually) willing to grit my teeth and recognize the fail while getting what enjoyment I can.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

Yep.

Some of us don't watch anything.

[sabotabby]

Oh, I so know what you mean.

(The masochist in me really likes dissecting said issues, though. I might lose interest if I wasn't occasionally/frequently offended.)

[sophie-448.livejournal.com]

Word. So very sad, but true. Also, if I didn't care about a show, I wouldn't be terribly interested in talking about its issues. Just sayin'

[torificus.livejournal.com]

I have thought about getting mad about some of the skeevy issues involved in a lot of my shows, but you know what? I watch tv to get AWAY from that kind of analysis that makes me cranky about the entire planet.

[lilacsigil.livejournal.com]

Middleman is awesome on the first two, not terrible on the third.

[strippedpink.livejournal.com]

Good griiiief, I just saw what went down on the other post.

Ugh, I'm sorry that happened in your journal, Jenn.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

God, wasn't that special? I don't even get when that is EVER appropriate and not rude as hell.

[strippedpink.livejournal.com]

That's because there's never a time when it is. I don't get why people come on the internet and seem to forget the rules of basic human interaction.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

I know, right? Oh, but hey, it's the internet! It's okay to behave like a jackass as long as it's on the internet.

I'm not even a big fan of banning people from my LJ (I think I've done it three times in five years), but that shit was just not on.

[strippedpink.livejournal.com]

Hey, I don't even blame you. It sort of feeds into the issues *I* have about people basically using LJ as a message board. It's NOT a message board; it's a journal service. And you shouldn't have to deal with that kind of bullshit in the place where YOU are possibly PAYING to feel comfortable.

I'm not even sure if you knew that person beforehand, but you can probably imagine how FUN it is to have that happen when it's just some random jackass showing up to wreck the party.

[apocalypsos.livejournal.com]

It's NOT a message board; it's a journal service.

YES, THIS. I just ... I can't imagine having the cojones to piss in someone else's Cheerios, at least not in the comments of their own LJ. (If I do have a problem, I'll bring it to my own LJ.) I mean, I won't post a dissenting opinion in someone else's LJ unless I'm sure I can do so without turning into a crazy enraged lunatic who makes my side look bad. I don't understand how anybody could do so not giving a shit whether or not they're the least bit rational.

I know she's been around a while, and I could swear I remember a handful of times she was involved in some tense discussions in my LJ, but never anything THAT beyond the pale. That was incredibly rude, and I'm still trying to figure out why she felt it was okay to go that far in my LJ when I try not to go even close to that far in anybody else's LJ.

*sigh*