In my absence from the computer world, I've been watching more television. I've caught up on my usual shows like Top Chef, The Good Wife and some brainless TV that shall remain nameless. But in my channel surfing, I happened upon a new reality game show that has me truly appalled.
The show is called Downfall and it airs on ABC...the premise being that contestants have a certain number of time to answer trivia questions; meanwhile several prizes are lined up on a conveyor belt that they can win. Keep in mind that these are relatively big prizes that include grand pianos, appliances and cars to name just a few. As the time passes and the contestant can not answer the trivia question, the prizes roll off the conveyor belt and are thrown off the roof of a skyscraper only to break into pieces at the bottom. Yes - the show destroys perfectly good items all in the name of entertainment.
So I have to wonder: is this the kind of entertainment America wants these days? Really? In this terrible economy, with people struggling to make ends meat, do they really find it fun to watch things crash into a million pieces? It's horrifying to me. It's unconscionable. But mostly it is sad that the public sense of interest has fallen to such a bitter low. No wonder book stores are closing. No wonder libraries are closing for one day a week. It makes me sick as a writer to think that people are watching that junk on TV, because it can only mean one thing: they are not reading or using their imagination.
Creativity has been thrown out the window along with the baby grand piano and the new car I saw fly off the roof. I better get my computer back before I become even more jaded!
Oh, my. That's just horrifying! I don't think I could bear to watch that. (We don't have TV, at least not any reception, which is the best thing that ever happened to our family.) Thanks for stopping by my blog and becoming a follower!
ReplyDeleteThat kind of show would totally irk me. I can just see the producers now..."Let's smash stuff! Yeah! That'll get people watching!"
ReplyDeleteThis is one of those reasons I hardly watch TV anymore.
:)
If you're interested in smart and creative television, watch Friday Night Lights. The L.A. Times even called it the best drama in the *history* of television, and yet...nobody watches it. That's why we get crap like Downfall. :-(
ReplyDeleteSo, does this post mean your computer is fixed or did you get a new one? Mine died last August and I had to share with my husband...that was not a good situation. lol.
Downfall sounds truly terrible. Truly. I try to read more than I watch tv these days. Glad I'm not missing out on anything.
ReplyDeleteNo, my computer is still dead. So yes, Mary, I too am sharing with my husband while we look into a new one. Definitely an adjustment but since I like to write the old fashioned way (pen and notebook), I'm getting alot of writing done!
ReplyDeleteWow! That sounds like a sad, messy show. I can hardly wait until Castle return in the fall (It's a show with Nathan Fillion, who plays a mystery writer).
ReplyDeleteThank you for following my blog. That's very nice of you.