Leave a big hole in the wall just where you are looking in

[the_siobhan]

I am now on iteration six of "why did you delete my yahoogroup". The emails keep getting longer as I include all the paragraphs about how their response has once again completely failed to answer my question.

I honestly no longer expect an explanation, I'm just curious to see how long we can keep this up.

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One of the differences between exercising at the Y' and the community centre where I currently work out is the big honkin' television in the weight room. Since I go there during the day I am now regularily exposed to the visual and auditory treat that is daytime television programming.

It's very blatantly targetted to women, which I kinda knew already without really thinking about it. What I hadn't realized is just how condescending it is. Holy crap. It's all I can do not to punt a water bottle through the screen some days.

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I've also been force-feeding myself reality television for the last couple of months and that's been really educational. I found the Amazing Race really engaging, but so far that's the only one that's had any appeal at all.

I caught the episode of America's Top Model where they actually had the women painted up and posing as victims of violent murders. At one point I was standing up in the living room and yelling at the judges, "What the hell is WRONG with you people!"

I also watched a couple of seasons of Big Brother and I found that one really interesting. The show itself is actually really dull but I get fascinated by watching the changes I could see in peoples' personalities over the three months of the show. I think because I was viewing the whole thing condensed into one or two sittings it became much more obvious what effect the environment had on the participants.

The people who live in the Big Brother household live in a total lack of privacy but at the same time they are completely isolated from the outside world. So they completely lose any sense of perspective. It was like watching one of those old brain-washing experiments where you could witness the obsessiveness and paranoia growing with every interaction.

I kept wondering what would have happened if they left the house and discovered some major event had occured while they were in there and isolated - what effect that revelation would have on them. Like if they had been in there during the events of 9/11, say.

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Today is my first day of bringing my bike to work. Wheeee!

Comments

[kat1031.livejournal.com]

Why are you forcing yourself to watch reality tv? You can't possibly hate yourself that badly.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Research. :-)

I'm trying to write a book for which a large back of the background is the making of a reality show.

[kat1031.livejournal.com]

Aah... That makes sense, then. Hopefully the plot of the book is that everyone involved in such a thing are morons who are the harebringers of the fall of Western society?

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

Something along the lines of how much people will justify to themselves if they're making money at it.

I rented a copy of The Swan because I want to get into the head of the people who would think of something like that. I have yet to be able to convince myself to watch it.

[kat1031.livejournal.com]

I'm just not sure i could, either. Not even in the name of research.

My schadenfreude doesn't run that deep.

[grimjim.livejournal.com]

Victims of violent murders? I'll blame CSI for inspiring that setup.

I thought there in fact was a Big Brother season where they weren't told of 9/11 until after the shows had stopped filming, but all I found was this.
http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,12084,966408,00.html

One of the participants in America's second Big Brother, which was transmitted through the events of September 11, was called into the diary room and told about the attacks. She was informed that her sister and niece who were New York residents were both fine, but that her cousin who worked in the World Trade Centre was missing. Leaving the contestant to be told the news by the anonymous voice of Big Brother, with a camera trained on her, when she could easily have been taken aside and told off set, is clearly inexcusable. Her confusion and grief was a private matter and she should have been allowed to deal with it in private. It is a salutary reminder of the responsibility that the producers have to their contestants.

[the-siobhan.livejournal.com]

That's pretty fucking brutal.

I read a really interesting story about some culture jammers trying to sabotage the show and convince the cast to stage a walk-out. That would have been pretty lively.

[greylock.livejournal.com]

I came here to mention the 9/11 thing, but I couldn't remember any of the details.

In the early days of BB in Australia there were a few attempts to break into the compound, including someone sky-diving. None were terribly successful.

Daytime TV here is dross. There's a show called "Mums & Bubs" I discovered last week. It is sponsored by Huggies nappies. It is awful.

[spikella.livejournal.com]

nice... customer service non-explanations are always amusing to me. Especially since i've spent so many years speaking/writing them myself.
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yes... yes it is.

my television and I broke things off years ago. Although we still have occasional flings when the mood strikes me (a few times a year)

My love affair with teh interwebz is still going strong though
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I want to start biking to work too.
I've got to get moving on that before it gets too stupid hot to do it.

[porcinea.livejournal.com]

Have you watched Survivor? I love Survivor.

Eco-Challenge was also great, but doesn't seem to be on anymore.