What mindless sheep watch on T.V.

[thx1138]

1. "American Idol" (Tuesday), Fox, 23.65 million viewers.
2. "American Idol" (Wednesday), Fox, 23.34 million viewers.
3. "Dancing With The Stars" (Monday), ABC, 17.20 million viewers.
4. "Desperate Housewives," ABC, 15.75 million viewers.
5. "Dancing with the Stars" (Tuesday), ABC, 15.42 million viewers.

[Compugasm]

Whew, I've never seen any of them.

[Voluntary]

Call me a mindless sheep, but 'Burn Notice' is my new favorite TV show; it's like MacGyver and Miami Vice tied into one show....good times.

[Dagda]

I think reality T.V has went too far. It is being used as a form of cheap entertainment by channels so they don't have to pay actors, writers, prop and stage hands etc.

[thx1138]

Quote by: Dagda I think reality T.V has went too far. It is being used as a form of cheap entertainment by channels so they don't have to pay actors, writers, prop and stage hands etc.

Not only that, but it's being used as a tool to even futher dumb down the masses that can't follow a story line that's not aimed at eight year old.

[Voluntary]

Quote by: thx1138 Not only that, but it's being used as a tool to even futher dumb down the masses that can't follow a story line that's not aimed at eight year old.

A tool by who?

[grandpa]

Quote by: Voluntary A tool by who?

By the entertainment industry, I suppose.

Grandpa h.

[Dagda]

Not only that, but it's being used as a tool to even futher dumb down the masses that can't follow a story line that's not aimed at eight year old.

I've finnaly found someone to whom my argument does not fall on deaf ears! I think, thanks to reality T.V.and various other mediams, our intellegence and cultural awarness is sliding backwards.

[Tim]

Has anybody ever read anything by Chuck Klosterman? In his book Sex, Drugs, and Coccopuffs he argues that The Real World has pretty much created eight personalities, and that now everyone fits into one of those eight. It has limited the amount of identities available. It's actually a hilarious section of the book. I recommend it to anyone who hasn't read it; it's pretty much one giant mess of pop-culture references and funny ideas.

[Thanatos]

Quote by: Voluntary A tool by who?

Entropy. The brain is a largely unnecessary organ for survival and reproduction in the modern world. All you really need are some gonads.

Most of what we're seeing now is cultural decay. Because being stupid is no longer a life-threatening penalty education is just not that important. Our idea of a horrible war is a few thousand dead and our idea of a famine corresponds to what would have been considered boundless plenty in the middle ages. Modern depressions are economic booms compared to depressions a century ago.

There's no cure. The world can't have any more serious wars because people have nukes and it would be a little too serious. Traditional cures for stupidity like smilodons and dire wolves are no more. Give up. Enjoy your American Idol.

[Jayjhis]

Quote by: Thanatos Entropy. The brain is a largely unnecessary organ for survival and reproduction in the modern world. All you really need are some gonads.

I watched this movie called "Idiocracy" that was all about that. It was stupid and the average 8 year old could probably follow the story line with no problem but it was also chillingly accurate I think.

In the first scenes of the movie it goes through this whole explanation, comparing the number of descendants of two stupid parents vs. two smart parents before the plot places a person of average intelligence centuries into the future where he is by far the smartest person on Earth. There's a funny scene about Gatorade.

[Gods_Mercenary]

Quote by: Voluntary Call me a mindless sheep, but 'Burn Notice' is my new favorite TV show; it's like MacGyver and Miami Vice tied into one show....good times.

Nah, it'sa good, entartaining show, funny with enough action.

[Gods_Mercenary]

Quote by: Dagda I've finnaly found someone to whom my argument does not fall on deaf ears! I think, thanks to reality T.V.and various other mediams, our intellegence and cultural awarness is sliding backwards.

People have always been idiots, reality TV is a symptom, not a cause.

[Thanatos]

Quote by: Jayjhis I watched this movie called "Idiocracy" that was all about that. It was stupid and the average 8 year old could probably follow the story line with no problem but it was also chillingly accurate I think. In the first scenes of the movie it goes through this whole explanation, comparing the number of descendants of two stupid parents vs. two smart parents before the plot places a person of average intelligence centuries into the future where he is by far the smartest person on Earth. There's a funny scene about Gatorade.

Thank you for pointing me at that movie. I'm watching it now and its funny as hell.

[thx1138]

Quote by: Dagda I've finnaly found someone to whom my argument does not fall on deaf ears! I think, thanks to reality T.V.and various other mediams, our intellegence and cultural awarness is sliding backwards.

I wouldn't say sliding, more like slid.

A tool by who? Don't play that game, you know who, if not this might help...
BBC - BBC Four Documentaries - The Century of the Self: Episode Guide

The Century Of The Self - Part 1 of 4 - By Adam Curtis

BBC - BBC Four Documentaries - The Century of the Self: Episode Guide
The Century of the self 2 of 4

BBC - BBC Four Documentaries - The Century of the Self: Episode Guide
The Century of the Self 3 of 4

BBC - BBC Four Documentaries - The Century of the Self: Episode Guide

[DCAPBTLS77]

Well THIS particular mindless sheep or Lamb (as its singular) , watches CSI, House and Third Watch...just throwing it out there .

[Gods_Mercenary]

Third watch ahs been canceled for ages, no? I like house, though, mainly because of Hugh Laurie

[thx1138]

Quote by: DCAPBTLS77 Well THIS particular mindless sheep or Lamb (as its singular) , watches CSI, House and Third Watch...just throwing it out there .

I also enjoyed have my mind filled with this crap for many years, I would mostly watch older TV shows and the news, but now that live outside the U.S. and only understand about 5% of what is on T.V. I have free up time for thing of more importants, like starting a family and helping to raise a child.

[Thanatos]

Quote by: DCAPBTLS77 Well THIS particular mindless sheep or Lamb (as its singular) , watches CSI, House and Third Watch...just throwing it out there .

There's nothing wrong with television as an artistic medium, except that its also the selected medium of such wonders as Flavor of Love and MXC so it has a horrible reputation for melting brains.

I love House and CSI is not bad either. I also love Lost, but the plot is so horrendously complicated and vague that I do not think it counts as mindless sheeplevision. I've never watched Third Watch, but I know other people who keep telling me to.

[yourmaster]

I find these arguements of television, or certain television shows to be mind numbing well based, but slightly missing the point, yes some shows do have absolutely no plot line and are a way for television corporations to make more money at our expense.
It is wrong to try and blame the human races intellectual downfall on them though, though you don't actually say that it is what you are implying with these arguements. It is perfectly easy to watch tv shows for "mindless sheep" and remain intellectual. I watch the X factor and several TV sitcoms, though waking the dead is one of my favourites and that is far from mind numbing.
To try and pin intellectual reduction on tv is missing the point, it is somewhat a minor factor.