Television shows sell Cymbalta, Viagra, Budweiser, US Army recruitment propaganda, cars, gas and shit that makes you fat if you eat it.
A twenty-two minute comedy carries eight minutes of commercial programming to fill out a half hour slot. Twenty six percent.
One out of every four minutes devoted to ensuring that you hear the words they want you to hear a hundred times a day. Not including the product placement and ads embedded into story lines. Drumming away at your memory with yogurt and Toyota family transport.
But, if you want to get your druthers up about something, by all means rail at 30 Rock for showing a guy possibly fucking his sleeping wife. At best, it shows a classless dude. At worst, it depicts rape. Okay. Sure. Go with the "it must be rape" thing. That's the answer.
That's the real awful, here. The fictional depiction. The pretend.
Not the real exploitation, not the world consuming degradation of environment and human relations. Not the world bestriding military colossus, enforcing the the capitalized occupation of human existence. Not the power. Not the courts and the law threatening violence to those who don't have property fetishes hardwired into their memories.
Worry instead the plots of comedies. That'll show how serious and concerned with human suffering you are...
Crow's Eye: Maintaining a commitment to Pointless Acrimony™ and Hate Filled Invective™! Also available in corvid mischief and traditional sly dog's mistrust.
6 comments:
From the first commenter to the shakesville piece:
"I'm always disappointed when I realize people I think of as smart and funny are not also progressive."
Anything more need to be said?
Probably plenty of room for commentary, still, Joe - but it's a nice summation, all the same.
Respect,
Jack
Jack,
I was exaggerating a bit for effect. I actually agree--it's one of those nearly endless sources of fascination. It just amazes me whenever somebody drops the pretence and comes right out with it.
I agree with you for once actually. Besides, I think Tina Fey's reaction made it so that it was supposed to be revolting.
Well, call me weird or whatever, but I managed to get mad at the nonstop product placement in that show and the light-hearted yukking about spousal rape.
Stras, you are so weird. How can you think that all that shit on tv AND rape jokes are wrong? Rape is such a trifling issue. Especially when it's presented on popular tv shows as a trifling issue, isn't that the most obvious proof?
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