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The Decline of Culture: Why do we watch ****?

Discussion in 'Alley of Dangerous Angles' started by Baron Tostoff, Aug 8, 2004.

  1. Baron Tostoff Gems: 1/31
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    From the three solid hours of uninterrupted hollering, impenetrable cartoons and Westlife videos designed to wind every child in the country into a state of uncontrollable arm-flapping rowdiness that start the programming schedules. To the 24 hour Fox news channel which degenerates into a hilarious dick-swinging contest which George Bush II performs with Tony Blair each time they bomb another town full of unarmed brown folk. (Is it just me or is Blair of smiling naturally on camera but can only ever achieve a rictus grin that makes him look like he's trying to poo out a pine cone?)

    We are subjected to television created for and marketed at retards and idle perverts which is just amazingly, hideously and reason-defyingly awful. Perhaps what is most frustrating of all is that there are some genuinely good ideas amidst all this vomit of mirthless swearing, unashamed pornography and pointless sadism.

    [ August 09, 2004, 21:19: Message edited by: Baron Tostoff ]
     
  2. DrowLicious Gems: 6/31
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    Man, i can't wait to visit your island one day! If all Brits are as personable as you, i won't have to bring my enema. It sounds like its pretty easy to get the ****s over there. You should blow off some steam by joining the Communist Party or target practice at a mean little George Bush silhouette....oh wait.....you guys aren't allowed to own guns! My bad.
     
  3. Shoshino

    Shoshino Irritant Veteran

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    actually we are allowed to own guns - depends on the type of the gun and the resaon for owning it, i cant think of a farmer off hand who doesnt have a gun
     
  4. joacqin

    joacqin Confused Jerk Adored Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    The simple reason is that it is what people want. People are stupid, ignorant perverted morons. They want insipid entertainment which doesnt demand any kind of brain activity no their part. It is only we arrogant elitistic intellectuals who dont agree. Thank god for public broadcasting which to the most part seems to be controlled by people just as elitistisc as we. Atleast here abouts.
     
  5. Register Gems: 29/31
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    What do you mean, Joacqin? Isn't Paridise Hotel or Big Brother really thoughtfull shows? I've been living on a lie... :D
     
  6. Baron Tostoff Gems: 1/31
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    The inevitable outcome of the current state of Television:

    8 pm – WHITNEY HOUSTON’S GULF WAR
    Channel 5 presents restored archive footage of the Gulf War accompanied by a continuous soundtrack of the soul diva’s most popular hits, including My Love is Your Love, Its Not Right But Its Okay, and I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
     
  7. Wordplay Gems: 29/31
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    Simple solution:

    Don't watch the chained TV -surf the free Net. ;)

    (Even though I have to say it is worrying how people have begun to limit it via tight self-censoring and driving "questionable" sites off.)
     
  8. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    Yeah, nobody forces you to watch TV. If you don't like it, don't watch it! When I lived in the UK I didn't bother even getting a TV for over a year. There was no point. The only thing I wanted to watch was sport and I could do that down at the pub.
     
  9. Shoshino

    Shoshino Irritant Veteran

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    but you see, if you live in the UK you pay for TV regardless of whether you watch it or not - the tv licence alwo covers computers these days because BBC has a website, so your screwed unless you dont own a radio, TV or computer
     
  10. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    No, I wrote to them and told them I didn't have a TV and they said I didn't have to pay the licence fee.
     
  11. Apeman Gems: 25/31
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    Actually the real arrogant elitistic intellectuals who dont agree also watch the show just to 'laugh and point' to the show.

    For example while the mass would enjoy a big brother show (our dutch invention BTW :p ) I for one can only laugh at the stupidity and adolascense (sp?) of the show. When those people cry about their petty problems with the other inhabitants I am laughing in my chair. It's like any jean claude van damme movie or dolph lundgren, they target the movie as action but it's actually a great comedic movie.
     
  12. Abomination Gems: 26/31
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    Watching people bitch about their private lives on TV is both annoying yet funny at the same time.

    Random Stupid Bimbo on a Big Brother like program:
    "I, like, asked her from across the room what she, like, thought about me, and stuff, and she didn't say anything, ya'know? She like totally ignored me!"

    Me if I was there (gods forbid!):
    "I was there, you were rather quiet when you asked her. Maybe she didn't hear you?"

    RSBBB:
    "***BLEEP*** you, Abom! You're always, like, taking her ***BLEEP***ing side, ya'know?! You're such a ***BLEEP***! You don't know me! Don't judge me!"

    M(GsF!):
    "Right. I'm going to have a more intelligent conversation... with that house-plant over there. I hear Bill hates Donna. Maybe you could talk to him about this?"

    RSBBB:
    "See! You're just like Donna! You're trying to, like, ignore me! Brent told me he didn't like you, now I know why! I'm going to tell your GIRLFRIEND, Donna, about how much of a ***BLEEP*** you are!"

    M(GsF!):
    "I hardly know Don-... Forget it."
     
  13. Baron Tostoff Gems: 1/31
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    Most of the responses so far have been pretty reassuring and it is nice to see a few others who feel suffocated in this miasma of tedium that passes for culture. The plain fact of the matter is that Television rather than being used as medium to expand or enhance culture is used to propagate the most pointless dribble to the hollering masses. These ‘loyal viewers’ are held in utter contempt by the jerks who create this travesty of entertainment.

    Just look at the patronisingly obvious labels in any TV listings: programme titles are getting increasingly insulting with each passing week. Last week, ITV brought you a sex-swap documentary called My Mum Is My Dad, this week Channel 4 brings you My Breasts Are Too Big “a heart-rending look at women whose breasts are too big.” Who knows, it might be the most sympathetic documentary ever made, but that title reduces everyone in it to the level of a freak, clearly labelled for the benefit of passing masturbators.

    If Channel 4 were being honest, of course, they wouldn't have bothered with the "documentary" element, and instead simply paid some women to bare their chests in front of webcams, broadcast the results live on air and called it BIG BREASTS LIVE!!! A name like that would hoover up even more idle perverts than My Breasts Are Too Big, and stands a better chance of providing the viewing figures they're patently, nakedly, embarrassingly chasing. Who cares if your audience consists of clueless masturbators, as long as there are millions of 'em, eh?

    [ August 09, 2004, 02:45: Message edited by: Baron Tostoff ]
     
  14. Wordplay Gems: 29/31
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    What can you do? If some -okay: a lot- of people like it that way, all is well and good, no? Entertainment for the (grey) masses, safe Teletubby-programming for the kids, and enough "cultural programs" to keep a smart appearance -and incidentally collect fees worth of millions and millions euros.

    Myself, I haven't really followed anything from TV for nearly 5 years. News when I can't bother to start Mozilla, and some sports when I'm just dying to boredom. Imagine; I hate sports over all else, but since there isn't anything better... :shake:

    It will be interesting what they will do once they cease the analog TV around here, digi-TV becoming a new standard. Hopefully they make government channels regular pay-to-view ones...

    *Quickly hides his TV and Gamecube* :spin:
     
  15. Dalveen

    Dalveen Rimmer gone Bald Veteran

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    Just get sky then if your sick of ITV and Channel 4 etc..., theres many programs there that are actually educational, and mentally stimulating. Theres the whole documentaries section :p im sure that will teach you things.
     
  16. Harbourboy

    Harbourboy Take thy form from off my door! Veteran Pillars of Eternity SP Immortalizer (for helping immortalize Sorcerer's Place in the game!)

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    SKY is such a waste of money, in my opinion. It's just 100s more channels full of the same (or worse) rubbish as the normal channels. Half the channels are just full of informercials or such gems as "Bid-Up TV".
     
  17. Dalveen

    Dalveen Rimmer gone Bald Veteran

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    yes that is true, but some channels are decent, also back to an earlier point, you can own a TV and video, and watch videos, without owning a TV liscence, just as long as you dont have a Aerial
     
  18. DrowLicious Gems: 6/31
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    I stand corrected on the gun remark. I did not know that. Not that guns are some great item to own. I'd rather have a Formula One car to sneak out onto the streets late at night. Rpm's are swite. Least in England you guys don't have to put up with NASCAR. They probably show LeMans and F1 on the tube instead...LUCKY DUCKS ye be.
     
  19. Fabius Maximus Gems: 19/31
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    If you can't stand the program, don't watch it. ;)

    But you are right: The quality deteriorates. One german intellectual (don't remember the name) said that the whole reality and talkshow stuff is TV for the rabble (Gesindel).

    I am glad that we have several public (but relativly independent) tv programs which broadcast political shows, documentaries and rare movies.
     
  20. Iago Gems: 24/31
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    Another German said something like:" TV macht die Smarten smart und die Dummen dumm~ TV makes the smart smarter and the dumb dumber".

    The proper handling of the remote control requires experience, skill and maybe even patience. But all crap can be avoided and potential useful information harvested. Where did you think I've learned English ? It was the BBC. Blame them!
     
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