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Pastimes : Let's Talk About Our Feelings!!! -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jbe who wrote (36870)	5/6/1999 7:28:00 PM
From: Rambi	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 108807

Well- let's see-- several things-- snippy doesn't bother me, first off. And I really didn't think you were.But I think to try to make a viewpoint applicable to You, Joan, the individual, who is a rare and wonderful, but not really terribly representative of the good ol' USA personality, is to miss the whole point of TV. (But you really really never heard of Andy Griffith? Or Dick Van Dyke?? Or leave it to Beaver? These are the TV classics- in the same way certain literary works are to society. ) TV reflects not you, Joan, but a large segment of America, an amorphous not terribly sophisticated group, who DOES watch TV. Why SHOULD you count to the purveyors of this medium? WHy exactly do you say that nudie or shoot em up don't respond? Of course they do. TO certain segments. But I was responding to Edwarda's article about sitcoms, not the Playboy channel. I think you expanded my statement into areas I wasn't going. As for loneliness---again- I think again you have tried to argue a general with a specific. You aren't lonely. Really? I certainly am at times. In different ways. I would guess many don't SEE themselves that way--- certainly the not terribly verbal or introspective audience of today's sitcoms, but the wise producers tap into many of these basic human feelings- whether they're acknowledged or recognized or not. It may not work for you and me, but it definitely does for many.

To: jbe who wrote (36870)	5/6/1999 7:37:00 PM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

Syllogism: All Americans watch TV. You do not watch TV. Therefore you are not American. The only problem with this syllogism is that the first premise is wrong. Needs one modification: All normal Americans watch TV. You do not watch TV. Therefore you are not a normal American. Now it becomes true.

To: jbe who wrote (36870)	5/6/1999 8:28:00 PM
From: Dayuhan	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 108807

All Americans watch TV. You do not watch TV. Therefore you are not American. The syllogism may be faulty, but in the perceptions of the masses it holds significant sway. I grew up in a TV-free household; my parents thought it would rot the brain. We read books, and talked a great deal. This doubtless contributed greatly to my intellectual development; it didn't do much for socialization. One of my more acute memories of junior high was a day in which the class was to choose something we had all seen or done, and write something about it. The class immediately settled on the latest episode of "All in the Family", which was then popular. I was forced to publicly admit that I hadn't seen it. When asked why, I had to publicly admit that we had no TV. Not a word was spoken, but from the combined looks of class and teacher it was clear that they were having doubts not only about my Americanism, but also about my planet of origin. A similar incident, in high school, was only peripherally related to TV. A history teacher was reading aloud, anonymously, submitted assignments. He read several, distinguished by brief and simple sentences and a marked lack of polysyllabic words. Then he got to mine. After the first three sentences every head in the class swiveled over and stared straight at me. I realized then why they all thought I was beyond weird: we didn't even speak the same language. A year ago I bought the first TV I've ever owned; I watch it only to exercise editorial control over what others are watching (and the odd soccer game or movie). I can't really comment on the article, as I've never seen any of the shows in question, but I've developed a minor affection for the Cartoon Network, which has been rerunning ancient Mighty Mouse and Popeye episodes. Joey was watching an original Mighty Mouse this morning, in which the evil cat realized the mice liked music, and decided to play pied piper and lead them into the stew pot. The cat grabs his clarinet and starts blowing a la Benny Goodman; the mice dance along, entranced. After Mighty Mouse saves the day he seizes the horn and does his own solo. Musically superb, far beyond the maudlin patheticisms that pass for modern jazz, and even the kids like it. So it's not all bad. Excuse my wandering; it's morning here.