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There are events in most of our lives that offer opportunities for us
to change our ways. The strike by television writers affords one such
opportunity. By
its very nature, television is mostly illusion. During the golden age
of television (that would be the '50s and '60s), real audiences laughed
(or didn't laugh) at comedy shows, which were mostly live. If you
weren't funny, you didn't get laughs. But most shows were genuinely
funny and devoid of bad language. The FCC had more influence then and
there were only three television networks. Today, a laugh track laughs
for you, whether or not anything is funny and most "comedy" is full of
sexual innuendo. On cable, there is no innuendo. The f-word is used
like a bludgeon.
Female
"scientists" on the crime shows display enough cleavage that if the
commercial were for Victoria's Secret, viewers wouldn't notice the
transition. Such fantasies don't resemble any female scientist I know,
nor would a professional woman dress like a hooker for the office. It's
not much better in the news division, especially on cable, where female
anchors and reporters resemble Barbie doll cutouts. They mostly look
alike: big hair; big lips; big … well, you get the idea. The Web site
Radar (www.radaronline.com) recently had a quiz that asked people to
distinguish between a list of female anchors and porn stars. I scored
seven out of 10 correct. That's because I recognized the anchors, not
the porn stars, though the two are increasingly difficult to tell apart. Entertainment
scripts are formulaic: plenty of murders, bad language, sex, explosions
and gallons of blood and gore. Even when they're not "re-runs," the
plots are mostly re-runs. So is the news. On broadcast TV, Bush is
evil, the Iraq war is wrong, higher taxes and bigger government are
good, Democrats are righteous and Republicans are sinners. On cable -
depending on the channel - Republicans are good and Democrats are bad,
or the reverse. Guests scream at each other and question the other's
patriotism. There are stories about missing women, murdered women,
missing children, and various lowlifes who, were it not for TV, would
be wallowing in deserved obscurity. Rather
than watch re-runs (new or old), now would be a good time to consider
turning off the TV and returning to those thrilling days of yesteryear,
before the Lone Ranger, even before TV. That's when families scheduled
dinner together and talked about the day's events and developments in
the world. Useful information was passed from adult to child and back. Before
TV, more people read books. They also read newspapers and there were
more of them to read. Readers talked with others about what they had
read. Good stories by good writers transported readers to other worlds,
giving them vicarious experiences that made them feel good, offering
hope and laughter. Recently
on PBS, I stumbled upon the 22-year-old made-for-television film, "Anne
of Green Gables." It was one of the most pleasant TV experiences I have
had in a long time. It is a redemptive and lovely film, wonderfully
written, beautifully shot and splendidly cast. It left me with a good
feeling, in contrast to much of what is on most TV stations, which
usually makes one with any taste, education or class want to take a
bath. "Anne" was an oasis in a "vast wasteland," to recall what FCC
Commissioner Newton Minow said about television 46 years ago. Television
was once viewed as a welcome guest in the home. Programmers were to
behave as any guest, not soiling the carpet or breaking furniture,
controlling their children and demonstrating sensibilities that would
not offend their hosts. No more. Today's television programs behave
like uninvited guests who stay too long, eat all the food, drink too
much and throw up on the new rug. Most
people could live without TV if they tried. The Writers Guild strike
gives them that chance. Take a walk with your daughter. Have a
conversation with your wife, your husband. Eat dinner together as a
family without the distraction of the television set. Read a book and
immerse yourself in fictional characters or real history. Instead of
being spoon-fed irrelevancies and meaningless chatter, exercise your
mind. You will quickly form new, more pleasant habits that will leave
you with better feelings than does TV's corrupt fare from which more of
us should flee. Write Cal Thomas at Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, N.Y. 14207or
tmseditors@tribune.com. |
