Addiction

Isn't it crazy to think that our addiction to television is another persons income?

Think about it... on average people watch 3 hours of TV a day and the people on the screen are all just actors & actresses playing a role that entertains us.

Create the right show, one that audiences can't get enough of, and it can easily create millions of dollars. That should be news to anyone though. Obviously, if a TV series doesn't do well, it gets taken off the air. But think about how us as a society have the ability to make or break someones career. I haven't watched Orange is the New Black but according to a lot of people I have talked to, and the things I've seen in magazines, its a hit. We did that. We made it a hit. It was added on Netflix and someone took a chance on this new series, raved to all of their friends about it, those people loved it and told all of their friends, and then BAM everyone is watching it. Word of mouth is by far the best advertisement.

Now lets think about the TV shows that continue to do well... Grey's Anatomy, they are now on their 11th season and they have done so well because we can't get enough. Its been announced that Patrick Dempsey, one of the main characters, makes $350,000 per episode. NCIS is on their 12th season and the main character, Mark Harmon (Gibbs) brings in $525,000 per episode. Law & Order Special Victims Unit is on their 16th season and Olivia Benson, played by Mariska Hargitay makes $500,000 per episode.

PER EPISODE!!

Mind blown yet? Us as a society can't get enough of this stuff. We form an addiction to a show, or television in general which makes it so that actors are able to make the kind of money they do. They know fans will cause some sort of riot over a well liked TV show ending suddenly and as a production company they know if they don't continue to make this show, someone else will, so they pay up. Its pure brilliance but its also in a way kind of sad. We get so attached to certain shows and because of it, we put money in someone else's pocket.

Television can be a good thing

Many find that television today with the ambiguous endings instead of happy ones, the increase of anti-heroes instead of just heroes, and that many ways that people of power (politicians, police, etc.) be the antagonist or morally ambiguous instead of just good as a bad thing. I happen to think the opposite. What television today helps show to us is that nothing is ever really black and white, including people.   It helps show that maybe something isn't as good as they seem instead of bringing a simple narrative that might lead some to believe in a simpler worldview.


Back in the 1950's television was simple and many people did not know many problems going on in America, such as racial prejudice, sexism, and many other problems that was not in the public eye. Today there are so many t.v. shows and channels that are fine with shows that show things that show another side of life, whether it looks good or not. People today are then faced with looking at issues that they may not have known otherwise.


Of course there should be some responsibility in watching television, in the sense that they overblown their stories because it is entertainment. It should always be up to the individual in watching television and not everything in television should be taken as fact but it does bring up different thought.

Break for grading #3 blog

Another grading break.

American Horror Story

 

           The most surprising popular TV show to me is American Horror Story. I have avidly watched the last three seasons, and do my best to make time for the fourth, even though it genuinely horrifies me. I continue to want to know what's going to happen next. Is it like Stephen King said in the slide show? That we are fascinated by horror because is satisfies our basest instinct? Or are we just entertained by being scared?

           Because I'm a fan of the show I'd like to say I'm just a fan of being scared. If I ever saw a crazy clown stabbing someone I would guess that I would be extremely horrified and not entertained in the least.

           I feel like this fascination for the horrifying is sweeping the nation. I've seen more scary movies in theaters in the last year then I ever have before.

            The first season of American Horror Story had a crazy murdering teenager as the love interest for one of the main characters and he was extrememly popular among the fans. Though the messages that the episodes send are negaitve people keep coming back for more.

           While I am biased and would say that I enjoy getting scared there are times where that show just genuinely disturbs you. It shows you some of what people have done in that past because of prejudice or just greed. In the second season, which took place in an asylum, one of the main characters was in the asylum and considered crazy

 because the person in charge of the asylum didn't like the questions she was asking.

           The third season showed what people had done because of racism and fear of witches. The show forces people to see what people in the past had done to other human beings, I think it really makes you question how good people are if they're willing to do that to another person.

        

The Effects of Television

    I think TV has changed a lot since I was younger, it's certainly more violent and contains more sex, nudity, and all that.  Having said that I think that there is a lot of good television out there, even quite a bit that could be considered "educational."  I don't know if TV can be blamed entirely for our desensitization to violence, sex, and drugs.  In a capitalist society, the consumer has the choice of what he/she wants to consume, nobody is forcing anything upon anyone.  Having said that, it is getting harder and harder to avoid these things in the media.   The main concern with this is of course, children.  Kids don't have the maturity and wherewithal to make those choices. 

  I think I spend too much time watching TV, I use it as a way to kill time.  Growing up, my mom always limited the amount of time we watched TV.  After a couple of hours she would come shut it off and tell us to go read or exercise.  It always angered me, especially if I was in the middle of a show.  But it retrospect I can see that she was looking out for our well-being.  I don't have kids, but if I did I know that I would put parental controls on our TV and internet.  This is a tricky area because when something becomes "taboo" or "off-limits," it becomes all the more appealing to adolescents.  Their curiosity gets the better of them.  So I don't know if there is a clear-cut solution to the problem of kids being exposed to sex and violence in the media.

T.V. and Such Things

As the years have passed by, and as I have gotten older I have to say that television has made a huge jump from where it was when I younger. Though T.V. has become more diverse, intelligent, and advanced it has changed for the worse. And it is evident in new generation, and in more to come.

I say this because growing up, it was all about being outside and being active, and focusing on school work (reading)  and having limited T.V. time or at-least a schedule. But now kids are watching T.V at an enormous rate. Kids and older people are influenced by T.V. because everything is entertaining even info that should be taken to heart and looked at as serious, and everything on T.V is influential to children. They see things happen and they thing it is ok to act this way because they're favorite character acted that way or said that certain thing. I think it is also taking away a bit of intelligence because kids would much rather watch a television program that isn't as educational as stated than to sit down read a book and problem solve, and I think this has definitely attributed to kids and adults being lazier and less determined now a days; however this is just my observation

 

 

 Another bad thing about television for children is the hidden subliminal messages in children's shows that they cant pick up on, nor do they understand, and its not good because they go around quoting things that they don't realize are detrimental, but I don't thing we will ever be able to monitor what they watch because now you have smart phones, iPod's, ipad's, and all sorts of mini T.V'S 

Is Technology to Blame for Everything?

I've recently been thinking about how we seem to be blaming a lot of our social disconnection on television and other technology. It’s true that these things are partly responsible. People can get hooked on their screens and forget about the real world around them. However, I began to wonder why technology gets all the condemnation when something such as borderline-obsessive reading is praised.

Growing up, TV wasn't my problem. I was the child who was punished by getting my books taken away. My parents would get so frustrated with me for ignoring the rest of the world in favor of a book. In fact, my mum still hates it when I start a new book because, to her, it basically signifies the end of all social interaction with me. So, why is it that something like TV receives disapproval, while books are seen positively, even though both have the same social effects?

 I think, in general, society views people who watch a lot of television as lazy, bad people with a serious problem. Meanwhile, readers are considered intelligent and sophisticated. I love this video because it kind of casts reading in a darker light, and exposes it for the problem reading addictions can sometimes become. I showed this to my mum and she absolutely loved it and claimed it was a much more accurate portrayal of readers like me. 

As you can see, I lead a pretty thug lifestyle, so watch out.