Response to degradating societal values re: Miriam

Sorry Monin, i felt this was more appropriate than a comment.

LOki said...

"people who send in stuff to "australia's funniest home videos" do it voluntarily, and i think a lot of the time incidents where people break their limbs makes them realise things could have been a lot worse, and that might warrant them to look back and laugh.

like tofu said re: tuan, bad shit happens. but when you get through it all and look back, you gotta admit most of the time it's kind of funny. of course there are degrees of "bad shit" that happens, but the things we laugh at or find amusing tend to be those that we recover from, both physcially and emotionally.

i agree however, with the whole "miriam" thing that it's perverse and potentially traumatising for the guys invovled. producers of the tv show, and miriam him/herself are absolutre retards if they think that ratings and prize money are any justification for what they're putting the contestants through.

i dont think people laugh at what's going on in "miriam"; its a reality show, not a comedy. people watch them because the people on the shows are put through situtaions where their emotions - non-scripted or rehearsed - are put to the test. in "big brother" we saw the whole deal, and on "miriam" they're pushing it a bit further and seeing how guys who thought they were after a chick feel when they find out she is in fact a he.

people don't enjoy wathcing others suffer, i think its more to do with the concept that they're glad they're not in that situation. its a bit of a paradox, i admit, but i personally don't find "miriam" entertaining at all. and people's suffering - in recoverable ways - kind of funny in context. all the shit you see on television where people injure themselves, even seriously (ie shark attacks, or rollerblading mishaps), the people involved can look back and laugh.

humanity isn't sadistic, it just realises that hey, there are plenty of worse things that could happen."

Bravo man.
Although i did nearly fall off my chair in the last episode (not that i followed the series, but it's the anticipated climatic moment the show is all about) i cried laughing to see that dudes face. Yeh i know it sucks but human nature (im telling the truth, despite putting myself in a position to look hypercritical)

DICKS! - literally.

The others guys laughed at the winner and i'm quite sure i'm not the only one.
Poor bastard, anyway... keep on truckin'

-Jay