television television television

I am one of those annoying people who analyses, rubbishes, scrutinizes and rips apart all forms of shallow media entertainment, such as reality television, celebrity news, the latest american drama or sitcom, but who secretly watches all of them.

What I have realised is that winter has turned me into a total consumer of fake american style programming and culture. Never in my life before now have I known the ins and outs of the group politics of the one remaining survivor tribe, never have I had the incling that possibly the dead narrator of wisteria lane may not have commited suicide but been murdered, nor did I know or care that Teresa being voted off New Zealand Idol was a sign of not only typical patterns of male favouritism, but of how the poor idols are actually like little lab rats in a big wheel made for television and so far removed from anything really to do with music or a succesfull career in the industry.

A few things have happened to me over these winter months which I have decided are very specific 'symptoms' of being exposed to prolonged periods of bullshit. One - I have become disillusioned with humankind, believing that the range of our abilites and hopes strecth no futher than becoming a bunch of over sexualised housewives or a karaoke competitioning fleet of morons. I have lost faith (momentarily) that humans have any depth or creative ability. Two - the resulting loss of faith in the point of human existance has taken a large toll on my studies, and I find that after a full night of consuming these ideas and images, that I am so disheartened I can not bring myself to do anything else other than go to bed. I am exhausted with having to sit for hours upon end infront of a glowing energy sapping box with my mouth agape in horror. It takes energy to keep up the grimace.

Anyway - I think the point I am trying to get at in a very over explained round and round the mulberry bush kind of way is, that these programs pertain to 'offer' us something, but in many ways they take from us. They take away ideas of the massive 'difference' that exists within the human race, representing only those who fit a certain bill of 'normality' and providing us with an image of what this 'normality' is, and in most cases it is something or someone that 99% of the human race is not. It is SO telling of the powers that dominate the modern times, and of the greed behind it all. I know we all know this. but you know, I just wanted to say.