annoyance sells?

[tism]

I'll bet, that you could create a television channel which featured nothing but screaming babies, cop sirens and people scraping their fingernails across chalkboards, and lots of people will tune in.

[Brad Reddekopp]

Sadly and hilariously, you're probably right.

[tism]

I mean, because that is what most pop-entertainment television programs sound like to me anymore. I claim to be "re-sensitized" to the noise that television produces. I know, since I was a television junkie many years ago too so I can tell the difference. When you are consumed by the clatter of the pop television programs all the time, and their commercial advertisements, it's hard to pay attention to much else since everything else is drowned out by comparison. Now, I don't have a TV on if I'm in a room alone, but only when someone else is watching it. Having lots of quiet-time reveals a huge contrast to when the TV comes on.

There are television programs, which I won't name to avoid increasing their page-ranks, which really do seem like nothing more than clanging noises and people shouting at each other almost continuously. One, which has as many as four hosts which frequently all talk at the same time so you can't understand what any of them are saying, if they say anything at all. Another that actually uses symbol clashes at every scene change for dramatic effects. Another which features nothing but police chases in automobiles, shot from helicopters, and continuous, fake siren noises are dubbed in for dramatic effects.

Police shows are, I believe, some of the absolute worst. I can't even imagine what entertainment value they have. Even if you enjoy watching people fight, the police always win. There's no surprise twist.

[Brad Reddekopp]

My wife likes to watch a few "reality" shows like Cops (basically, a cameraman rides along with a cop in an urban setting, in a different city each week) and The First 48 (cameras follow homicide investigators who try to solve a murder within the first 48 hours) and sometimes I watch them with her. They're actually somewhat instructive when viewed from an anarchistic perspective. Over and over, you see how cops use lies and intimidation to manipulate individuals into telling them things that you probably don't want to tell a cop. You see how people so often unwittingly allow cops to search their vehicles in situations in which they are within their legal rights to not consent to a search.

Over and over, you see how the drug laws are used to incarcerate people who aren't hurting anybody except maybe themselves. My wife didn't always agree with me about the evils of drug prohibition but, after watching all those really sad busts on Cops for a little bit of pot or coke, she changed her mind.

After a while, though, it just gets old and it does nothing for me but make me feel angry.

[tism]

Over and over, you see how cops use lies and intimidation to manipulate individuals into telling them things that you probably don't want to tell a cop. You see how people so often unwittingly allow cops to search their vehicles in situations in which they are within their legal rights to not consent to a search.

Over and over, you see how the drug laws are used to incarcerate people who aren't hurting anybody except maybe themselves. My wife didn't always agree with me about the evils of drug prohibition but, after watching all those really sad busts on Cops for a little bit of pot or coke, she changed her mind.

That's interesting.

People I know who watch cop shows tend to agree with the drug war and believe in the necessity of state police, and they just get a kick out of watching folks get arrested and sometimes even tasered in any case. It's quite disturbing.

I wonder what kind of reaction those people would have to a show which featured cops killing people, instead of just arresting them. Would they get the same kick? "Oh look ! Dumb fuck got shot. Guess he learned his lesson for what he was doing. Or not."

[Brad Reddekopp]

I guess it depends partly on whether or not the person watching possesses normal human compassion...

[blackacidlizzard]

I wonder what kind of reaction those people would have to a show which featured cops killing people, instead of just arresting them.

So you missed the "Wildest Police Chases" specials back in the day (I assume they're still around, but I haven't seen much TV this past decade)

Would they get the same kick? "Oh look ! Dumb fuck got shot. Guess he learned his lesson for what he was doing."

Yup. Pretty much.

[tism]

So you missed the "Wildest Police Chases" specials back in the day (I assume they're still around, but I haven't seen much TV this past decade)

I've seen more than I'd like.

It's my belief that broadcast television has been obsolete for years now. We have goddamn multi-megabit internet now. Why does anyone still watch, let alone pay for, the most obnoxious re-runs of commercials, interrupted sparingly by the occasional drama or news program?

Youtube and netflix have more interesting things to watch than anything I could find on 300 channels of satellite crap.

[blackacidlizzard]

It's my belief that broadcast television has been obsolete for years now.

Why does anyone still watch, let alone pay for, the most obnoxious re-runs of commercials, interrupted sparingly by the occasional drama or news program?

Youtube and netflix have more interesting things to watch than anything I could find on 300 channels of satellite crap.

Yet cable and mini-dish broadcasting continues to propagate.

The majority continues to speak, and it says what you think is interesting is crap. Shit, you probably hardly ever even watch a youtube video that gets to six digits on the view counter. You're a freak, and much that is valued by others will almost certainly be despised by you.

[tism]

Yet cable and mini-dish broadcasting continues to propagate.

The majority continues to speak, and it says what you think is interesting is crap. Shit, you probably hardly ever even watch a youtube video that gets to six digits on the view counter. You're a freak, and much that is valued by others will almost certainly be despised by you.

ahahaha right on every count.

[Hierophant]

The majority continues to speak, and it says what you think is interesting is crap. Shit, you probably hardly ever even watch a youtube video that gets to six digits on the view counter. You're a freak, and much that is valued by others will almost certainly be despised by you.

THANKS FOR TELLING US WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW, ASSWIPE

[blackacidlizzard]

It seemed tism had momentarily forgotten.

[Brad Reddekopp]

Franc shouldn't be so shy about expressing his opinions.