posted 10-23-2001 12:55 PM            

Well, if networks have their way, they will. Already CBS--best known for bringing you a show where assholes eat bugs for a million dollars--is making a series which has two people bumping nasties because their spouses were killed in the World Trade Center! And the sadder thing is a lot of other networks are following the charge.

Anyone watch "Third Watch," the psuedo-sister show to "ER" in which various medics and cops deal with tragedy for the ratings dollar? Well, you should now--they're making money hand over fist playing up a true-life tragedy. At first, it was almost innocent: instead of airing their season premiere, they chose to air a two hour special with surviving cops, firemen, and medics who survived the 11th. Okay, fine. Understandable. I won't even mention that it would be impossible to air a premiere directly after the tragedy due to the falling ratings of anything reality-related.

Then the penny dropped. The very next episode's promos bragged about showing everyone's reaction to WTC. You know, if you weren't there or didn't know it was happening or anything! No, because you see, a lot of Americans not on the coast are a bunch of dumbass yokels who couldn't fathom a tragedy outside of some inbred and his beer bottles barreling towards a phone pole at 70 miles per hour. Yeah, not one single one of us closed up shop and mourned collectively. No, we need to be shown this via some actress whose whole reaction to this is like being told about today's lunch special. No, this whole WTC thing TV is now giving the shit-stabbing treatment to isn't just annoying or somehow grotesque, it's incredibly insulting!

We were there! The American public saw it happen! We had four fucking days of nothing but CNN and rebroadcast CNN showing us the planes flying into the damn building over and over again! And now, NBC and CBS--crying only over the loss of reality TV and anthrax tests--are shoving this down our throats with the added message of saying 'You haven't seen anything yet....not until our bad acting and halfassed overcliched storylines make light of one of the most important and devastating moments in American History.'

Yeah, like I really need the viewpoints of some assholes who can't make watchable TV tell me how this is going to affect my life. Maybe their mediation is a bit too high.

posted 10-23-2001 07:51 PM            

If much more happens in the way of such extreme stupidity (which surely will, multiple times), I will have to make my move to Europe much more rapid.

posted 10-23-2001 09:08 PM            

It's already bad enough they can't turn out a show worth watching.

It's already bad enough when a show is actually good, they either hack it to death or cancel it before it gets really good.

It's already bad enough they make a circus out of certain news items (i.e. the O. J. Simpson murder trial, the JonBenet Ramsey murder, the Columbine shooting, and many others).

But giving their shows a "special plot point" by making the WTC attack the big item in hopes of bringing in ratings? In my book, fuhgeddaboudit!

Back to watching the new Dragonball Z episodes on Cartoon Network for me. CBS, ABC, and NBC won't ever know what people want, not even if it came up to them and bit them on the ass.

posted 10-25-2001 11:32 PM         

I have always considered myself a "news junkie", but I am starting to see if I can cut down somewhat on my news watching. I am starting to agree with what Jon Stewart said on the "Daily Show", "Please, let us go back to being the ignorant country we were!"

So, with a few network exceptions (The West Wing, The Simpsons, etc.), I'll probably be watching a lot more cable. Particularly cartoons on the Cartoon Network. Checking out good ol' cartoon land where not only does violence not kill, but usually doesn't even leave a bruise.