Tell me you didn't laugh..

[superfunk47]

Don't watch it

EXACTLY. THANK YOU. Life doesn't end without cable, I promise.

 

[Skitch it!]

I don't personally, but reality TV is like crack cocaine to the masses apparently. If it were not, it would be long gone by now.

A substitution.

Just as beguiling are the Serial Soaps: spending time out of your life, watching actors portray a parody of a life? What's that all about?

It's just not for me, each to their own, I personally think it's a very controlling medium. It was a window to the world back in the day, now I consider it a open window to your sensitivities of what life really is and it's values. It is filled with shock value, comforting repetition, saturation advertising, buy this, be that, and enjoying watching others fail so you can feel better about your self.

There are healthier options to pursue, you can't beat your own imagination, however much was spent on the special effects.

I'm hard line on this one, as you can tell, I just don't like the thing

 

[Hutzbordello]

other peoples pain is hilarious

i mean it really is

 

[Relic]

other peoples pain is hilarious

i mean it really is

Well then, remind me next time you break up with your GF or some you know passes away so that I can laugh at you

 

[Big B.]

I think there is a big difference between laughing at a 30 second youtube clip in TBOT and watching the actual show and laughing at it in context. Granted, I would still crack a smile at that sound but I would not find it funny like I do the short clip. The good news is I would never see it in context because I dont watch television. I find it less telling that people would watch the show and laugh as opposed to sitting down with a bowl of popcorn and being legitimately entertained by others peoples' pain.

 

[MatticusMania]

I don't personally, but reality TV is like crack cocaine to the masses apparently. If it were not, it would be long gone by now.

It's the future of television. If only because it garners similar ratings to other programming but at a fraction of the production costs. TV is big business.

 

[dj150888]

I think there is a big difference between laughing at a 30 second youtube clip in TBOT and watching the actual show and laughing at it in context. Granted, I would still crack a smile at that sound but I would not find it funny like I do the short clip. The good news is I would never see it in context because I dont watch television. I find it less telling that people would watch the show and laugh as opposed to sitting down with a bowl of popcorn and being legitimately entertained by others peoples' pain.

I think this is a great point. Every person who watched the show has derived entertainment from that mans pain in some way. At least we're laughing at it out of context.

 

[RonGillman3]

EXACTLY. THANK YOU. Life doesn't end without cable, I promise.

I think nowadays the majority of society thinks that life WILL end without cable

If you don't have it you save so much money. Besides if you do need to watch a show. I personally need my regular fix of Anime, use Hulu or something like that.

 

[Relic]

I think this is a great point. Every person who watched the show has derived entertainment from that mans pain in some way. At least we're laughing at it out of context.

Yeah as much as I wanna deny it, this is true.

 

[Kwesi]

OK, I'm reprehensible. I laughed pretty hard at grape lady.

I think that laughing at grape lady is worse than laughing at this because the potential for serious bodily harm was very apparent...







I was literally on the floor crying from laughter.

 

[Skitch it!]

I think this is a great point. Every person who watched the show has derived entertainment from that mans pain in some way. At least we're laughing at it out of context.

+1 Yep, without the full context, it's just a frame.

As far as a view of full time interest in car crash/reality T.V. I think Homer hit the mark, - 'It's funny, because it's not me'

 

[GregC]

I think this is true as well.
But on the flip side, I've also seen firsthand, people break down in some of the unlikeliest places... As a result, there is no doubt in my mind that at least some of what you see on such shows is 100% real and not just melodrama. People may go into for the $ at first but once they confront "deepest darkest" things that they have been avoiding or whatnot, it wouldn't matter if they were on stage in front of a million people, the pain's going to come out - just human nature I think.

To me, being honest, the guy in the vid sounds like he's got some deep deep pain and for him to start crying like that (nearly like a toddler) tells me at least that his pain might very well go waaaay back. I'm no psychologist of course but there's something going on there.
It just 'aint funny.

"Some of it is 100% real"--is that a Yogi Berra saying? Just funnin', but that's part of my thought process here. You never know what is real and what is not on these shows. I'm normally as bleeding-heart as it gets (really!), but I have such a strong distaste for reality shows, my attitude towards most of them is massively cynical.

I think this is a great point. Every person who watched the show has derived entertainment from that mans pain in some way. At least we're laughing at it out of context.

Yeah, I certainly won't hold myself above anyone who watched the show, but this entered my mind.