[Excelsior]

(05-22-2011 07:46 PM)Vitriol Wrote:  

For those of you not from the U.S. this is the kind of garbage we have to compete with:

Notice who is acting the most "manly" in this video.

This type of thing is pretty standard American TV. A couple of things it shows:

1. Feminization of American society. A lot of our most popular shows today deal with the type of stuff you see in this video: gossip, social relations, relationship or family drama, interpersonal conflicts, etc. That's what drives ratings in this society.
Those are all things that appeal primarily to women. Men don't really care to watch people argue over minutiae or evaluate random breakups and social dramas. They like action, and prefer to just get to the point with it.

The American media, with its heavy focus on gossip, celebrity worship(their lives, their clothes, who they're dating), reality tv(which most often features a bunch of people arguing and manufacturing drama) and news like this is built primarily for women. Women love drama, and they love to talk about it.

This all makes sense when you consider the fact that 85% of consumer spending in this country(spending the American economy relies on) is done by women. Advertisers want them watching-there's a lot of money to be made.

2. Overanalysis of crap that doesn't matter. These people are carrying themselves like serious analysts, the way you'd expect people who are talking about important issues(the economy, geo-politics, or other pressing matters that require dilligent evaluation) to talk. Yet the subject of discussion is a reality TV show and a couple of bickering parents. People are getting paid millions of dollars to sit around and talk about this crap. They're not creating anything except drama.

When you hear people talk about the American society circling the drain, this is what they mean. Perhaps the end of days is not imminent, but there has certainly been an erosion of culture.

[Tommy]

That's ridicilous

[iknowexactly]

(05-23-2011 10:01 AM)Athlone McGinnis Wrote:  

2. Overanalysis of crap that doesn't matter. These people are carrying themselves like serious analysts, the way you'd expect people who are talking about important issues(the economy, geo-politics, or other pressing matters that require dilligent evaluation) to talk.

This is an excellent point--it's hard to remember since ancient Rome it's been the same-- distract the masses with "bread and circuses" while the ruling class f%^&s everything up partying or starting wars.

One could argue the current really lurid slasher flicks like "Saw" are slightly more humane (or maybe just cheaper) substitutes for the gladiator fights. And this TV time spent bickering over NOTHING could have been used to explain how the top 1/10 of 1% own more and more of everything.

Oh, that's right, the top 1/10 of 1% OWN that TV network. Don't wait for relevant news from them.

Just more frightening, distracting, divide-and-conquer, stay-at-home-TV-is-safe, psychological toxic sludge.

Fight the alienation, brothers!!! Make contact and pick up a chick today!

[Vitriol]

(05-28-2011 07:04 PM)iknowexactly Wrote:  

Just more frightening, distracting, divide-and-conquer, stay-at-home-TV-is-safe, psychological toxic sludge.

Fight the alienation, brothers!!! Make contact and pick up a chick today!

Those of us who live in the larger cities are actually very fortunate in this regard. Most of the U.S., in terms of physical space, is in suburban or rural areas. In these places your options are basically: working, sitting in traffic, shopping, or sitting home in front of the TV. I've even noticed an increase in security guards and police presence to make sure that people who aren't spending money and just hanging out get told to leave. If you want to "go out" in these areas you're pretty much limited to the local TGIFriday's or something. This probably partially explains the reason why some younger men are still willing to settle down. If you stay confined to that physical area, your options are limited. It's not like there's a large pool of young females in the area beyond the ones you went to highschool with.

Outside of urban areas there's very little opportunity to socialize with random people or live the lifestyle promoted on sites like this. The severe isolation obviously contributes to the paranoia. Not to mention the other dysfunctional behavior that suburbs produce like competing with your neighbors by having the greenest lawn or best holiday decoration display.

[Martin_Heidegger]

(05-12-2011 12:35 PM)iknowexactly Wrote:  

Imagine saying such a thing because a caller was Black, or some other demographic group?
It would be unthinkably rude. But it's OK to tell men that they are likely to be some kind of monster.

This reinforces my confidence in my long-held determination to leave America permanently.

You clearly don't live near a major city in America with a large black population. In fact, I couldn't imagine anyone venturing into someplace like Brownsville, Brooklyn to buy anything other than heroin.

[CupCake]

(05-28-2011 08:36 PM)Vitriol Wrote:  

Not to mention the other dysfunctional behavior that suburbs produce like competing with your neighbors by having the greenest lawn or best holiday decoration display.

That line made me so sad.