I watched a lot of television when I was younger. It was a common friend and pastime during my many moves as a kid. Today, I’m not into TV that much. I’ve found more productive ways to keep busy, but I do watch a few chosen programs with my wife, Kathy. Kathy enjoys relaxing while watching TV and likes my company while doing so.
Mostly we watch stories on cable or Netflix where I think the writing today is much superior to the writing of my childhood, partly due to the freedom of expression. But I enjoy watching much less because, while entranced by the stories, I come away feeling depressed, disgusted, and sad after almost every episode. It could be the infidelity and violence of “Donovan,” the absence of morality and ethics of “Shameless,” or the portrayal of insanely flawed characters you may cheer or feel sympathy for in “Ozark” or “Better Call Saul.” Likeable characters these days are as rare as respectable politicians.
Never did I feel anything but happiness and/or positivity from watching “Andy of Mayberry,” “Father Knows Best,” or “Gunsmoke.” Sure, these programs did not always reflect real life. And I was okay with that. We saw real life everyday, so no one was fooled. But the escape and lessons they provided were valuable. Now it’s the opposite. There is no escape from fear or sadness, and the lessons are all negative!
Currently, Kathy and I are into about four, maybe five episodes of Netflix's “Ozark.” There is one character that I am holding out hope that he may be a decent person. He has been reasonable so thus far, but I fear he will fall into the circles of Hell like everyone else. Even the tough-minded and admirable Ruth, maybe the heroine of the series. is not shy of real violence, cheating, and harassment.
I wonder! Am I naïve? Are some of us seemingly saintly when compared to these people, and does that make us fools? Is real life like this and some of us live in a bubble? From a scene in ‘Ozark’, “So you skim a little from the top. Everyone does, don’t they?” Is this the line you want your children to hear? Does everyone skim from the top? Is every honest person a sucker or weak, to be pushed aside? I hope not. But I am truly beginning to have doubts because of the avalanche of negativity and repugnant behavior on most limited access programs. I get it. People like these programs for their shock value or voyeurism. I don’t expect goodness and light from everyone or every program but how about a little balance?
I know the reactions of some who read this. Hopefully, many will agree with my observations. Others will think, “What kind of Pollyanna is this guy?” Well, I’m not a Pollyanna. I have made many mistakes, some on purpose because I am a flawed human being. But to make evil the baseline, a common theme to entertain us, will also dull the senses of decency. Children should never see these programs and young adults could be harmed by idealistic sabotage.
When infidelity, violence, complete lack of morals, ethical vacuums, and cheering-on bad guys seem normal, then cheating on a test or stealing a candy bar doesn’t even move the scale of what’s inappropriate. What’s the harm of selling a little illegal weed to the kids when the other guy is selling crack cocaine? Let’s go shoplift what we need. It’s no big deal, the department and hardware stores already price in the shoplifting of their products.
Someone I respected greatly once gave a kid $5 to throw a couple of extra, unpaid-for bags of mulch in his trunk at a garden shop. I couldn’t believe he did that and especially in front of me. I had considered him a mentor. Was it a big crime? No. Were the few bucks he saved worth my loss of respect for him? Like watching characters on TV, I could have been influenced slightly to believe that is smart, it's okay. And some would have taken the bait.
Commercial Illuminati
Even on broadband television commercials we are brainwashed. And that is perfectly understandable when a product is being sold. Outside of that, there is a coordinated attempt to bend our thinking and socially train us. When a company has a message beyond selling a product, watch closely what you see that has nothing to do with their product. Unless what they are selling is directly addressed, it’s not their business to train you or me. Understand, I may or may not agree with their unrelated, somewhat hidden message(s) - that's not the point because generally I do. I just don’t want their opinion on anything beyond their explanation of how their product can help me. And as mentioned, these underlying messages are coordinated among many different products. Who is the gatekeeper? Keep social training and politics out of commercials!
Let’s face it. There’s enough built-in evil in every one of us. Of course, some more than others. Our morality is affected when we allow ourselves to be brainwashed in ways that make malevolence seem commonplace or to be depressed by attacks on our fragile morality. This will not help us or the people we rely on and trust every day. There was a time when it was good against evil. Now the common theme is ‘evil against worse evil’.
Where are the choices? We need heroes to show us there are other ways to act and react. Where have they gone? Marshall Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke), Ward Cleaver (Leave It to Beaver), where are you?
Mostly we watch stories on cable or Netflix where I think the writing today is much superior to the writing of my childhood, partly due to the freedom of expression. But I enjoy watching much less because, while entranced by the stories, I come away feeling depressed, disgusted, and sad after almost every episode. It could be the infidelity and violence of “Donovan,” the absence of morality and ethics of “Shameless,” or the portrayal of insanely flawed characters you may cheer or feel sympathy for in “Ozark” or “Better Call Saul.” Likeable characters these days are as rare as respectable politicians.
Never did I feel anything but happiness and/or positivity from watching “Andy of Mayberry,” “Father Knows Best,” or “Gunsmoke.” Sure, these programs did not always reflect real life. And I was okay with that. We saw real life everyday, so no one was fooled. But the escape and lessons they provided were valuable. Now it’s the opposite. There is no escape from fear or sadness, and the lessons are all negative!
Currently, Kathy and I are into about four, maybe five episodes of Netflix's “Ozark.” There is one character that I am holding out hope that he may be a decent person. He has been reasonable so thus far, but I fear he will fall into the circles of Hell like everyone else. Even the tough-minded and admirable Ruth, maybe the heroine of the series. is not shy of real violence, cheating, and harassment.
I wonder! Am I naïve? Are some of us seemingly saintly when compared to these people, and does that make us fools? Is real life like this and some of us live in a bubble? From a scene in ‘Ozark’, “So you skim a little from the top. Everyone does, don’t they?” Is this the line you want your children to hear? Does everyone skim from the top? Is every honest person a sucker or weak, to be pushed aside? I hope not. But I am truly beginning to have doubts because of the avalanche of negativity and repugnant behavior on most limited access programs. I get it. People like these programs for their shock value or voyeurism. I don’t expect goodness and light from everyone or every program but how about a little balance?
I know the reactions of some who read this. Hopefully, many will agree with my observations. Others will think, “What kind of Pollyanna is this guy?” Well, I’m not a Pollyanna. I have made many mistakes, some on purpose because I am a flawed human being. But to make evil the baseline, a common theme to entertain us, will also dull the senses of decency. Children should never see these programs and young adults could be harmed by idealistic sabotage.
When infidelity, violence, complete lack of morals, ethical vacuums, and cheering-on bad guys seem normal, then cheating on a test or stealing a candy bar doesn’t even move the scale of what’s inappropriate. What’s the harm of selling a little illegal weed to the kids when the other guy is selling crack cocaine? Let’s go shoplift what we need. It’s no big deal, the department and hardware stores already price in the shoplifting of their products.
Someone I respected greatly once gave a kid $5 to throw a couple of extra, unpaid-for bags of mulch in his trunk at a garden shop. I couldn’t believe he did that and especially in front of me. I had considered him a mentor. Was it a big crime? No. Were the few bucks he saved worth my loss of respect for him? Like watching characters on TV, I could have been influenced slightly to believe that is smart, it's okay. And some would have taken the bait.
Commercial Illuminati
Even on broadband television commercials we are brainwashed. And that is perfectly understandable when a product is being sold. Outside of that, there is a coordinated attempt to bend our thinking and socially train us. When a company has a message beyond selling a product, watch closely what you see that has nothing to do with their product. Unless what they are selling is directly addressed, it’s not their business to train you or me. Understand, I may or may not agree with their unrelated, somewhat hidden message(s) - that's not the point because generally I do. I just don’t want their opinion on anything beyond their explanation of how their product can help me. And as mentioned, these underlying messages are coordinated among many different products. Who is the gatekeeper? Keep social training and politics out of commercials!
Let’s face it. There’s enough built-in evil in every one of us. Of course, some more than others. Our morality is affected when we allow ourselves to be brainwashed in ways that make malevolence seem commonplace or to be depressed by attacks on our fragile morality. This will not help us or the people we rely on and trust every day. There was a time when it was good against evil. Now the common theme is ‘evil against worse evil’.
Where are the choices? We need heroes to show us there are other ways to act and react. Where have they gone? Marshall Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke), Ward Cleaver (Leave It to Beaver), where are you?
Marshall Matt Dillon from the TV series, "Gunsmoke".
