Bad Influences

I notice that my movie and TV viewing habits have changed substantially. Most notably, I actually watch movies and TV. This is a change for me, since I literally did not have even basic cable TV literally for years. I got a few local networks on open-air broadcasts (I did buy a digital converter box), and if I adjusted the antenna right, I could also catch the occasional soccer game on the Spanish Channel. But watch TV? Me? Kinda not so much. Until the last few months or so.

I have to admit, there is some good stuff on. And a lot of it is on DVD. Even now, I spend a lot more time watching re-runs on DVD and/or Netflix (Weeds, Lost, Bones) than I do watching live TV (pretty much limited to True Blood and Rules of Engagement). Baby steps, you know. Gotta build up my tolerance to it. Especially since most TV these days not just INCLUDES general douche-baggery (as addressed below), but instead seems to be BASED on general douche-baggery. The fact the Jersey Shore has the kind of following it does really speaks volumes about our culture. Have you seen 'Idiocracy?' Does the society portrayed in that movie really seem that far-fetched or over the top?

I've also been watching a lot of romantic comedies lately, since both The Woman and I enjoy laughs. I have no problem with watching romantic comedies, actually. They are generally funny and entertaining and appropriately mindless for casual lounging on evenings and weekends. No denying the amusement value. But I have to say that I fundamentally object to the general theme of the modern romantic comedy. The universal storyline of those movies seems to be 1) guy meets girl 2) guy acts like a douche-bag (intentionally or incidentally) 3) guy loses girl 4) guy sees the error of his ways 5) guy makes a further ass of himself apologizing in some endearing fashion 6) guy gets girl back. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I go down my mental list of romantic comedies, and I really can't think of a single notable instance where the GIRL is the one who fucks things up, and ends up falling on her sword to get the guy back. I'm sure those movies are out there. But I can't think of them. And remembering movies is generally something that I'm pretty good at.

There is a certain amount of reality in what we seen on TV and movies. There is a lot of douche-baggery in the world, and some of it is really fucking funny. Moreover, guys DO act like jackasses, and nonetheless still get The Girl. I have no intention of stopping or changing my TV or movie viewing habits. But that having been said, I'm not sure any children of mine will be allowed to watch these sorts of shows and/or movies, at least until they're in their teens. Seriously. Because unlike the usual material that parents tend to object to (movies or shows about crime, violence, etc.), the people in these lowest-common-denominator shows and/or romantic comedies are not in settings or situations where their behavior is clearly fantasy. For example: rather than being set in jungles or battlefields or outer space, romantic comedies are set in normal day-to-day places, with actors who tend to look and act like everyday people. Except that the storyline has the guys overtly (and often intentionally) acting like jackasses, making fools of themselves, and the women in question sometimes acting even worse, and almost always forgiving the douche-bag(s) for their behavior and taking them back.

I think it's funny that a parent wouldn't let their kid watch action or horror movies because swearing and violence are 'bad influences' on their kids, but might have no problem with their kid watching programming where infidelity, intoxication, lying, and/or general douche-baggery are central points of the storyline. Maybe this has something to do with the sorts of entertainment that appears on TV and in movies these days. Again, is a true Idiocracy really that far-fetched?