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Mental health and the frenetic style of modern tv


mouth brooder

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mouth brooder

Like some other Avenites, I quit watching broadcast televsion years ago.

I still watch film and some live stream online video.

In the past year I have occasionally downloaded some previously televised programming, usually PBS or BBC productions.

A while ago I downloaded The Elegant Universe and was nauseated by all the frenetic style that has possessed tv since I've been "gone."

Yesterday I downloaded a Discovery Channel program, Da Vinci Declassified, and I could not get past the first minute of hyper zooming, panning, spinning, and rapid fire imagery.

But what about the people who have been watching tv since I quit? It seems they've been gradually desensitized to something highly insidious.

Older Avenites, you may be in my shoes, or you may be able to comment from the still watching tv but I remember when point of view.

And here is some outside reading:

http://www.artsreformation.com/a001/mb-tel...on-is-good.html Nice essay/article about television producer responsibility.

I emailed a webpage about ADD/Hyperactivity and TV to someone close who has little kids. That's a good topic to google.

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How interesting. I've been thinking a lot about that lately too :)

I must admit, I worry about my nephews and niece and their exposure to television. While I try to understand... that the world is changing and it may not be bad for them to have a similar background as their peers, I do notice behaviors that are quite different from what I'm accustomed too. Behaviors I can tell come from television viewing.

And although I've heard about this new idea that television shows are making people more intellegent because of the complexity of the plots, I wonder what happens when people come to expect such complexity in their own lives all the time? And will they expect everything to happen so fast? After all, some of the best things in life are simple, and real problems often require time and reflection to be resolved.

(edit) I take the kids out for walks in the woods, and we do some simple quiet art projects together, but often they want more 'exciting' entertainment, and I hate to force them.... for fear they'll end up hating it. The classic dillemma!

Well, I could go on and on about concerns, I'm not saying they will all come to pass, it's just something I wish our society would consider more (but that would take 'time' wouldn't it? :) )

On a personal and less serious note. I'm getting very tired of never being allowed to see anything on screen anymore. It happens in the movies too. I especially wonder how the artistic crews on movies must feel about all those jump cuts. All that care and work they put into producing a lovely set or stunning costume...then it's shown for only a few seconds!!!

Just the other day, my dad was watching "The Phantom of the Opera". He knows my love of costume so he called me in to see the ballroom scene. I think the costumes must have been fantastic, but with all that camera whirling and twirling I could only catch the vaguest glimpses :x .

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I agree! Actually, some places have a law as to how much strobing and shit can go into things on telly but it's still way to high. I think it's because the people watching the most telly these days grew up with video games. I do find most shows very obnoxious for exactly what you said - the flicking and flashing, strobing...it's like the whole word is attention deficit and can't focus on one thing for more than 30 seconds.

I find the whole world is getting too quick. People talk to quickly, they're doing two or three things at once, they're driving, talking on the phone, putting cream in their coffee and reading their daytimer all at once. Parents have their kids in one sport every day of the week and if a kid gets detention, it throws the entire pattern off-kilter. Everything is quick frozen or fast pick-up, if you try to have supper with someone, their phone is ringing and they HAVE to take the call. You phone someone and they've got call waiting and keep putting you on hold. People e-mail you using stupid litle "how r u"...they don't have the time to write real words anymore? They don't have time to write letters or visit. JEEZ people, take a day off! I would like to dare these people to go ONE day without their phone, car or computer. I would like to challenge them to go out with ONE friend and spend the time with them instead of squeezing them in between phonecalls.

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Elizabeth I

I guess I am in the minority here. I LOVE television!

I have one in almost every room, and sometimes I have 2 of them on at once on different shows.....Oh BTW ...I know I'm ADD

I watch PBS, Discovery, the Learning Channel, the History Channel and a FEW regular network shows. ("Medium", "Will and Grace")

I'm menopusal and don't sleep at night, so I REALLY look forward to Craig Ferguson at 12:37. I love Scotsmen!

Gosh I can't imagine my life without TV! Thank goodness for 24 hour broadcasting!

Lizzie

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I enjoy TV, too. But I find that I'm a bit choosey which shows that I watch. I don't much like the sitcoms these days, and some of the other shows can be just a bit too much. But I like a lot of what is on PBS.

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Yesterday I downloaded a Discovery Channel program, Da Vinci Declassified, and I could not get past the first minute of hyper zooming, panning, spinning, and rapid fire imagery.

I hate that type of stuff! It makes me dizzy. it reminds me of roller coaster, which I can't really go on very much. I've given up on most television, as well. Nothing is ever on. Why pay for cable when I can rent seasons of the shows I love on dvd for cheaper? :)

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Calla_Lily

i have noticed this, it has been a gradual thing...the fast paced filming, "strobe" effect stuff...i find it annoying. if a plot is interesting enough on it's own, no special effects are needed. i think that a lot of british movies are far superior to american movies because they focus on characters, plot, story development etc instead of multi million dollar (wastes of money) special effects to make up for a lack of creativity.

another trend seems to be...HOW LOUD can we be?! commercials especially, scream everything. i have made a vow to stop shopping at any store that uses these tactics to advertise. (it happens on tv and radio)

i do think that all of these trends are due to desensitization, which is scary. what will people need to stimulate them in the next 20 years? i'm a quiet person and i like a soft, gentle, calming environment.

i'm still hopefully waiting for the "reality" tv craze phase to end, am i a dreamer??! lol

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Elizabeth I
i'm still hopefully waiting for the "reality" tv craze phase to end, am i a dreamer??! lol

I'm with you on that one. I am particularly offended by "Fear Factor"

It's been difficult watching NBC commit suicide over the past few years. I wonder what the heck happened over there?

They finally get ONE good Friday night show like "The Book of Daniel" and the network bows to the pressure of bigots before it even gets to the third episode.

That little stunt was followed by 24 hours a day of BORING Winter Olympics...and they wonder why nobody watches?

After the "Daniel" fiasco...I joined the NBC boycott and am glad I did! If I were still watching Conan....I wouldn't have discovered CRAIG FERGUSON!

Lizzie

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I like TV. I have always been picky what I watch. I like what I like and that's what I watch.

I know all my life people have said TV was bad and that it ruined kids. It didn't ruin me. They said the same about music. Rock and Roll was supposed to be the death of our society. They said it about dance. I think the older generation, every generation say that what kids are listening to, watching and doing is the ruin of society.

I'm not so sure that TV is the ruin, I sorta think the lack of parents in kids lives may play more of a roll in the ruin than anything else.

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*sings and dances* Rock N Roll is here to stay, it will NEVER DIE (yes I am actually yelling right now...)

But on the tv thing, my husband's hobby is hi-end audio-video. The largest room in the flat is the media room, devoted to the wide-screen tv, dvd player, cd player, vhs deck, turntable for vinyl, the requisite nine speakers and subwoofers for surround sound, the cd and dvd and old LP collections; and my personal collection of SF rock posters from the days of the Fillmore and Avalon ballrooms. So I am more or less obligated to show my appreciation for all this effort by laying in a recliner for a couple of hours a day, and critiqueing modern culture as displayed on the 500 or so channels he gets from the 3 satellite dishes...

I used to find it sort of pathetic that all that technology and effort went into something as puerile as tv; but there is some good stuff on there. I guess I watch enough of it that I don't feel terribly generation-gapped in this regard, and can deal with whatever they throw me.

I grew up without TV, had to learn to appreciate it because of husband's hobby described above. Not really a sacrifice!

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i

i'm still hopefully waiting for the "reality" tv craze phase to end, am i a dreamer??! lol

Silly Lilly! Of COURSE you're dreaming!

Actually, I don't really get all upset about reality shows because I never see them. I watch TV according to the TV schedule and even turn it off when there's nothing on. So honestly, I have NO idea how many reality shows there are but I have a feeling they're here to stay. I just always laugh that people laugh at ME for watching wrestling. Is it not all the same? Fighting, T&A and a scripted outcome?

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I enjoy television in moderation. It will not ruin my day if I miss an episode or evening of television, and I'm relatively picky about what I'll watch. I hate watching reruns, I'll turn it off if I've seen it before. But I've become very fond of the CSI-type shows (yes yes, scoff all you like). My favourite being NCIS. Not so fond of the CSI Miami; what's-his-hame, the lead actor, is an irritatingly bad actor and the puns were killing me after the first few episodes of the season.

Anyway, enough rambling. I entirely agree with the general discontent over the "reality TV" faze; I watched Survivor once and that was enough for me.

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Calla_Lily

this is more of a movie question than tv, but i was wondering if any of you know of any "asexual romance" movies? i'm a romantic at heart but it seems that all the "romance" movies = sex sex sex. i want the sweet love story minus the exchange of bodily fluids. fast forwarding through the sex scenes deletes most of the movie, and when i know it's coming up in a scene, it ruins the whole vibe. :roll:

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mouth brooder

An adventure film, Snow Walker. Very moving platonic love story between an ex WWII pilot and a young Inuit woman stranded together in the Golden North.

*cossing fingers for lots more recommendations*

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I haven't watched TV in years..and I don't miss it..

But I don't like the "forced excitement " of it either...

roddy

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Calla_Lily

thank you for the, "snow walker", suggestion diogena!!!! if i find any others on my own, i will post them.

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Calla_Lily...

but i was wondering if any of you know of any "asexual romance" movies?

Animated! :D :D :D Try the animated movie section of your video story.

niteshade...

My favourite being NCIS. Not so fond of the CSI Miami;

Same here. I really like NCIS. The original CSI in Vegas was my fav till NCIS came along. I can't stand CSI Miami or NYC.

Aeriel....

*sings and dances* Rock N Roll is here to stay, it will NEVER DIE (yes I am actually yelling right now...)

Hey kid, rock and roll

Rock on, ooh, my soul

Hey kid, boogey too, did ya

Hey shout, summertime blues

Jump up and down in my blue suede shoes

Hey kid, rock and roll, rock on

And where do we go from here

Which is the way that's clear

Still looking for that blue jean, baby queen

Prettiest girl I ever seen

See her shake on the movie screen, Jimmy Dean

(James Dean)

And where do we go from here

Which is the way that's clear

Still looking for that blue jean, baby queen

Prettiest girl I ever seen

See her shake on the movie screen, Jimmy Dean

Jimmy Dean

Rock on

Rock on

Rock on

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mouth brooder

Wow, Ziff, David Essex!!! I see the song has been covered a number of times since, but OOOOOOOhhh how haunting Essex's version was.

And Calla, I am a total anime neophyte, but Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke made me a believer.

There's a tiny bit of hot and heavy kissing in Enchanted April, but I am guessing it will be your kind of film....

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