Thoughts?
Philosophies?

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On a related note, perhaps we as human beings feel a need-- perhaps even a craving-- for disaster. I would not go as far as to say that anyone actually wanted the Virginia Tech shootings to happen, but I do believe there is a reason that such a story seemed to effect so many people who were completely untouched by the incident. The way that the media constructed the event was in the style of a narrative, with characters and plot, as Vicki stated. This type of portrayal allows us to see the event as reality; but it was too fluid and constructed to be truly "real". Therefore, it allows people to feel sadness without really feeling any pain. As twisted as it may sound, I think that everyone gets some satisfaction out of witnessing human misery. It's the same reason why reality TV is so popular. How popular do you think the shows would be if the people on the show were normal, likable people with happy lives? Every form of media, whether it be television, literature, music, etc. is centered around conflict. We, as humans, need conflict in our lives. In most cases, however, we prefer it not to be our own.

I feel I must make a distinction, though: Supporting VA Tech or honoring those who died is not the same as feeling insincere sorrow, and there is nothing wrong with doing so.

-Zach

Yes, what is it about disaster, or conflict, that draws such attention and interest? Is the jolt of shock, terror and disruption caused by disaster something that humans really desire? I don't know..... If watching "happy, unconflicted people" (yeah, and happiness and conflict are subjectively perceived!) doesn't satisfy an audience, then where do we go from there? I have to believe there are more possibilities than the binary oppositions of happy--sad or good--evil that many news programs seem to revolve around. ~Vicki


First off, I have to say that I have very mixed feelings about how the Virginia Tech situation was handled in the media. I can't help but wonder what makes this situation so much more tragic than when one person is shot and killed. Thousands of people are shot every year in America, but for some reason when more than one person dies at a time it seems to get so much more coverage, almost as if some lives were more important to society than other.

Now onto something a little lighter. Lately I've been finding myself watching a lot of the shows I used to watch as a kid, from Boy Meets World to Animaniacs, and the cultural differences and limitaions are so much different in these shows. I'm really considering buying the DVDs of all the cartoons I used to watch so that my kids can share those experiences. It just seems to me like there is hundreds of times the educational value in older shows as we see now. And hey, they're pretty entertaining for adults too.
Marty


I agree whole-heartedly with Marty's statements about the Virginia Tech situation. The media likes to turn multiple killings into a circus and skip over the smaller, "less important" ones. It's sad really.

And with your commentary about older shows, you've hit the nail on the head. This is becoming a major trend. I know in our house alone, we have Animaniacs, Batman: The Animated Series, Garfield, early Simpsons, TMNT, and we watch many shows from when we were growing up: Boy Meets World, Fresh Prince, etc. There's something very comforting about watching a TV show or a film that you watched when you were a child. I know that my parents have done the same thing as well. They watch a lot of the same shows on DVD that they used to watch when they were younger. Hey, we're all trying to feel younger.

-Dan L.

I also agree about the older shows...They are really comforting, I think. It's also interesting to view older shows in the present because age and maturity can alter one's perceptions. It's a bit like listening to old song, I guess---in many ways an old song can cut through all the years of experience and maturity to reach one's heart in the same way it used to, but there's also another level of understanding/emotion that comes from one's present perceptions. ~Vicki

May Sweeps FYI:

Hey, if you're interested in the latest news about the "May Sweeps" and would like to know the dates for upcoming season finales on TV, then be sure to check out this article at the PopMatters website (Just click on the logo at right). PopMatters also has lots of other articles on a variety of TV shows. ~vicki