March 21, 2007
A Brief Thought
In one of a few ongoing email debates I’m having with persons of the liberal persuation, I recently mentioned the erosion of common morality that has become commonplace in modern television sitcoms and in movies, all of which are products of the liberal establishment that owns Hollywood these days.
His reply was the stock liberal line: That the TV networks and movie producers are merely catering to a society whose sensibilities and tastes have changed in the years since I was a lad.
Right.
It’s amazing how the left can peddle this reasoning without even an iota of guilt at the very lie.
I know that I have touched on this in long ago posts and comment threads, but….
….the truth of the matter is that the majority of mainstream American adults watch prime time TV and get most of their news from television networks, and that current films come up in conversation all the time, indicating that people go to the movies with some regularity.
Long and short — what people watch on the tube and at the movie theatre has a strong influence, based at least partially on trust in the rating agencies, has a lot of influence on what they believe is acceptable for viewing. When exposed to enough of certain material, they become accustomed to it and it comes to seem acceptable, even completely normal.
…at the very lie… I say this because they are intentionally putting the cart before the horse. The media in question are not following the public interest, they are creating it by gradually introducing more and more permissiveness into their products. Similarly, they make political statements in much of their programming, for example having characters in sitcoms making “Bush is stupid” statements as though it were an established fact understood by everybody.
Or look at the movie D.E.B.S. that I referred to in a post not long ago — here was a film that was all about a lesbian relationship between two high school aged girls. The delivery was cute and the rating was PG, since there were no profanity, graphic violence or sex involved, and the movie’s target audience was obviously young people.
This is how Hollywood does its part to indoctrinate the American public to liberal ideals, yet they then claim that they are simply providing entertainment according to the evolution of public demand. This is little different from the narcotics dealer who preys on stupid kids, getting them addicted to one drug or another, then claiming that he is only supplying a demand.
Couple that with the liberal indoctrination children are being bombarded with in the public school system, and the left has successfully covered all the bases….
http://hardastarboard.mu.nu/wp-trackback.php?p=640
March 21st, 2007 at 9:45 am
Seth, I’d comment from the lib side, but haven’t been to a movie since
Stewart Granger retired…
March 21st, 2007 at 10:12 am
You know what is really sad about this? That most Americans actually think what these Hollywood liberals say actually matters. It is a shame that Americans as a whole can name the finalists on American Idol and tell you their individual histories but cannot name their US senators, The Sec of State, or in may case even the VP! We have a terrible priority problem. Don’t get me wrong In enjoy movies for their entertainment value and when there is a historical picture like, “Flags of Our Fathers, ‘ I enjoy the Hollywood version fo history coming alive. But the majority of American seems to see Hollywierd as more important than what should really matter.
March 21st, 2007 at 11:50 am
I agree with you, Seth, and with Ken as well. It’s obviously a campaign by the left-wing moonbats in Hollywood to influence the morality in this country; or perhaps I should say the “lack of morality.” It’s absolutely done on purpose and it’s unconscionable! Shame on them! Movies definitely influence the younger generation as does the music. Comparing what Hollyweird does with what the drug dealers do is right on target. Good post!
March 21st, 2007 at 1:18 pm
BB –
You’ve mentioned your affinity for Stewart Granger films before, LOL. While I remember him from various movies and a lot of old TV guest roles, when his name comes up the three things that come to mind for me are his being James Drury’s boss in The Virginian (TV series), North To Alaska and The Wild Geese.
March 21st, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Ken –
It really is a shame that so many Americans perceive credibility where they should only see entertainment.
As far as American Idol and reality TV go, my perception is that Hollywood has evolved to a stage where there is a paucity of creativity remaining, so all they have left is the above. They are infinitely better at marketing themselves, so they force feed their shallow product to the public until “only game in town” syndrome prevails and they gain followings.
Look at today’s films — there are more remakes of old movies (done badly and with acting that doesn’t even come close to that found in the original presentations) and films based on novels that barely tell the same stories. Hollywood today is more interested in pushing their left wing political propaganda than they are in creating quality product.
Gayle –
Thanks. You mentioned the music, which I’d completely skipped. So much of it is trash today, yet much of it also presses lefty agendas.
Good example: Rap. While the Democrats keep the blacks conned(we have your best interests at heart, keep voting for us), they do all they can to keep black youth from getting ahead. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was the “blacksploitation” films, glorifying cocaine dealers, bad mufu’s, etc toward an end of encouraging emulation by black youth. Today, it’s the entire crack dealer/bling bling gangsta’ trip. Screw long-term achievement, it’s all about now. You gotta have the clothes, the money, the bitches if you wanna be somebody. Blow away your competition, etc… Those kids stupid enough to subscribe to all that BS are dead or in prison before they know it, but that doesn’t bother the Democrats — as long as they keep blacks down, they won’t have to practice what they preach(for the votes) and give them equal opportunities to succeed and achieve financial independence.
What we have in this country is an omni-faceted media machine that bombards us with leftist propaganda 24/7.
March 21st, 2007 at 6:13 pm
That’s why I hardly watch movies anymore because Hollywood Liberal Morons have injected themselves into Bush bashing so often that it’s just sickning to watch it and see it on just regular TV shows not to mention movies constantly.
The more they bash the President of the United States the more I change the channel or just turn off the TV and go enjoy other activities.
Enough is enough.
March 21st, 2007 at 8:22 pm
Marie –
What it all amounts to is that our country is being eaten from within by a political cancer that dominates everything from entertainment to news to education.
I’m about done with TV myself, I go through long periods where I don’t watch it at all, then whenever I do I find myself even more disenchanted with what’s out there than I was before.
March 21st, 2007 at 8:50 pm
This is a clear example of chasing one’s tail. We see both phenomena going on. On the one hand, we see a constant pushing the boundaries in order to titilate the audience with something new, which is almost always a pandering to the baser human instincts, a descent towards barbarism.
On the other hand, we see the constant imitation of current tastes, as producers, guided by market surveys of current tastes, produce a product that comfortably reinforces these trends as risk-avoidance behavior on behalf of sponsors and advertisers.
Thus Hollywood alternatively and concurrently both creates public attitudes and also panders to current prejudices.
It is true that dirt usually sells better than edification; that is something that we collectively have responsibility for, we are the substrate.
What betrays the moral decay of Hollywood producers is that they stimulate this depravity, either by intention to promote depravity, or perhaps just to make money - both of which are culpable.
What puts the lie to the market demand claims for increasing depravity in the arts is that works of nobility also can enjoy market success.
March 22nd, 2007 at 9:06 am
Civil Truth –
I occasionally watch old (as in when I was a wee lad and prior) programs on channels like TV Land and see wholesome, highly entertaining series shows, westerns like Gunsmoke and weekly sitcoms included that explore real life human traits and problems in fiction format and still manage, very effectively, to do so without the graphic violence, partisan political messages and ludeness we see in their modern prime time counterparts.
These prior series promoted patriotism, family values and honesty in one way and another — I have tried watching (one time each) several of today’s series shows and found myself changing the channel or turning off the TV within the first several minutes of each, principally out of sheer disgust, not only for the content, but out of realization that these are prime time shows (family TV viewing hours) that are watched by children — Queer Eye For The Straight Guy? C’mon! If this isn’t indoctrination…
So yes,
What betrays the moral decay of Hollywood producers is that they stimulate this depravity, either by intention to promote depravity, or perhaps just to make money - both of which are culpable.
is totally accurate.
One of my own greatest concerns here is that, having intentionally taken a lead role in the shaping of our society’s opinions and then used that role to promote moral, religious and patriotic deterioration among the viewing public constitutes sabotage, via propaganda bombardment, of all the most important values that America was founded upon.
You, me and most every right thinker in this country knows, or has conversed with, people who obtain all their news reports and editorials from the MSM and who watch prime time TV almost every night, and have heard their opinions/ seen their lifestyles first-hand as all but echoing those depicted on prime-time TV.
TV promotes the way Hollywood believes the average citizen with exponentially less income than theirs should live. Through the subtle advertising found in virtually every series show (wardrobe, furnishings, cars, etc), they even promote the brands Americans shop for. Factoring in today’s lengthy commercial breaks, TV viewers are advertised and propagandized to unendingly as long as the television is turned on.
My late mother was a big-league liberal feminist (you can just imagine the verbal “knock-down, drag-out” political arguments we used to have) who went, over years of achievement, from being a beatnik in Greenwich Village during the 1960s to a top retail ad exec, on a high school education, in San Francisco. She was brilliant and classically well read. She was the only person in my acquaintance I simply couldn’t (not once) beat at chess and for her, the most complex crossword puzzles were more an ego trip than any kind of challenge. After she retired, she earned a degree in Horticulture.
Having said that, one of her hobbies was writing reviews of underground theatre productions for a local gay weekly (she wasn’t of that persuation, she just had a lot of friends who were via her liberal social circles). She wrote spot-on reviews based on the acting, the plot, the script, etc.
Back on topic (Yay!): The only criticism her reviews ever received was that since she never watched (or even owned) a TV, she was unable to understand parts of the dialogue that referenced the “modern” views, culture, maxims and quips that originated in prime-time television. That she was therefore out of touch with today’s society.
If that very utterance wasn’t a crying shame, I don’t know what is.