Reality TV....the race to the bottom

Did you ever stop and think about the themes that come and go in TVland?  When I was a kid it was westerns.  Gunsmoke, Have Gun Will Travel, The Rifleman, Rawhide, etc, and on Saturday mornings The Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, and plenty more.

Then we drifted into comedies....The Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction, Mary Tyler Moore, All in the Family, Green Acres....

Later still we had the cops 'n robbers shows:  Kojak, Hawaii Five-0, Starsky and Hutch, Baretta, Cagney and Lacey....

Today reality shows are all the rage.  I must admit, overall this is my least favorite TV genre to date.  I understand why the TV producers like them:  They're easy and cheap to produce, "talent" is everywhere, and there are no expensive sets to design....the grungier the better.

One of the few I do like is Duck Dynasty, about a family in Louisiana who's made million$ making duck calls, but still lives the redneck lifestyle.  I say it's about 80% "show" and 20% "reality", but K thinks they're the real deal.  

Consider this:  The family patriarch has a Masters degree in education, was a star college quarterback who had an offer to play in the NFL, and the "boys" are well educated, married to attractive "normal" women, and live the good life.  I think the beards are just their TV gimmick.

Here's the "old" Willie Robertson of pre-TV fame.

Here's the "new" TV Willie (R) with his father, brother, and uncle.  I think this show is one of the best marketing gimmicks ever.  Can you imagine how many duck calls they sell now?

Another current blow-out reality show is Doomsday Preppers.  It showcases people across the country who think "the end is near" and are stocking up on ammo and Ramen Noodles.  A few seem semi-sane:  They're worried about an economic collapse or maybe some sort of natural disaster such as an earthquake on the west coast.  OK, fair enough.

Most, however, are worried about things like the world flipping upside down (yes, the north and south poles switching places).  Loonies!

The aluminum hat is obviously to protect his "brain" from mega-sunspot radiation.  No, really.

Here's how they think....they turn their home into a bunker, fill it with MRE's and barrels of water, buy a small arsenal of weapons, and then have a "bug out bag" (a backpack) so they can strike out cross-country when it all hits the fan.  And leave all that stuff they've been hoarding?  DUH!

And of course there's Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo, the little girl with "star power" and her stage mom.  I've only seen this one once.  It was so gross I couldn't take any more.  On the one hand I feel sorry for them because the whole world is laughing AT them.  But on the other hand they're getting rich, so I guess the last laugh is on THEM.

Other than that you have The Real Housewives of NJ / Atlanta /  Orange County / Frog Knot, The Race Around The World (or something like that), blah, blah.  Somebody please stop this madness!  

Does this say something about our nation's collective intelligence?  If so, I want to cash in, too.   How about this:  

A show about a retired guy who eats fried pork skins for breakfast....

....spends his days chasing his dog "Little Fucker" (as in "come here you little fucker!") around the house....and writes blog posts about how things were "back in the day?

Move over Boo-Boo.  *Cha-Ching!*

S

Comfort or style?

As you might imagine, as a builder I'm interested in architecture and design.  I was reading an article in the paper this morning about a lady who sold her tech company for $23M, then to celebrate she renovated a loft (to the tune of $2M) she said "to make her friends envious".  Then I saw the slide show of her new digs.  Ugh!  It was all done in an ultra-contemporary style.  I just looked at her "den" and wondered where she would sit to read a book or watch TV?  

Here is an example of what I mean.  Does this look comfortable to you?

Does anyone remember the 70's TV show All In the Family?  Remember Archie Bunker's chair?  It was this old raggedy thing that Archie wouldn't let anyone else sit in.  He said his butt print on the cushion was just right and he didn't want anyone else messing with it.  (NOTE:  That chair is today in the Smithsonian.)  I feel pretty much the same about my chair.

It cost a small fortune 15 years ago, but I think it will probably outlast me.  I know it looks like hell, but it is supremely comfortable.  That ottoman has been the favorite napping spot for 3 dogs (Tara Belle, Emma Belle, and now Lukie Boy).  I place my feet wherever the dog isn't.  

When I had my detached retina surgeries years ago I was told I couldn't lie down to sleep until my eye healed, so for a while this served as my bed, too.  The back cushion just envelopes me, and the bottom cushion...well...speaks for itself.

The table on the right usually has a book or a couple of magazines on it, a clock, and a good, bright (3-way) reading light.  Underneath I even have a jar of peanuts handy for snacking.  A lot of football has been watched from that chair, lemme tell ya!

Unlike the lady in the story above, I gave up years ago trying to make my friends envious.  All I care about these days is making my butt happy.  And my dog.  ;)

S

PS...I do let K sit there whenever she wants.  Archie would be appalled, but she deserves it, too.