A recent period of being stuck in airports, gyms, and hotel lounges has reintroduced me to the world of American cable TV and it is not a pretty sight. Hours of mindless coverage of Britney Spears’ latest problems, people fighting to be named father of the year in the life (and death) of Anna Nicole Smith, the famous diapered ride of an astronaut and the arrest of Bobby Brown are just the latest samples of what the cable operators choose to give attention to 24/7.
It is tempting to throw a brick through the TV and equally tempting to simply blame the cable producers for force-feeding us crap. But end of the day if people did not watch the providers would change the diet. Do people watch this crap because they love to see people’s dignity destroyed? Are they able to find joy in the downfall of the mediocre? If so, it is an amazing process – the networks build up some mediocrity and people follow his or her rise with the unspoken hope that they will be able soon to watch the crash. Saves the expense of covering real news happening to real people in real places and in real time. And keeps the rating numbers up.