Which came first - the TV moment or reality?
...and does TV drive reality?
Remember waaay back when a girl-girl kiss on TV caused an uproar? Then there was the debut of shows like "Will and Grace" Now there are plenty of homosexual characters on TV. Would we be where we are now in Massachusetts if the table hadn't been set by television?
Those of you who watch "South Park" probably remember the "Night of a Thousand Sh**s" episode, where the people of South Park tune in just to hear TV characters say that word. After hearing it on TV, it becomes "acceptable" in South Park to use the word all the time, in virtually any setting.
Real or make-believe, we probably do have an easier time accepting things we see on TV all the time. So here's what worries me. No less than two TV shows this season have shown us mushroom clouds. It's the whole premise of "Jericho," where the people of a small town in Kansas deal with the obliteration of several major US cities - including Denver, whose mushroom cloud they see on the horizon. Then there's the detonation of a suitcase nuke on "24." Are we at risk of becoming desensitized to this? No, don't call out the legislators to ban what we can see on TV; that's not the point. But would our reaction be somewhat dulled if we've "seen" it happen before - on TV?
...and does TV drive reality?
Remember waaay back when a girl-girl kiss on TV caused an uproar? Then there was the debut of shows like "Will and Grace" Now there are plenty of homosexual characters on TV. Would we be where we are now in Massachusetts if the table hadn't been set by television?
Those of you who watch "South Park" probably remember the "Night of a Thousand Sh**s" episode, where the people of South Park tune in just to hear TV characters say that word. After hearing it on TV, it becomes "acceptable" in South Park to use the word all the time, in virtually any setting.
Real or make-believe, we probably do have an easier time accepting things we see on TV all the time. So here's what worries me. No less than two TV shows this season have shown us mushroom clouds. It's the whole premise of "Jericho," where the people of a small town in Kansas deal with the obliteration of several major US cities - including Denver, whose mushroom cloud they see on the horizon. Then there's the detonation of a suitcase nuke on "24." Are we at risk of becoming desensitized to this? No, don't call out the legislators to ban what we can see on TV; that's not the point. But would our reaction be somewhat dulled if we've "seen" it happen before - on TV?
posted by Olivier Kozlowski | 12:24 PM
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