Stuart Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 In an effort not to hi-jack the "How the French manage to stay slim" thread, I thought I would start another On that thread, Jond wrote:>One of the reasons I prefer living in >France is the lack of alcohol fueled >casual violence that appears to be the >norm in the UK. Even the UK govt and >police services acknowledge that the >situation in many town centres is >beyond their control.To me, the worrying thing is that there is a growing trend by some of the TV channels to produce programmes that have turned these serious issues into a form of light entertainment. When they have been questioned about their suitability, the producers have said that the programmes are trying to highlight the unsocial behaviour/police resourcing problems involved. Personally, I think that is a load of Bull. If they were honest, they would have to admit that it was simply another cheap version of "reality TV" that they were using to fill our screens during those off-peak hours when the advertising revenue was at its lowest.There is no attempt to make these types of programmes into thought-provoking social documentaries, which could be of more lasting social value and give them some credibility. Instead, they are scheduled late at night as a "filler", making them ideal fodder for people just getting in from a skinful down at the pub (and possibly a fight in the car park on the way home). Perhaps one of the reasons I am on the PC so much is because the standard of TV has sunk to such a low that I find the majority of it cheap, tasteless rubbish. For a long time, I have found the seemingly irreversible trend to use ever nastier, more sordid storylines for our soaps and dramas very disturbing. The programme makers' theory seems to be "The cheaper the production costs = the cheaper the behaviour should be". Their argument is that these programmes are supposed to be simply reflecting everyday life. How is it then that so many of our kids (and not a few of our so-called grownups) are influenced by the characters that they watch and end up imitating them?It is a sentiment often decried as old-fashioned and/or right-wing but I believe that the power of TV is so huge that it has a moral responsibility to influence people's behaviour for the good wherever it can. Unfortunately, it is currently doing the opposite.Worryingly, this is not a UK phenomenon - I have watched programmes in a few European countries and it looks like the same thing is happening there as well; possibly to a lesser degree than in the UK at present, but I have no doubt that it will soon be catching us up. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cjb Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 You may be surprised to know that I'm completely with you on this one, Stuart. Certain sections of the media seem to revel in such voyeurism.I'm not convinced that French television is any better than that in the UK, as they too have their fare share of c**p and many parts of french television appear to be indistinguishable from that of the UK or US.I have seen a number of documentaries in France that have been followed up by audience discussion and panels made up of "experts", former politicians, care workers, journalists etc.... which can make for interesting viewing as it enables a more rounded look at such issues, without simply providing cheap entertainment.It seems that with the undoubted importance of advertising revenues in television that it's viewing figures that rule at the expense of quality journalism. What the BBC's excuse is, therefore, I don't know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pucette<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3>Pucette<FONT><P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt">"Qui ne connaît pas la campagne lhiver, ne connaît pas la campagne et ne connaît pas Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 It's over thirteen years since I had regular access to tv and I've only just started wanting one - I'd like to watch the news so that I know what people are talking about rather than them having to tell me what they've seen, if you see what I mean. And there was a programme about illiteracy mentioned in the paper last winter, the first time I've ever wished I could watch something. So, although I'm planning to get a tv this winter I do think you are quite right; I particularly dislike the medium because even more than the written word it can be very convincing while only telling one side of a story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hegs Posted August 1, 2004 Share Posted August 1, 2004 >Worryingly, this is not a UK >phenomenon - I have watched I agree. I was away from home in a hotel over the weekend so I saw a fair bit of French TV, two programs stood out (apart from The Weakest Link, I think there must be an "Anne Robinson" gene). "Couples in crises" - Terribly exploitative program about couples on the edge of splitting up. I think I saw 3/5 mini-stories, of course the men were always the cause "Temptation Island" - OK so I know this has been on UK TV and I only saw a bit of it , but the French version seemed to be much, much crueler somehow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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