I don't think you exaggerated at all; you hit the nail on the head. I began to realize this a few yeara ago, sometime after a reconversion as well. Finally ejected "The Office" from my canon of culture, which I actually consider to have good character work and decent comedy.
To explore one of your points more, a sitcom psychologically acts like family time in the evening. We are watching and emoting with a group of people who do not exist, and have no intended end, only when they lose funding for the show.
This is different than a show like Breaking Bad (which I certainly have qualms with now as a faithful Catholic and haven't watched it since). But Breakimg Bad functions more like a Brothers Karamazov, it has an intended ending and it has something to say. In that sense it is actually art, whereas the Office, Friends, Parks and Rec, How I Met Your Mother, are all placeholders for a family and and a mental medication for social conditioning.
I love that explanation, and I'd say I completely agree. Sitcoms are designed to be superficial, whereas good shows (even if they are a bit too violent or not "virtuous" per se), have a deeper meaning and a quality that makes them way less damaging (for the most part)
Artist trying to say something whether bad or good are at least functioning as an artist rather than someone that makes work that doesn't seek to transform the soul but rather waste its time in meaningless banter. Meaningless banter is for your family and friends.
I would add that before the advent of sitcoms, an author would write a story that would have an ending. Even if Robin Hood or King Arthur appeared in more than one story, each story stood on its own with a beginning, middle and end. You'd hear or read a story, or see a play or pageant performed, then go on to do other things.
I remember the first time the absurdity of sitcoms really hit me.When I was in high school, my whole family watched MASH. One day, at around 17, I realized there were more episodes of MASH than there were days of the actual boots-on-the-ground Korean conflict.
I'm interested in knowing why your page doesn't get more attention. I don't get the feeling that you write for the praise of others, but it seems odd that your level of writing hasn't naturally attracted a wider audience.
This is a good article, and it's a really inconvenient truth that I've been aware of for a while. Anytime I watch "reality TV" or sitcoms, I literally have to say out loud to my wife and kid, "This is a work of fiction, akin to dragons and superheroes. Normal humans do not function like this, and these are not admirable people." It definitely kills the vibe for a moment, haha, but I think it's important to reiterate this fact often when consuming "junk food" media. (Real quick aside: I do not, by any means, dislike fictional media; works of fiction have a crucial role in adding depth to one's understanding of themselves and the world, and I will passionately share great works of fiction with my family.)
I'm not against people watching these types of shows to relax and enjoy superficially, but the level of influence they can have on someone's life is definitely dangerous.
Thanks a lot for the kind words brother. All in due time! I'll keep writing to the best of my ability and leave the results and impact of it in God's hands 🙏🏻
And I completely agree with you, it's okay of course to watch something like this lightly every once in a while, but similarly to, for example, superhero movies, very often people get just waaaay too attached to them.
Big agree, and I have definitely found myself guilty of it in the past! I am immune to these influences no more than the next person. It's good to keep that in mind.
Exactly, some are saying they watch these shows and don't try to imitate the characters, but the point is that you will undeniably and involuntarily start to copy some of their behaviors. It's just human nature. We are not immune to such influences
I read somewhere that the understanding of this reality of human nature was the greatest accomplishment of MKUltra. Mind control could be achieved simply by creating likeable characters that people would emulate. Marvel is this without a doubt.
I like the piece, but I think you are throwing the baby out with the bath water.
Great sitcoms hold a mirror to society and show us what we are. It’s why Cheers still holds up 30 years after it debuted. Its characters, while flawed, are relatable.
Spencer Klavan just wrote a piece on The American Mind similar to this. He suggested that we have a culture run by dullards who watch plenty of shows, but lack judgement. We need to be able to watch a piece of media, pull out what is good or relatable, then toss out the rest.
No they are a mirror of just how much subversive Jewish media a society will allow and the real world Weimarization isn’t long behind, generally .
Israeli Wire and other Con. Inc outfits make a living criticising / moralising America or some other entity for some moral panic , real or feared … all while conveniently leaving out (((who’s actually largely or entirely responsible))).
Criticism of persistent maladaptive behavior isn’t hate or hatful.
Constructive criticism is often viewed as a form of charity or love.
“Jew hatred” As you use it means effectively anything below slavish Shabbos Goy Philo-“semetism”.
If you’re a “Goy/Gentile”, your intellectual grasp of Judaism, its cannon (Tanakh, Talmud, Zohar) is basically non-existent. Judaism is not simply Judaism + Jesus Christ.
This vociferous complaining when reality clashes with your ignorance is really cringe and yet so common.
Hebrew has been the written and intellectual language of the Jewish people for thousands of years throughout the ancient world. Everything is written in Hebrew and there's many examples that are much older than 500 AD
There's always some obvious flaw in you people because it's so shallow and impulsive. Let's be honest you're way out of depth and scratching at noises and shadows from the internet. Horse mounted Asian warriors became Hollywood producers or something... fully delusional.
Usually it’s just called acts/beliefs/interests of self preservation
With Jews resistant goyim are called “antisemitic”. That anyone cares or it can have any real world impact is the sole issue - not antisemitism which is a cross-racial default position and reaction to the way the Jewish suprastate abuses its benefactors - as per religious requirements: are non-jews are subhuman cattle that Hashem gave jews dominion over.
2) Jews, compared to have much higher rates of paranoia and schizophrenia from inbreeding
3) all goyim host nations have asked Jews to cease their chauvistic, usurious and genocidal ways or leave- and the universal reaction was- in essence- “no goyim, you leave ! OY GEVALT We literally pray for genocide, but we ,Oy vey, and only we are victims”
They have told everyone to go get hilted.
Then cry *literally “another” shoah when expulsion they asked for was enforced.
The Office reflected a lot because it rang directly with me based on experience. I never really watched Friends and later noticed that it was really bizarre that 35-year-old people were all living together acting like college roommates.
That's what makes more insightful shows like the office so interesting at their time - It's so well reflected that now it's kind of boring since that day is long past.
Agree wholeheartedly. Additionally, Friends truly was the dumbest of the dumb. Around a month ago just to verify my 1990s opinion I watched 5 minutes of the first episode…and the idea in your piece, that these shows are damaging both individually and societally hit me hard…by sheer fact of presenting debauchery and stupidity as “this is normal.”
I struggle over Seinfeld, as the negative themes you explore are broadcast there, too..but it’s so funny and well crafted so often, that it’s probably even more dangerous than Friends?
I have not watched Seinfeld so no idea, really. I think some are better than others but in general it's just better not to become attached to any of them. Thank you for reading!!
I think the majority of the 6 main characters are / were very talented comedically. Friends had very little in the way of ethics though and was incredibly superficial in order to just wrap up each episode and keep the will they or won't they plot going. (We were on a break/ I wouldn't have written the list etc)
Seinfeld was interesting in that it was amoral in a lot of ways and most episodes are about the main characters getting their comeuppance in the end.
Seinfeld was interesting, it was purposefully terrible and none of the characters were role models.Rather the characters represented our worst selves. You wonder the deleterious effect it had on our culture.
A good majority of modern entertainment is trash. News, TV series, movies, and music. Somewhat disappointed in myself for the years I wasted watching and listening in my youth. I’m just glad I never had an appetite for video games.
It’s unfortunate that so many people make these THINGS their lives. Has been isolating pulling away from them, but enlightening to see how uninteresting most people are which is a big reason I left social media slowly over the last few years and then completely a couple of months ago.
Spot on brother. Same here, although I was an avid gamer for years. It's crazy how many people literally idolize these shows and make them their entire lives. Same goes for sports, movie franchises, celebrities, etc.
“Avoidance of Depth: Can’t handle silence, vulnerability, or serious topics without tension or laughter”
I see this on a daily basis. Even in my interactions with faithful Catholics who can’t allow a serious discussion to proceed without injecting a crude joke about it, or offer a sincere apology without making a sarcastic remark to break up the seriousness of the situation. It’s a defense against the uncomfortable reality that we all must confront from time to time but they don’t want to.
“Do you think this is a coincidence? Or an intentional effort to subvert God’s design for what a family should be and for the preciousness of human life?”
I agree that sitcom culture is generally bad for society, and much of your critique is agreeable.
But you still have to be careful about what media you’re consuming. The idea that friends was created with an intention to “subvert god’s designs for…” (etc) is goofy. There’s a lot of conservative and fundamentalist cultural media out there which will creates seductive narratives about how anything “worldly” is the work of some satanic cabal.
Can you imagine the show runners of Friends saying “Yes, this ‘smelly cat’ song will definitely help us to subvert god’s plans, mwahahaha.”
Of course not. Friends is just a reflection of humans being humans in a, frankly, unhealthy culture.
If we become reactionary about it, we only make the problem worse.
Maybe not everything in the series is intentionally written to promote vice and unnatural ways, but don’t you think that it’s fishy how there’s not one example of a normal family in the 6 main characters?
I agree that maybe the overall “goal” isn’t to promote vice, but it’s very interesting to me that when it comes to family and sexual behavior, not one of the characters acts in a way that it’s virtuous. It would be more realistic if there was some variety there too, so it’s also not about being realistic. It’s very weird
That would destroy the premise of the show- and most "urbane" comedies take place in a weird bubble that's impossible for real life.
The family comedies are another category and tell different stories ofc. Also tend to be more boring although Friends & How I Met are fully unwatchable noise so it escaped me at the time. Only later realizing they were very popular!
At the time something new seems fresh and then looking back it gets dated and in hindsight loses whatever luster it had from the moment. The genius in these shows is how it rings true in some way and tell stories - even moral journeys.
I don’t think it was consciously intentional - it could have been unconsciously, but for some time I was very suspicious, and I agree with the reactivity comment. It inflames.
What bothers me the most about sitcoms, is the fakeness of how relational problems resolve. The answer is almost always "we just needed to recognize how much we love each other." That isn't how the majority of relational problems in life are actually solved.
I just never found 'Friends' funny. 'Home Improvement' is funnier in it's early seasons as a 90's sitcom. Some episodes of the later are "meh". I never watched 'How I met your mother'.
I really think it is a matter of perspective. When i watch friends i watch it to have a fun time watching people who behave like kids struggle to get their life together despite irony, bad luck, etc.
At no point am i trying to become like them.
The whole piece stems on the idea that you will imitate what you consume. But that is not true. You are affected by what you consume and it is about the perspective in which you are consuming that dictates the emotions and actions that follow.
If it were as simple as imitate what you consume then all detectives would be murderers. Consuming can definitely lower your sensitivity to such things and make you more likely to do such things, but it isn’t as cut and dry as the article makes it seem.
I think the premise of this article as a consequence calls for a society that hides itself from anything that isn’t rainbows, when in reality we are called to combat darkness and we’ll need to study it to do so.
Overall, I think the article touches on something real but mistakes the solution for total abstinence instead of perspective change or the state of your heart.
I think there's no reason why total abstinence shouldn't be practiced. There really isn't any value in those shows that you couldn't get somewhere else without the added problems mentioned. Of course you can watch them every once in a while, without any issue, but why? It's also not about "hiding", and I guarantee that those who are attached to these shows don't watch them to "study darkness so they can combat it". And even if you watch in moderation, be aware that you are getting used to those behaviors and desensitizing against them., however slightly and subconsciously.
(Btw totally agree that most people aren’t watching the show to combat darkness, im only speaking of my experience, not other people). I think it just boils down to a differing approach to life. For me complete abstinence from everything that contains a bad influence would be complete abstinence from everything as there isn’t a thing is this world that isn’t touched by the fallen spirit. This thinking (to me at least) seems to have no apparent limitations besides personal judgement (which is what you are criticizing as too “soft”), thus making the argument somewhat spin endlessly into more extreme views. Yes, the world is flawed, but i live in it and i need to be capable of (at the very least) watching friends without being possessed by a spirit of reckless behavior or any other fallen acts you are suggesting are more likely as a consequence of watching friends.
Again i think your argument has a good base, but it was expanded too broadly in two ways:
1. You assumed the show had the same effect on everyone as it had on you
2. You decided that the answer was in complete avoidance instead of framing and that everyone should follow that (which again if that is the lifestyle you want, it is your life. I just dont think it applies to everyone).
I think that is where it mainly fell apart, people are different and this article assumes we are all the same with the same goals and same methods for getting to them.
Btw im not trying to argue with you at all, just thought i’d share my perspective and learn more about what you meant as well.
That's exactly what is so off-putting to me: These people are like 35 years old and pretending to be 25. In real life all of these actors had families and children etc they're normal people like everyone else.
At least Seinfeld was a surreal vehicle for his own comedy stand up routine, playing a fictional version of himself in a cartoon world. That's why I like Arrested Development and Always Sunny in Philadelphia- absurd and exaggerated to the point.
Something about Friends and How I Met your Mother (also The Big Bang Theory) is repulsive and completely boring for me. I kind of "get it" but lose interest very quickly. OTOH these shows have more appeal to younger millennials
Even to the point where the next generation grew up watching an older show- they don't really care about the Office etc
How do you feel this argument would relate to shows where you are laughing at the characters. Where the cast are explicitly non-admirable people and the joke is that their faults are bad. Such as Arrested Development or Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia? No one in any of these shows is ever framed as someone worth emulating.
I haven’t watched Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but arrested development is so cartoonish and ridiculous that it enters in a different category, IMO. I thought about adding a short paragraph explaining how watching sitcoms is not that bad if you at least have the awareness to realize they’re basically fantasy stories and not at all reflecting of real life
Good thoughts here, I think you could go one step further by talking about the work-place comedies. Many of them force the idea that your life should revolve around an unimportant job, that the people you work with are more important than friends and family, and that your employer is the almighty being which you should practice subservience/obedience to.
Honestly, not really. I've stopped consuming a lot of media. Maybe series like the Chosen, historical movies and good documentaries could be a good place to start. Nowadays I try to watch as little TV as possible.
Thanks, I consume very little media as well, I know there used to be quite a few Shakespeare movies and plan to check the ones made before the 70’s out. They may be just as immoral but hopefully not. At least there will be good rhetoric.
Biographies are a good place to start. Biographies portray great men and women and show their habits that propelled them to greatness while overcoming obstacles.
I don't think you exaggerated at all; you hit the nail on the head. I began to realize this a few yeara ago, sometime after a reconversion as well. Finally ejected "The Office" from my canon of culture, which I actually consider to have good character work and decent comedy.
To explore one of your points more, a sitcom psychologically acts like family time in the evening. We are watching and emoting with a group of people who do not exist, and have no intended end, only when they lose funding for the show.
This is different than a show like Breaking Bad (which I certainly have qualms with now as a faithful Catholic and haven't watched it since). But Breakimg Bad functions more like a Brothers Karamazov, it has an intended ending and it has something to say. In that sense it is actually art, whereas the Office, Friends, Parks and Rec, How I Met Your Mother, are all placeholders for a family and and a mental medication for social conditioning.
I love that explanation, and I'd say I completely agree. Sitcoms are designed to be superficial, whereas good shows (even if they are a bit too violent or not "virtuous" per se), have a deeper meaning and a quality that makes them way less damaging (for the most part)
Artist trying to say something whether bad or good are at least functioning as an artist rather than someone that makes work that doesn't seek to transform the soul but rather waste its time in meaningless banter. Meaningless banter is for your family and friends.
I would add that before the advent of sitcoms, an author would write a story that would have an ending. Even if Robin Hood or King Arthur appeared in more than one story, each story stood on its own with a beginning, middle and end. You'd hear or read a story, or see a play or pageant performed, then go on to do other things.
I remember the first time the absurdity of sitcoms really hit me.When I was in high school, my whole family watched MASH. One day, at around 17, I realized there were more episodes of MASH than there were days of the actual boots-on-the-ground Korean conflict.
Completely agree. Well said.
Hilarious observation, they would continue the carnage of war just for a few laughs...
Thanks. You’re so right.
Please excuse my typos.
I discovered that if you click on the 3 grey dots on the upper right, opposite your Name, you can go back and edit your post.
Oh fantastic thank you.
I'm interested in knowing why your page doesn't get more attention. I don't get the feeling that you write for the praise of others, but it seems odd that your level of writing hasn't naturally attracted a wider audience.
This is a good article, and it's a really inconvenient truth that I've been aware of for a while. Anytime I watch "reality TV" or sitcoms, I literally have to say out loud to my wife and kid, "This is a work of fiction, akin to dragons and superheroes. Normal humans do not function like this, and these are not admirable people." It definitely kills the vibe for a moment, haha, but I think it's important to reiterate this fact often when consuming "junk food" media. (Real quick aside: I do not, by any means, dislike fictional media; works of fiction have a crucial role in adding depth to one's understanding of themselves and the world, and I will passionately share great works of fiction with my family.)
I'm not against people watching these types of shows to relax and enjoy superficially, but the level of influence they can have on someone's life is definitely dangerous.
Thanks for writing.
Thanks a lot for the kind words brother. All in due time! I'll keep writing to the best of my ability and leave the results and impact of it in God's hands 🙏🏻
And I completely agree with you, it's okay of course to watch something like this lightly every once in a while, but similarly to, for example, superhero movies, very often people get just waaaay too attached to them.
Big agree, and I have definitely found myself guilty of it in the past! I am immune to these influences no more than the next person. It's good to keep that in mind.
Exactly, some are saying they watch these shows and don't try to imitate the characters, but the point is that you will undeniably and involuntarily start to copy some of their behaviors. It's just human nature. We are not immune to such influences
I read somewhere that the understanding of this reality of human nature was the greatest accomplishment of MKUltra. Mind control could be achieved simply by creating likeable characters that people would emulate. Marvel is this without a doubt.
Agree!
I like the piece, but I think you are throwing the baby out with the bath water.
Great sitcoms hold a mirror to society and show us what we are. It’s why Cheers still holds up 30 years after it debuted. Its characters, while flawed, are relatable.
Spencer Klavan just wrote a piece on The American Mind similar to this. He suggested that we have a culture run by dullards who watch plenty of shows, but lack judgement. We need to be able to watch a piece of media, pull out what is good or relatable, then toss out the rest.
No they are a mirror of just how much subversive Jewish media a society will allow and the real world Weimarization isn’t long behind, generally .
Israeli Wire and other Con. Inc outfits make a living criticising / moralising America or some other entity for some moral panic , real or feared … all while conveniently leaving out (((who’s actually largely or entirely responsible))).
And antisemitism is just a way for you to blame someone else for your sad existence.
1 They aren’t Semites or Semetic - Semetic is a class of languages of which Yiddish isn’t a part .
Hebrew was adopted along with Judaism (Jewish supremacy) when those in the Khazarian empire mass converted.
2 behavior and by their fruit is a fair universal standard .
3 they hate you, like they do all the goyim and especially Christ who the Talmud claims is in hell rotting in a vat of excrement.
4 unironically using antisemitism is a hallmark of the undereducated and/or disingenuous way to slings meaningless words at people.
And Jew hatred is the hallmark of a pathetic, small minded person
Criticism of persistent maladaptive behavior isn’t hate or hatful.
Constructive criticism is often viewed as a form of charity or love.
“Jew hatred” As you use it means effectively anything below slavish Shabbos Goy Philo-“semetism”.
If you’re a “Goy/Gentile”, your intellectual grasp of Judaism, its cannon (Tanakh, Talmud, Zohar) is basically non-existent. Judaism is not simply Judaism + Jesus Christ.
This vociferous complaining when reality clashes with your ignorance is really cringe and yet so common.
That’s a whole lotta words to say “I blame others for my personal failings.”
Word salad. Have you taken your meds lil bro?
Hebrew has been the written and intellectual language of the Jewish people for thousands of years throughout the ancient world. Everything is written in Hebrew and there's many examples that are much older than 500 AD
There's always some obvious flaw in you people because it's so shallow and impulsive. Let's be honest you're way out of depth and scratching at noises and shadows from the internet. Horse mounted Asian warriors became Hollywood producers or something... fully delusional.
this is the typical “antisemitism is a mental disease” typical absurd kike position despite
1) “antisemitism “ axiomatically requires “semetism”
Usually it’s just called acts/beliefs/interests of self preservation
With Jews resistant goyim are called “antisemitic”. That anyone cares or it can have any real world impact is the sole issue - not antisemitism which is a cross-racial default position and reaction to the way the Jewish suprastate abuses its benefactors - as per religious requirements: are non-jews are subhuman cattle that Hashem gave jews dominion over.
2) Jews, compared to have much higher rates of paranoia and schizophrenia from inbreeding
3) all goyim host nations have asked Jews to cease their chauvistic, usurious and genocidal ways or leave- and the universal reaction was- in essence- “no goyim, you leave ! OY GEVALT We literally pray for genocide, but we ,Oy vey, and only we are victims”
They have told everyone to go get hilted.
Then cry *literally “another” shoah when expulsion they asked for was enforced.
🙄
Not that I could stand to watch it, but it didn't seem much a reflection of our society whatsoever.
The Office reflected a lot because it rang directly with me based on experience. I never really watched Friends and later noticed that it was really bizarre that 35-year-old people were all living together acting like college roommates.
That's what makes more insightful shows like the office so interesting at their time - It's so well reflected that now it's kind of boring since that day is long past.
Agree wholeheartedly. Additionally, Friends truly was the dumbest of the dumb. Around a month ago just to verify my 1990s opinion I watched 5 minutes of the first episode…and the idea in your piece, that these shows are damaging both individually and societally hit me hard…by sheer fact of presenting debauchery and stupidity as “this is normal.”
I struggle over Seinfeld, as the negative themes you explore are broadcast there, too..but it’s so funny and well crafted so often, that it’s probably even more dangerous than Friends?
Thank you for this article!
I have not watched Seinfeld so no idea, really. I think some are better than others but in general it's just better not to become attached to any of them. Thank you for reading!!
agreed!
I think the majority of the 6 main characters are / were very talented comedically. Friends had very little in the way of ethics though and was incredibly superficial in order to just wrap up each episode and keep the will they or won't they plot going. (We were on a break/ I wouldn't have written the list etc)
Seinfeld was interesting in that it was amoral in a lot of ways and most episodes are about the main characters getting their comeuppance in the end.
Seinfeld was interesting, it was purposefully terrible and none of the characters were role models.Rather the characters represented our worst selves. You wonder the deleterious effect it had on our culture.
A good majority of modern entertainment is trash. News, TV series, movies, and music. Somewhat disappointed in myself for the years I wasted watching and listening in my youth. I’m just glad I never had an appetite for video games.
It’s unfortunate that so many people make these THINGS their lives. Has been isolating pulling away from them, but enlightening to see how uninteresting most people are which is a big reason I left social media slowly over the last few years and then completely a couple of months ago.
Spot on brother. Same here, although I was an avid gamer for years. It's crazy how many people literally idolize these shows and make them their entire lives. Same goes for sports, movie franchises, celebrities, etc.
“Avoidance of Depth: Can’t handle silence, vulnerability, or serious topics without tension or laughter”
I see this on a daily basis. Even in my interactions with faithful Catholics who can’t allow a serious discussion to proceed without injecting a crude joke about it, or offer a sincere apology without making a sarcastic remark to break up the seriousness of the situation. It’s a defense against the uncomfortable reality that we all must confront from time to time but they don’t want to.
100%, it's once again avoiding to grow up and face the realities of life.
This was a VERY strong piece, and a great subject
Thank you brother, really appreciate the kind words!
“Do you think this is a coincidence? Or an intentional effort to subvert God’s design for what a family should be and for the preciousness of human life?”
I agree that sitcom culture is generally bad for society, and much of your critique is agreeable.
But you still have to be careful about what media you’re consuming. The idea that friends was created with an intention to “subvert god’s designs for…” (etc) is goofy. There’s a lot of conservative and fundamentalist cultural media out there which will creates seductive narratives about how anything “worldly” is the work of some satanic cabal.
Can you imagine the show runners of Friends saying “Yes, this ‘smelly cat’ song will definitely help us to subvert god’s plans, mwahahaha.”
Of course not. Friends is just a reflection of humans being humans in a, frankly, unhealthy culture.
If we become reactionary about it, we only make the problem worse.
Maybe not everything in the series is intentionally written to promote vice and unnatural ways, but don’t you think that it’s fishy how there’s not one example of a normal family in the 6 main characters?
I agree that maybe the overall “goal” isn’t to promote vice, but it’s very interesting to me that when it comes to family and sexual behavior, not one of the characters acts in a way that it’s virtuous. It would be more realistic if there was some variety there too, so it’s also not about being realistic. It’s very weird
Why would it be fishy when the entire premise of the goofy sitcom is "6 single adults and their hijinx in dating, etc"?
Yeah but the point of these shows is to get laughs. Normalcy wouldn't be as funny.
That would destroy the premise of the show- and most "urbane" comedies take place in a weird bubble that's impossible for real life.
The family comedies are another category and tell different stories ofc. Also tend to be more boring although Friends & How I Met are fully unwatchable noise so it escaped me at the time. Only later realizing they were very popular!
At the time something new seems fresh and then looking back it gets dated and in hindsight loses whatever luster it had from the moment. The genius in these shows is how it rings true in some way and tell stories - even moral journeys.
I don’t think it was consciously intentional - it could have been unconsciously, but for some time I was very suspicious, and I agree with the reactivity comment. It inflames.
What bothers me the most about sitcoms, is the fakeness of how relational problems resolve. The answer is almost always "we just needed to recognize how much we love each other." That isn't how the majority of relational problems in life are actually solved.
Absolutely, in general, how they show conflict resolution is terrible
I just never found 'Friends' funny. 'Home Improvement' is funnier in it's early seasons as a 90's sitcom. Some episodes of the later are "meh". I never watched 'How I met your mother'.
How I met Your Mother is probably the worst of the lot
Did you watch "Two and a Half Men"? 🤢
That's as funny as a sitcom joke! Perfect timing.
No, I have not. Just the ads and they didn't seem funny either.
Call yourself blessed. I wanted to bleach my eyeballs and get a labotomy after….
Ohhhhh gosh! That's like when I lost my appetite when The Big Bang Theory was on at my workplace. Now, game shows are on.
Thanks for the tip.
"Entertainment is harmless" is one of the "Five Lies of the Century" according to the book of the same name.
I really think it is a matter of perspective. When i watch friends i watch it to have a fun time watching people who behave like kids struggle to get their life together despite irony, bad luck, etc.
At no point am i trying to become like them.
The whole piece stems on the idea that you will imitate what you consume. But that is not true. You are affected by what you consume and it is about the perspective in which you are consuming that dictates the emotions and actions that follow.
If it were as simple as imitate what you consume then all detectives would be murderers. Consuming can definitely lower your sensitivity to such things and make you more likely to do such things, but it isn’t as cut and dry as the article makes it seem.
I think the premise of this article as a consequence calls for a society that hides itself from anything that isn’t rainbows, when in reality we are called to combat darkness and we’ll need to study it to do so.
Overall, I think the article touches on something real but mistakes the solution for total abstinence instead of perspective change or the state of your heart.
I think there's no reason why total abstinence shouldn't be practiced. There really isn't any value in those shows that you couldn't get somewhere else without the added problems mentioned. Of course you can watch them every once in a while, without any issue, but why? It's also not about "hiding", and I guarantee that those who are attached to these shows don't watch them to "study darkness so they can combat it". And even if you watch in moderation, be aware that you are getting used to those behaviors and desensitizing against them., however slightly and subconsciously.
(Btw totally agree that most people aren’t watching the show to combat darkness, im only speaking of my experience, not other people). I think it just boils down to a differing approach to life. For me complete abstinence from everything that contains a bad influence would be complete abstinence from everything as there isn’t a thing is this world that isn’t touched by the fallen spirit. This thinking (to me at least) seems to have no apparent limitations besides personal judgement (which is what you are criticizing as too “soft”), thus making the argument somewhat spin endlessly into more extreme views. Yes, the world is flawed, but i live in it and i need to be capable of (at the very least) watching friends without being possessed by a spirit of reckless behavior or any other fallen acts you are suggesting are more likely as a consequence of watching friends.
Again i think your argument has a good base, but it was expanded too broadly in two ways:
1. You assumed the show had the same effect on everyone as it had on you
2. You decided that the answer was in complete avoidance instead of framing and that everyone should follow that (which again if that is the lifestyle you want, it is your life. I just dont think it applies to everyone).
I think that is where it mainly fell apart, people are different and this article assumes we are all the same with the same goals and same methods for getting to them.
Btw im not trying to argue with you at all, just thought i’d share my perspective and learn more about what you meant as well.
That's exactly what is so off-putting to me: These people are like 35 years old and pretending to be 25. In real life all of these actors had families and children etc they're normal people like everyone else.
At least Seinfeld was a surreal vehicle for his own comedy stand up routine, playing a fictional version of himself in a cartoon world. That's why I like Arrested Development and Always Sunny in Philadelphia- absurd and exaggerated to the point.
Something about Friends and How I Met your Mother (also The Big Bang Theory) is repulsive and completely boring for me. I kind of "get it" but lose interest very quickly. OTOH these shows have more appeal to younger millennials
Even to the point where the next generation grew up watching an older show- they don't really care about the Office etc
You know what’s worse? Watching left wing media (Netflix, Disney etc) today.
How do you feel this argument would relate to shows where you are laughing at the characters. Where the cast are explicitly non-admirable people and the joke is that their faults are bad. Such as Arrested Development or Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia? No one in any of these shows is ever framed as someone worth emulating.
I haven’t watched Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but arrested development is so cartoonish and ridiculous that it enters in a different category, IMO. I thought about adding a short paragraph explaining how watching sitcoms is not that bad if you at least have the awareness to realize they’re basically fantasy stories and not at all reflecting of real life
Good thoughts here, I think you could go one step further by talking about the work-place comedies. Many of them force the idea that your life should revolve around an unimportant job, that the people you work with are more important than friends and family, and that your employer is the almighty being which you should practice subservience/obedience to.
Very necessary and timely. Great read. Do you have recommendations for media that is well made and virtuous ?
Thank you brother, appreciate you reading!
Honestly, not really. I've stopped consuming a lot of media. Maybe series like the Chosen, historical movies and good documentaries could be a good place to start. Nowadays I try to watch as little TV as possible.
Thanks, I consume very little media as well, I know there used to be quite a few Shakespeare movies and plan to check the ones made before the 70’s out. They may be just as immoral but hopefully not. At least there will be good rhetoric.
The Rocky Balboa reference was great. I agree with this essay wholeheartedly.
Glad to hear that brother, thank you for reading!!
Biographies are a good place to start. Biographies portray great men and women and show their habits that propelled them to greatness while overcoming obstacles.