The Poor State of TV
You do not realise how much rubbish there is on television until you are restricted to watching the four main channels BBC 1&2, ITV and Channel 4. When you break it down your viewing is news, soaps, reality programmes, talent shows, sports highlights or endless repeats.
I struggle to comprehend how many people actually consider that reality shows like Big Brother, Celebrity Get Me out of Here etc. are good viewing. Are we fast becoming a nation that thrives on watching has been performers, bad mannered and foul mouthed second raters for entertainment, or in just that our own standards have dropped so far that these shows are considered compulsive viewing?
When it comes to programmes like Dragons Den or X Factor are we developing into a culture that believes that instant fame and fortune is the be all and end all, or is it not considered that for every success there are probably 500-1000 failures who will end up distraught and possibly suicidal by not succeeding. You just have to look at the number of entrants in these programmes to realise the success/failure ratio, then look at the number of people who have achieved overnight stardom only to fall by the wayside very shortly after.
When we look at soaps, are we honestly expected to believe that these reflect real life? If these programmes represent today?s society we are surely back in the prehistoric times when all man had to do was look after himself and f? everybody else. Come to think of it that it exactly where we are today, a culture that has no respect for anything, no respect for other people or their property, no respect for rules and regulations, no respect for other peoples feelings, no respect for the rights of other people, everything is always somebody else?s fault, the list is endless.
Having said all of the above it was refreshing to watch the World Darts Championships on the TV last week, guys from ordinary backgrounds plying their skills against one another to become a world champion. A sport (or pastime as some may have it) where there are no overpaid prima donnas, no arguing with or trying to cheat the referee, participants who accept losing in the same grace as winning, respect for their opponents, crowds that appreciate both contestants not booing or jeering the one they are not supporting. A sport where the prize money is pretty meagre compared to football, golf or tennis, but a sport that exhibits a very high standard of skill in both accuracy and mental awareness, a sport that portrays the ability of the individual totally alone in the spotlight unable to disappear or hide amongst the team if things are not going according to plan, a sport that still contains a high level of enjoyment. If some of today?s so called sporting superstars watched darts it may be possible they could learn a thing or two about behaviour and how to conduct themselves.
It also may be possible that today?s society could learn from darts, learn that respect carries an awful lot of weight with your fellow human being, learn that it is not always someone else?s fault but maybe yours, learn that today you may lose but tomorrow may possibly be your day, learn that enjoyment needs to be a large part of what you do otherwise you need to consider is it worth doing.
