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A freakshow dressed up as documentary
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by generaldecay | April 19, 2009 at 09:44 am
214 views | 28 Recommendations | 11 comments
I appreciate that it has become a cliché to say that Channel 4 has lost its way, but it is worth repeating because Embarrassing Bodies epitomises just how awful and dishonest it has become. Ostensibly this is a roving health show, like a medical equivalent of Watchdog, in which members of the public consult the presenters, Dr Christian Jessen and Dr Pixie McKenna, about their various ailments. But in true Channel 4 fashion, Embarrassing Bodies is a freakshow masquerading as a documentary. This week’s episode - the first of the new series - was utterly puerile and prurient (1). It began with a woman called Rebecca, who bemoaned how one of her breasts was bigger than the other. Naturally, a proper scientific programme would have pointed out that the human anatomy is naturally asymmetrical, but Channel 4 was not interested in this, because it is more concerned with showing boobies and pretending it is all done in the name of medicine.
This piece sums up for me well what's been happening to TV recently. We seem to have become a society of reality TV addicts whereby we take enormous pleasure in the humiliation of others. It's scadenfreude on an global scale.
I used to think that we would tire of reality TV, after a time, but it appears that we're demanding even more of it. Exactly how many 'I want to be a singer' shows are there now? And is it all connected to an absence of a notion of shame, as the original author suggests? Perhaps it is.
But we shouldn’t only blame Channel 4, for members of the public are willing participants in this dumbing down of television. If you have an ailment, why not just go to your doctor, rather than go on TV? I suppose it’s the same reason why so many people with family problems don’t just talk to their friends but would rather go on The Jeremy Kyle Show. There’s an absence of the notion of shame in today’s society.
I just know that I can't watch television any more because every single station I click on is showing yet another predicatable, cringe-worthy, and brainless 'entertainment' programme. It makes me head hurt. And I blame the people who demand it.
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Recommendations (28)
Vinny
?, ?,
Fred Miller
Friendswood, Texas, United Statesitslefty
United Arab Emirates
Rhonda J Mangus
North Tonawanda, New York, United States
Amy Judd
Vancouver, Canada
jazzyzazzy
Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (11)
at 10:14 on April 19th, 2009
It seems TV these days is little more than a modern day version of the old Victorian freakshows, sadly there are many who seem keen to take this shortcut to fame and celebrity status. The days of needing some kind of talent to become a TV celebrity are long gone.
at 11:50 on April 19th, 2009
Vinny, absolutely. People are famous now for being famous. There is no need for talent, altruism etc - they just choose to humiliate themselves. *shudder*
Thanks for the recommendation and comment, man. :)
at 11:06 on April 19th, 2009
I call it "humiliation porn".
at 11:51 on April 19th, 2009
Good expression, Jordan. Thanks. :)
at 11:17 on April 19th, 2009
"There’s an absence of the notion of shame in today’s society"
This is part of the culture of narcissism. We have become shameless to avoid shame.
at 11:54 on April 19th, 2009
We really are so narcissistic now. Some of us more than others, of course, but it's certainly becoming more prevalent.
at 13:51 on April 19th, 2009
Jerremy Vile I call him. Cost too much money to build a good show around the already famous Diva,s and gods. So the vulnerable people in society can be used and manipulated for a third of the price of any professional entertainer. Its the same old same old, at the end of the day, MONEY AND GREED. stirred up by exploitation.
at 14:15 on April 19th, 2009
Channel 4 was kind of a guilty pleasure of mine I have to say. When I lived in London after a hard day at school trying to write news stories and beg people for interviews, sometimes I would come home and want to do nothing but watch an hour of Channel 4 before bed.
It is shameful I admit and even I am getting tired of the same old shows, but sometimes for me, Channel 4 really hit the spot.
at 10:12 on April 27th, 2009
Channel 4 used to be a really cutting edge station - and it would have been when you were in these parts, Amy. It had fantastic entertainment shows, great documentaries, really original films etc. It still has some of those things but it really has descended into the ridiculous in recent years.
Thanks for the recommendation and comment, Amy.
at 13:13 on April 20th, 2009
The way I remember, it was Jerry Springer before Jeremy in the USA, Morton Downey, Jr., before that, and Howard Stern before that - and Howard came from the NYC Radiowaves in the mid-'80s. The basic Reality Show masquerade and premise remains the same and unfaltering twenty years later. And there are Spanish-language versions among others as well, like Jose Luis Sin Censura.
Thing is, most folks who hate this type of thing have watched it more than once. I was hooked many years ago and still do check in occasionally to see if anything's changed. Nothing has, really. I'm glad the Internet came along and weaned me away (almost !) completely from this tripe.
at 10:14 on April 27th, 2009
Jerry Springer is vile too, and he's done so well over here also.
I have to say that I have watched bits and pieces of these shows more than once - that's alas how I know so much about them! I've never watched more than 15 minutes at a time though!
Thanks for the recommendation and comment. :)