grasping to justify my tv watching
the washington post and NY times both serve up articles countering the '
the idiot box' perception of tv. (sometimes i wonder whether these efforts are coordinated or mere coincidence...)
update note: i think these articles are deemed relevant due to
tv turnoff week--incidentally that tv-b-gone is ridiculous)
the
WaPo article [bugmenot login] deals (more simply) with tv creators/writers engaging audiences more with inside jokes.
the NY times magazine's
entry [bugmenot login] proves more ambitious. Stephen Johnson refutes the notion that tv is 'dumbing down'. (although i'm not so sure about his idea of it being good for you...)
ironically, by borrowing from some low-brow sources, television becomes more complex, often 'better.' Johnson points to landmark 1980s 'hill street blues' as a defining moment in television as it married good quality writing with the multi-threaded narrative structure from
soap operas. by integrating
video game elements such as 'twists' of conventional rules, even fluidity of the rules themselves, game shows (the progenitors of reality shows) become more interactive and engaging.
i guess i can use this as an excuse--justification for all my tv viewing.
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