TV Defeats Literary Criticism

I saw that earlier and it made me very happy. my sister studies films and is definitely a movie snob (I use that term very affectionately, because I adore my sister and am very proud of her), so whenever I mention a particular show I like she has to go on a rant about how it is so much more worthwhile to watch films than TV shows, because films are art and TV is popular entertainment to appeal to the masses. I defend TV as equally worthwhile viewing because of the high quality of the writing/storytelling in many shows of this generation, the ongoing storylines and opportunities for long-term character development, the ability of cable shows to push boundaries, the wide range in types of shows available through various channels and alternative media (webisodes, etc), as well as that popular/mainstream stuff can also be worthwhile art, plus that entertainment can exist for entertainment's sake and that's OK. We have that discussion basically everytime we talk...

I really don't get why people are book snobs or media snobs (or TV snobs) - its all about consuming entertainment, and there is a wide range of quality and variety across all of those media. Its all about enjoying stories that other people create - I don't see any one form as being inherently "better" or more worthwhile as another. I used to think that comics and graphic novels were silly, until I met Mr. Shara Says who showed me that it was my lack of exposure to that particular kind of media, rather than a fault of the media itself. I used to think that video games were brain-killing destroyers of society (never having been allowed to play them myself) until Mr. Shara Says introduced them to me and showed me that I was completely misinformed, and that the artistic and storytelling merits of many video games are impressive, interesting, and worthwhile. And so on.

My favorite linked blog post you've ever done, James.

Or, for Matt Selman, via Homer:

Mmmmmm....comeuppance.

I remember last year I came across an article on The Hollywood Reporter's website that had to do with young people watching less TV than older people.

The comments section was filled with people ranting about how TV wasn't what is used to be, or statements like "I read BOOKS!!" Well guess what. Not all books are good. In fact, just like TV and movies most of them range from mediocre to bad. But that's the great thing about those mediums. There are so many options. I am usually watching 5-7 scripted shows at any given moment throughout the calendar year. But out of all the channels and shows the ones I watch only combine for far less that 1% of the whole of TV (most likely far less that a tenth of a percent).

And I've come to realize that the more a person reads books the more critical they become of them. It's always easy to spot someone who rarely reads because they think everything they read is great. When I read Mario Puzo's "The Godfather" all these people said to me, "I bet it's better that the movie." No. It's not better than the movie. Sometimes movies are better. The Godfather novel had a lot of tangent storylines and lost focus.

In the end, I think some people are in this endless competition too prove that they work harder and faster than the next person. Personally, the more a person promotes how hard they work and how they never sit back and relax, the more unappealing they come off. Watching TV doesn't make you a bad person.

One last thought. People "bragging" about not watching TV probably spend more time on the internet or PDA. So all they have done is substituted one medium for another. And I am pretty sure the internet can be just as trashy and mindless as television.

As I was writing my previous post my father (Mr. Kw.) walked by me with the latest issue of TIME and mentioned the Jay Leno cover. I told him that the person who wrote the story isn't Jay's biggest fan. My dad LOVES Jay Leno. I showed him that clip from last week and he was dying.

So James. I will probably have to hear my father rant about your views on Leno tomorrow! Don't worry, you'll be joining a very large club (basically everyone who doesn't see things exactly the way he does). Being part Polish and being from Michigan may help you a little, however.