Extreme Values
If you want to see the perfect example of the word ‘Extremes’ watch an episode of the American produced show ‘Extreme Makeover’. Then watch an episode of the British produced show ‘Big Brother’.
In ‘Extreme Makeover’ you see an example of human nature at its best from one group of people who change another group’s lives beyond the limits of imagination.
In the show you meet people of all ages who have suffered the worst that life can throw at them.
Imagine a woman with 10 adopted children who between them have cancer sufferers, two who have no legs, and one who has lost a hand and had her face disfigured in a fire.
They all live in substandard accommodation until the makeover team comes along.
The family are shipped off to Disneyland for a week where they watch via a laptop their home totally flattened. In the next seven days the team replace their home with what can only be described as a palace with in most cases a swimming pool. The house is furnished with the most expensive furniture and fittings money can buy. Every family member is given what their heart desires.
On their return they are greeted by hundreds of people from the local community, presented with a brand new car and given up to 300,000 dollars to maintain the home.
There isn’t a dry eye in the house. Compare this to ‘Big Brother’ where a bunch of virtual nonentities spend a few weeks locked up in a house.
During these weeks all they do is feed their faces, swear, perform lewd acts, sleep with each other and overall just show the seedier side of human nature.
Both of these shows are put forward to the viewing public as entertainment.
However the downside is the fact that millions of British people are prepared to sit and watch the garbage that ‘Big Brother’ undoubtedly is.
Whereas ‘Extreme Makeover’ leaves you with the feel good factor. The only description you can apply to Big Brother is dross.
True John, in a way but whilst I can echo your sentiments there may be a bigger picture!
It is impossible to enjoy the pleasure of painlessness without ever having experienced pain.
Or the beauty of a sunrise without sunset and darkness
or happiness without experiencing at some time sadness
or richness without poverty
This world we view gives us a range of different views and extremes as you say, but we cannot experience one without the other.
it reminds me somewhat of those tick birds in Africa who sit on the backs of cattle and pick out the ticks from the ears. One cannot appreciate the feast of ticks or the removal of ticks without the other - if you see what I mean.
Yes Big Brother may be dross but it allows us to see beauty too!
I used to think the same as you about Big Brother, but where else can you get such an intimate view of a stranger? Now, I think it's an education.
"Here , in the heart of the world,
Here, in the noise and the din,
Here, where our spirits were hurled
To battle with sorrow and sin,
This is the place and the spot
For knowledge of infinite things;
This is the kingdom where Thought
Can conquer the prowess of kings...."
E.W. Wilcox. HERE AND NOW
I should be asleep !
There is no need to be a part in the ugliness of this world but we are sadly surrounded by it daily.
Let us not look down at the proverbial mud. Let us look up to the stars instead. And there are enough stars to light our way, in this dark world, for ever more.
Good night !
Carole
The man who looks on glass
on it may stay his eye
or if he chooseth through it pass
and then the heavens espy!
John, I don't know why reality t.v. shows are hugely popular but they are.
Maybe it's a combination of things?
Society has become increasingly more interested in vanity - celebrity status rules (Coleen McGloughlin for heaven's sake?).
In answer to the question 'What do you want to do when you grow up' young people often say 'famous.'
It's cheap television for the broadcasters which also always means huge dividends from advertisers and/or audience phone-in votes.
It's very 'safe'.
My sons watched a video of Dennis Potter's 'The Singing Detective' a few months ago. They were absolutely blown away by it.
Not only by the fine production values, great acting, intelligent, poetic spell-binding script but also by the fact that it had been made twenty odd years ago. For TV!
Not only was it beyond it's time in it's inventiveness but also someone actuaully gave him the go ahead to make it.
When you think of how many fantastic drama's used to be on tv?
Now it's just everyone wants to be a 'star', everyone wants to be 'made-over' everyone wants to look the same.
I've never seen Extreme Make-over -I'm so disappointed with what's on the channels I have there doesn't seem any point in getting more -but just the idea makes me squirm.
I don't understand what that sort of show is trying to say.
Are all our dreams supposed to involve material things?
most tv is EXTREMELY bad
LIke some newspaper editors, TV producers of shows like Big Brother claim that they show what the public wants. What a comment on our society?
People-watching and curiosity about them is human, yet to be titillated and to watch in the hope of seeing something private between people is indeed sickening.
It also shows that people will do anything to appear on TV.
The only mitigating aspect of Big Brother is that it's so boooring, a real turn off when you hear the intensely banal, well, you couldn't call them conversations or even exchanges - please, someone invent a word for the to and fro of words between BB contestants.
TV is not all bad, though - just like almost anything else, and shows the diversity of tastes and thought, as if each and every one of us belongs to a different species!