Have you turned on the television lately? The most successful programs to date are shows like “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “Duck Dynasty,” “Jersey Shore” and “Here Comes Honey Booboo.”
I will never criticize people for being interested and entertained by reality television. Personally, I can’t resist a good season of “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills;” however, there needs to be a return of quality television on cable.
Yes, these people are compelling, but there are compelling dramas as well. I contend that if network television channels didn’t have to succumb to censorship and they didn’t have to waste money on terrible game shows like “The Voice” and “America’s Got Talent,” there would be quality, entertaining and intelligent programming.
The reason why these shows stay around is because they are cheap, or so they say. The most recent winner of “America’s Got Talent” won $1 million. Can you imagine what the network could have done with $1 million? They could have made a fantastic new drama with a compelling storyline with a little bit of intelligence, but no. Making terrible television is almost insulting because it is as if the programmers are lacking a trust in the general population and their ability to comprehend intelligent programming. “Modern Family” is incredibly successful; not only is it hysterically funny, it is also smart and heartfelt.
“The West Wing” is often viewed as one of the best television shows of all time, and it served as a way to educate people on the inner workings of politics. It was also just good TV. There have been excellent television series that have been cancelled. A great example of this would be “Firefly.” The show is quite possibly the most lamented canceled television show, but it was expensive and under advertised so those who would have been interested did not watch it.
Another reason why good television doesn’t exist is because of censorship, that organizations like Parents Television Council perpetuate. Groups like this often usurp the personal liberties they so strongly advocate. They have taken away the chance for intelligent and provocative programming because of someone’s “values.”
I understand that people don’t want their little 4 year old Bobby to flip through the channels and suddenly see pornography everywhere. However,there is a little bit of personal responsibility required there too. Little Bobby doesn’t need to be flipping through the channels unattended. Little Bobby’s parents should probably pay closer attention and should have some control over Little Bobby.
Censorship is important in order to keep certain things such as ignorance and racist rhetoric off the air… but wait … no one censors Fox News! Where is the Family Values group to keep ignorant values from getting into Little Bobby’s head? No one censors Glenn Beck from spreading hatred and ignorance, but we should definitely run “True Blood” off the air. This may not seem like a political issue, but it is really indicative of a greater problem in American culture.
We have a long history of Puritanism in this country and it permeates every part of it. There will always be a group that wants to push their beliefs on others by taking away the rights of others. If talking about this type of issue interests you, please come to Politics Club on Fridays at 4 p.m. in Ruffner 256. This editorial is an opinion stated by the writer and does not represent the views of The Rotunda or Longwood University.
