Another Rodent Rant. Freak Shows.

[The Rodent]

What the hell is it with modern television... well, I say modern, from the past ten or so years.

Programmes showing the Tree Man, a guy who looks like his body is made of wood... turns out it's an extreme kind of wart, or some of these programmes showing people with facial disfigurements...


"Our cameras follow John Smith as he tries to rebuild his face after being born with disease X which means he was born without a nose and as he's grown older, his face has rotted"


They make out that they're being all educational and sombre about some poor sod's life and disability... yet they take said person and parade them on telly and get them to walk around the streets, filming reactions of by-passers... like a Freak Show.

This isn't entertainment, education and it's certainly not respectful to dupe these people for the shock-tv factor and viewer ratings.


A recent one was dancing on wheels... like dancing on ice or strictly ballroom etc... but in wheelchairs...


There's been another one advertised as being shown this week... The Human Mannequin... it's a young girl with a disease that is going to eventually lock her joints into place and paralyse her.
They're making out, as usual, that it's an educating programme on the girl and her disease... but I get a feeling it's simply another Freak Show... as some of the footage is of her walking down a street with the cameras filming people's reactions as they walk past her.


Have some respect TV Executives and think of morals rather than ratings. Ok, if you want to educate viewers on these rare, and some of them are very rare conditions, fair enough... but at least have some bloody respect.

I mean, what's next? Thalidomide Boxing? Ars*holes!

Rant over.

[Sexy Celebrity]

There's been another one advertised as being shown this week... The Human Mannequin... it's a young girl with a disease that is going to eventually lock her joints into place and paralyse her.


Is Hollywood a character in this?

http://v024o.popscreen.com/eGhyMmQxMTI=_o_hollywood-montrose-mannequin.jpg

[Jim Garten]

Rodent - speaking as a fellow Brit, I agree with every word you say; my wife & I call it LCD TV, ie Lowest Common Denominator; television designed for the wobbling classes to pretend concern, whilst secretly getting a vicarious thrill from another's misfortune.

...and don't even get me started on Panorama :mad:

[honeykid]

C'mon! I hate body shock documentaries, too, but there's worse.

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/51003000/jpg/_51003539_big+fat+gypsy+wedding_50125_sam+norton+53.jpg

Personally, horrid as they are, I'd rather watch body shock than anything with these.
http://www.sabotagetimes.com/wp-content/uploads/x-factor1.jpg
http://www.thedrum.com/uploads/news/old/20404/master.antdec.jpg

[lundy1026]

Rodent,
I agree with you to a point. I think that the shows are somewhat educational but I do hate that they go about showing peoples reactions because you can only imagine what that does to the "disabled's" self-esteem. I DO think they should have documentation and video of people who do have it souly for educational purposes but they could deffinately do WITHOUT the drama of showing normal people basically being scared.

It does make me sick that nowadays (AND I APPOLOGIZE IF I OFFEND ANYONE) people love watching shows just so they can laugh at people and their drama... I'm not talking about disabled anymore but the reality shows like "REAL HOUSEWIVES" "HERE COMES HONEY BOO BOO" and "JERSEY SHORE".

Personally I have never watch ONE full episode but I can tell you, those of who I know watch the show FLAT OUT tell me that they watch it to laugh at A) The rich biotches who complain and fight B)Laugh at the hillbillies and watch the mother give her already obese daughter 2 full sticks of butter melted on her meals and C)Watch drunk people go crazy.... basically, shows these days are getting publicity for types of misfortune which is why I think TV producers feel they have to exploit the fact that the disformed get weird looks from the normal people.

So I am right there with your rant, and I just ranted myself. But it does make me sick. I wish TV could get rid of the stupid reality shows... The talent/singing reality shows arnt bad... I mean, getting old but at least it's not full of drama and misfortune like most other shows out there.

I just stick to THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and WALKING DEAD and the shows on ANIMAL PLANET> lol :)

[Yoda]

I dig. It's a fine line, yeah? Sometimes it raises awareness about the disease, sometimes it's just like a quasi-serious Ripley's Believe It OR Not. I can't blame people for being curious, but it definitely crosses over into gawking at some point, and TV lets us do it privately.

I think it's incumbent upon the people responsible to be very upfront with the person, and to make a clear effort to show them as a person, too. In those cases it can actually be instructive. But I daresay that doesn't always happen.

[Jim Garten]

I can't blame people for being curious, but it definitely crosses over into gawking at some point, and TV lets us do it privately

Which makes it all the more perverse, to my eyes; in the dim & distant past (ie, before I was born) peasants could pay a few coppers to gawk at the inmates of Bedlam, or attend the hawkers who drew them into their tents at travelling carnivals ("see the bearded lady, marvel at the goat-boy, gasp at the siamese twins, p** yourself laughing at the truthful politician"), but at least that was done in public...

...the closest you get to that nowadays is watching the TV mockumentaries, then talking about it with colleagues the day after.

[Yoda]

Here's an interesting question: is it negative on the whole if both are true? If it benefits the so-called "freak" and raises awareness about their disease or condition, but it does this in a way that also invites gawking?