The dumbing down of so-called eductional tv. So sad, to me.

I've always liked to learn things. And so I keep reading, and I also look to so-called educational tv for documentaries. I'm not sure how these channels started out, but now they are just the home to dumbed down reality crap.

The so-callled History channel has no actual history, except when WW2 anniversary comes up once a year. Hitler is an interesting historical figure, but I've had my fill after all these years. The American Pickers isn't history.

The Discovery channel should be showing science and other academic topics. Instead, it's Wheeler Dealers.

National Geographic should mirror the magazine and show various cultures around the world. Nope. Wicked Tuna will have to do.

I guess I could blame these channels for dumbing down their content, but I guess the ratings dictate what they emphasize.

My conclusion? Most (not all) people are dumb.

PBS has some good content. And my local station, the Knowledge Network does as well. But I think books are a superior source if you want to stimulate your mind with new ideas. And the internet can also be a source of new ideas, as long as you can find the good stuff amongst the sea of crap.

So I read an interesting book today about a Vietnamese American who returned to the country of his birth, and my brain was a happy camper. The tv was not on.

a reply to: droid56

Yes, TV goes for ratings, and advertiser appeal, so the lowest common denominator seems to be where it's at, rather than trying to elevate, inform and educate. They are quickly manufacturing their own demise. I too have returned to books.

a reply to: droid56

Tv is just a tool for zombification and consumerism ....i have a tv and it is only used for movies,my 5 year old was allowed to watch free to air tv for around 2 months and i noticed a significant change in his behavior....so i unplugged the ariel and it will remain that way...

a reply to: droid56

Yeah, TV is just lame, you get some propaganda with your advertising, seems about 50/50. Books are where it's at if you really want to use your imagination and stretch the distance between your intellectual horizons. Movies can be alright sometimes, but really, even after all the imagery and the special effects (let's not forget the crappy acting these days). They never live up to the book they're based on, they can't because of costs, time formulas and attention spans.

Cheers - Dave

a reply to: droid56

It all started with shows like survivor or big brother . Not only did people watch these shows they were that captivated they rang up and voted . They call it reality TV . Really , when was the last time you had an alliance or some secret idol thingy . Give me a David Attenborough documentary on ants any day . And dont get me started on cooking shows . Who the hell cooks like that in real life .

Tv was never intended to be educational, rather quite the opposite. I never knew how bad the situation was until after I cut off cable. It's just a never ending cycle of propaganda, agenda, and society-breaking degeneracy.

Hell, even the commercials lately try to shoehorn agendas in them. When the bigwigs are pushing agenda over ratings and profits, it means they have now gone into the final stretch of whatever it is their plans are.

a reply to: aboutface

They are quickly manufacturing their own demise.

How do you figure that after stating the following?

Yes, TV goes for ratings, and advertiser appeal

So increased viewership and revenue is going to lead to the demise of awful programming?

The REASON there is such awful programming on TV is because there are so many people that enjoy it, and advertisers want product shown to as many people as possible.

If you had a business and it was your job to make sure that business was profitable, would you not do the same thing and air crappy TV shows that were guaranteed revenue (as in high volume of viewership which means sponsors with deeper pockets welling to pay a premium)? Keep in mind it would be your job to deliver profit.

I hate these circlejerk threads. No one on ATS enjoys TV, fast food or anything else because everyone here is too smart and knows how not to be controlled. Everything is beneath the average ATS member. TV ads are horrible and everyone hates corporations, but it's OK to visit a site that lives off advertising with you're computer made by some large corporation using internet provided by another corporation. You're all different. You watch RT because CNN is controlled. Some dingus actually said they only use the TV to watch movies.

a reply to: Domo1

I think big brother should be on soon... grab some kfc and sit down to some soothing reality tv

originally posted by: Domo1
a reply to: aboutface

They are quickly manufacturing their own demise.

How do you figure that after stating the following?

Yes, TV goes for ratings, and advertiser appeal

I don't see that as contradictory. I meant that they are sacrificing quality for quantity and they acknowledge it in their discussions.

originally posted by: droid56


I guess I could blame these channels for dumbing down their content, but I guess the ratings dictate what they emphasize.

My conclusion? Most (not all) people are dumb. n.

There is a lesson here for us learn. TV channels like nat geo, and or the rest for that matter because they are all in the same boat, dumb down their content because of the cost of making good quality programs has become prohibitive due to falling revenue.

There in lies the key.

The key is that it is within our power to reduce the profitability of any company that relies on a mass customer base. We can do this just be choosing not buy their product.

To this day I still choose not to buy petrol from BP because of what they did in the Mexican gulf a few years ago. It has meant that I drive past BP stations selling petrol cheaper than I pay for it but if we are to take some ACTION we must be prepared to pay some cost because we get nothing in life for free.

a reply to: aboutface

I don't see that as contradictory. I meant that they are sacrificing quality for quantity and they acknowledge it in their discussions.

Are you joking or being serious?

a reply to: droid56

Well, although I would agree with you that the quality of certain channels educational content has diminished, and greatly since the concept was first introduced, I must say that I am still loving BBCs space science programming. Professor Brian Cox has presented some very interesting documentaries on that topic over recent years, not to mention co-hosting Stargazing Live, with comedian and science and mathematics fan, Dara O'Briain. And of course, no one in the world can beat a good Attenborough documentary on the life of the multitude of organisms abroad in our world.

The stuff is out there, but you are quite right that the over all amount of good, solid programming, which exposes viewers to new concepts in a forthright and honest manner, is less than it was perhaps fifteen years ago.

a reply to: TrueBrit

As the demographics of the watchers change, so will the presentations. Growing numbers of the unwashed which will include a ever-growing segment of immigrants (usually with poor skills of language and social adepts) will be courted by the producers of that material. You see it very strongly in dumbed-down "cartoon" for very young children. It isn't all bad by any stretch of argument, but the overall effect is a lowering of challenges to the general public even if needed training for some. The result is cable and a thousand channels upon which to allot your wasted time....or you can come to ATS and be a free spirit or, anyway, get your spirit roused.

a reply to: droid56

I can't tell you how much this has upset me over the years. I don't watch tv anymore because of this. The lady I work with is one that watches said reality shows. She tells me to watch it and I try not to say "it's dumb and you're dumb for watching it". But apparently were in the minority because they keep spewing this crap out.

a reply to: droid56

Yeah it's sad, I'm not sure why they call it a History or Discovery Channel anymore...

The European channels seem to be just slightly better but they won't last long I bet.

To be honest, if you don't like the two-dimensional documentary style as exemplified by the History Channel, or the Discovery Channel, then don't watch. These are pitched to a specific audience. It is crass, offensive and patronising to consider people who watch these shows as dumb. I am sure many are, but many are also interested in learning. The same can be said for the 99.9% of dross on YouTube.

Move on and find some more intellectual viewing. It's there if you look. Quite a bit on the commercial-free BBC for those in the UK with a TV and radio. Some eventually finding its way onto YouTube (yes that's the 0.1%). If you've got kids type in "Royal Institution Christmas Lectures", which is pretty good.

The real question is why are you still paying for these channels?

There are documentary sites, and apps not to mention when you read posts here or anywhere people will turn you on to great resource sites.

Don't be stuck in the past. The way to view has changed.

a reply to: hutch622

What do you mean "who the hell cooks like that in real life?"

If it wasn't for cooking shows the techniques we picked up from them as well as the ideas on spicing and other things, my husband and I would still be eating a lot of processed crap and eating out more than anything else.

Yes, people do "cook like that" in real life.

a reply to: droid56

The biggest offender of this recent trend is TLC otherwise known as "The Learning Channel". Can anyone remember the last time they turned that channel on and they actually learned anything? Heck when was the last time you turned that channel on and didn't see some awful reality tv show exploiting some dumb Americans and their weird quirk/fetish?

By the way, the same company owns all those channels (including TLC). That is why they started going downhill. Ratings trumped content upon the acquisition of those channels.

originally posted by: hutch622
a reply to: droid56

It all started with shows like survivor or big brother . Not only did people watch these shows they were that captivated they rang up and voted . They call it reality TV . Really , when was the last time you had an alliance or some secret idol thingy . Give me a David Attenborough documentary on ants any day . And dont get me started on cooking shows . Who the hell cooks like that in real life .

The first reality tv show was arguably Cops. After that you have Real World and Road Rules on MTV which you can thank for the stupid reality tv trope of a bunch of 20 some white people getting drunk and partying and talking crap about each other. There have been some others, but I will give you that Survivor was probably the one that really kicked the reality tv fad into high gear.