Show like the "Simple Life" and American Stupidity

"The Simple Life: Interns" premired tonight on Fox. The only thing worth watching our the dogs of the Paris and Nichole and the host families dogs.

I bring this up, because today, I bought a JANE magazine with Paris on it to understand more how people lie via "Celebrity Interviews". At least you can learn how to lie well for work, assuming your sick or need to really take care of something else. Anyway, me and cashier at the other store(our competition across the street.), agreed with me that all she and people on reality shows(who are celebrities), get paid to promote stupidity and a warped sense of conformity to the public.

Do you guys think that both fictional and non-ficitional shows, increase stupidity in Americans in general?

Must conform, must watch The Simple Life. Must conform, must watch The Simple Life. Must conform, must watch The Simple life..........


Jessica Simpson purportedly has an I.Q. over 150, yet she is most famous for her remark regarding chickens, tuna and the sea................

Needless to say I don't watch these shows..............

My point was do you think crap on TV like this verses "good shows" like well, their good and DON'T promote a political agenda, create more stupidity verses at 30, 40, 50, or so years ago?

paris had a 30 million dollar pay day recently. she's just taking the dumb blonde role that has been around since milton berle to the reality genre, and laughing all the way to the bank.

I don't see the cause and effect of watching poorly produced or tasteless tv with a reduction in intellectual capacity. Are you proposing there is a reduction in brain cells or their capability ?

why the american comment ?

[edit on 26-1-2005 by radagast]

TV that most people watch, and I think it can still encourage bad behavior in people of all ages, especially young girls(5-10 years old) who look up to actresses, singers, and devlope some of their morality and public behavior on them. Seeing how she's America's "New IT girl/Britney-type" in the media, I think she'll have a similar affect in making people(mostly girls), 1. act dumb("For fun"),and 2. Commit crimes(like they've done on the show than & in "real" life.
(Note: I gotta 6 am work day and am going to bed at 11:40 pm!)

[edit on 1/26/05 by BSB2005]

Well, I'm getting ready to go to bed, I'll talk to everyone tomorrow after work, maybe? I'll see ya'. Just consider it, and American "stupidity", and our obsession with it here for entertainment.

I believe the dilution of the American media with an over-zealous attention on celebrity news and fashion(??!!??I can't figure out why red carpet fashion has more than one show dedicated to it) has an adverse effect on the mentality of the population. I don't believe it makes people "stupider" rather than less-inclined, or more convoluted with irrelevancy. The exisistence of this type of entertainment does purvey an attitude that can lead to self esteem issues that would tend to degradate a pursuit of more intellectual means, but not as a rule.

I think the "simle life" and other "stupid" shows, serve to promote an acceptace toward stupidity, "it's ok to be ignorant, look Paris is a billionare and she thinks "engine" is a type of car."
It's entertainment, no evil purpose, unless making more money than nessesary for life and enjoyment is evil. Wrong, but not evil.
If anything it distracts from meaningfull television.
Sometimes we need to forget about life and spend some mindless hours with family and friends feel smarter than others.

It was late last night, so I will apologize for the unintelligible rant above.




What I was trying to express can be summed up with this quote. People aren't made less intelligent by current T.V. Programming. No ones genetic material is being tampered with or damaged. But there is something to be said for the amount of redundancy in our televised entertainment. They do it all over and over again. Not only do they repeat incessantly, it's the quality of programming. The new trend of reality programming is designed for dramatic social interaction, i.e. cat fights and behaviour unacceptable by most standards. By their own admission, alcohol is the resource most accessible. Alcohol causes what?!? Shock, Gasp! Loosened inhibitions that can (and have) lead to fights and various other social nuances. Also, take a look at Game Shows. People are constantly being rewarded for their knowledge of Pop Culture. Many questions(I know, I still watch them) regard T.V. or Celebrity News, etc. Knowledge in this area in no way impacts our survival instinct on a positive level. So why is it a prominent part of many peoples lives?

All of this attention to other peoples lives isn't necassarily inducing stupidity, though stupid as it is. It's merely distracting people from more intelligent endeavors. After even 5 years of time spent with a considerable attention given to this trite is time that could have been spent learning a trade or sometyhing infinetly more complex than that. Reading stimulates far more of the brain and is, intellectually, a more desirable medium(you get to use your imagination!).

I would also like to add that I have been unable to escape the television. However, I have justified it by paying attention to the social behaviour as well as various motor cues to indicate misrepresentations of truth..........actors are liars and now I am better able to spot one in real life!!!!!!

MemoryShock brings up a good point.

I think the increasing fasination with voyeurism (reality television), creates a population much more apt to embrace a "tattle tale" network.

For every stupid American Show Like the "Simple Life" I can find one just as bad in the UK, Japan, France,Germany ect.... Remember the UK gave us that dam American Idol show and a host of other reality shows.

If you really want to see some brain rotting shows look into those of Japan they bring wierd to a whole new level.

America does not have a monopoly on stupid TV there was really no need for the american comment.

People like to watch stupid people. "hire the handicapped, they're fun to watch".

I find it funny, she drove around in a cop cruiser, who wouldn't want to do that?

And Watch the Documentary called "Stupidity", youlll like it. Its about soceities decline into stupidity.

Why do people even like celebritys. I like movies but is it really nessacary to know every thing about Jen&Brad and then talk about it like its a major part of your like. I cant believe these Celeb news shows

Sorry, man I type that alot, about the whole "American TV is Stupid" thing.
I still love Buffy, The Vampire Slayer, I saw a re-run of the first two episodes of the show I saw. You know when she defeats Glory and stops the apoclypse, again, and has a funeral and all.
I just whish they had more shows that made your imagination go crazy, like mine did when I saw them.
Thanks, I apperciate all your comments.
But to me this just seems like a whip on the back and slap on the face by the SUPER-DUPER-TRIPLE-THREAT WEALTHY types. You know? So I just find these shows insulting, even if they are entertaining.

Do you like the sig. ? Let me know, b/c I think I might change it again 2, 3, or so more times, until I like it again.

Love Brad Pitt(Duh-doy! I'm a girl.), but I don't really care about them that much anymore. I can lie through my teeth better than Jen anyway. I'm in my late teens and I can pass for a middle schooler if I cut down my high vocablorary usage, put my hair in ponytail, and wear nothing but blush and a small amount of eyeshadow.

[edit on 1/27/05 by BSB2005]

I believe stupidity is encouraged in american culture. If you're smart, you're an outcast. If you are female and smart, people treat you like some sort of monster (I speak from personal experience).

I think the government run media promotes stupidity to keep people controlable.

I got stuck watching that stupid Paris Hilton thing at my friend's house. Why is this even remotely interesting to anyone????? Also, I cannot understand why this woman does this......she already has a ton of money, what's the point? I guess she wants attention.

I am so happy being unable to watch anymore of those shows on tv. The best advice to anyone would be to throw your tv out the window.

So true. I hate when celebrities make the front page of the newspaper especially when there are more important things going on. Like when people are being killed somewhere there talking about which celebrity is getting a divorce or had a "wardrobe malfunction". Things like this are making America go down the toilet.