Breaking Bad glorifies drug dealing

reply to post by boncho


Say what you will about Miami Vice. It may be trash, but it's good trash. I have no love for the DEA, or the police, but Crockett and Tubbs never struck it rich in the drug game. They were just a couple of cool guys. Propaganda or not, it was a decent show. I guess I'm a disinfo agent then. And by the way, don't lump Miami Vice in with crap like Hawaii Five-O, or Magnum P.I.

For one, Miami Vice had way better cinematography than any of the other generic buddy cop shows. For two, none of the other shows had Don Johnson. Wait a minute... Maybe that's my ulterior motive! I'm trying to drum up antipathy towards Breaking Bad in order to get people to watch Miami Vice! I caught me! How could it be so obvious?!

I detest shows like Cops, before you label me a boot licker of the fascist empire we live in. And as to Breaking Bad "providing the other side" that cop shows don't, it's a lot less of a deterrent to see a man make eighty million dollars and then die than it is to see a man get pulled into a cop car by jackbooted thug cops. What's the point of providing this other side? To show that methedrine manufacturers are people just like you and me? Why would they want to do that? Maybe to get more people cooking it, so they can arrest them and chew them up in the jaws of the legal system.

reply to post by HanzHenry


Hell while were at it, lets blame Oscar the grouch from Sesame Street for making living out of a trash can look fun! He even had a pet worm that could do amazing feats of agility! CAN YOU BELIEVE THEY BROADCAST THAT TO CHILDREN? The most impressionable people of all! I bet that's why the economy is so bad and unemployment rates are up. Sesame Street hidden in plain sight this entire time and we were too blind to see it!

I'm a recovering addict with close to 4 years clean. From my perspective, Breaking Bad in NO WAY makes me want to go back to my old ways. I've seen quite a few posts on the internet saying that Breaking Bad glorifies the Drug lifestyle. For me personally it's hard to watch because it reminds me of what it was like. I do want to say though that for someone that hasn't suffered from addiction they may see the monetary aspect appealing, but I really doubt that. From my experience, the show is a painful reminder of what it's like out there for addicts.

Who cares about the OP, that final was brilliant.

I dare say it will be a long long time before a show comes along to rival the brilliance of Breaking Bad. What a ride. And it didn't stop.

No cancellation, no rubbish rushed ending, no faery tale scenario... brutal but settled.

Ahh.. that was a night well spent watching the last 5 eps..

Now you must excuse me I have to go find some methylene...

No it doesn't OP have you seen what it has done to Walt and Jessie?
BTW great series one of the best I have ever seen and the final episode was perfect.

I'm also going to study forensics pathology and that way I can take care of all those nasty evil crims wot get away with their crimes.

Since we're discussing things we can do because it happens on the tv.

^^ well done on 4 years man. Awesome effort. 7 years ago I last saw that stuff.

Breaking bad glorifies drug dealing as much as Scarface glorifies it. It's only those who cannot distinguish reality from fantasy that go around quipping "Say hello to my little friend!".. and I don't want to live in a world where they make the rules because some weirdos are prone to being an idiot.

Do you?

winofiend
Who cares about the OP, that final was brilliant.

I dare say it will be a long long time before a show comes along to rival the brilliance of Breaking Bad. What a ride. And it didn't stop.

No cancellation, no rubbish rushed ending, no faery tale scenario... brutal but settled.

Ahh.. that was a night well spent watching the last 5 eps..

Now you must excuse me I have to go find some methylene...

I have watched several episodes along the way. My main issue is being able to be in front of a TV at a scheduled time, and the DVRs are hogged by everyone else.

I have done several big series with the wife in marathons. Sopranos has been the best yet. But I am really, really wanting to do this one from start to finish. My youngest son says it is the best show he has ever watched. Soprano's is a pretty high bar to set....except for their finale. It sucked.

boymonkey74
No it doesn't OP have you seen what it has done to Walt and Jessie?
BTW great series one of the best I have ever seen and the final episode was perfect.

Wasn't it !! I had 5 eps piled up. I was posting this at 12am last night and my net went down. 6:30am now I hit send. I kinda lost my mojo, which is probly a good thing as I'm sure the op didn't really intend a discussion on the final, lol, but it has to be said.

It'd be like the Fast and the Furios where they all crash into a brick wall half way through the movie and then keep racing over the edge of a cliff, where they all plummet to their inevitable demise and explode in a ball of octane fury... and say "Yeah man thats what I wanna do!!" saying BB influences that life style.

It's all moot now, it's television history. Cannae change that!

bigfatfurrytexan

winofiend
Who cares about the OP, that final was brilliant.

I dare say it will be a long long time before a show comes along to rival the brilliance of Breaking Bad. What a ride. And it didn't stop.

No cancellation, no rubbish rushed ending, no faery tale scenario... brutal but settled.

Ahh.. that was a night well spent watching the last 5 eps..

Now you must excuse me I have to go find some methylene...

I have watched several episodes along the way. My main issue is being able to be in front of a TV at a scheduled time, and the DVRs are hogged by everyone else.

I have done several big series with the wife in marathons. Sopranos has been the best yet. But I am really, really wanting to do this one from start to finish. My youngest son says it is the best show he has ever watched. Soprano's is a pretty high bar to set....except for their finale. It sucked.

I'd say do it. I was losing my steam the last few months with tv, but this one I had to see the end before I read spoilers. So glad I did. I had no sleep and was up all night reading reviews after the fact, but if you do like the story, it's a great end.

Be warned tho, it can meander a bit. It's not really fast. I have to say that as I know someone who told me he thought it was boring, but he's not really all there, he started watching it mid way through.

I even conned someone into watching it who was dead set against it on the premise.

I am toying with the idea of watching it again from the start. Man that would be a marathon for sure!!

Hope you do enjoy it mate, it's imo, one of the better shows to have been given a decent go. Great actors help it, great directing, great script.

Oh I had to put this video here.

Warning contains the word bitch. (not a swear word a female doggie)



Yeahhh Bitch , Magnets ! yay !

reply to post by bdmay25


Oscar the Grouch is one of those things that are intended to introduce children to the concept of homeless people. I guess they could make him a desperate, sad man on the edge of starvation if that would suit your desire for a more realistic Sesame Street. Then, Big Bird and his gang could "get rid of him" in order to clean up the streets and raise property values. Can you spell "Curbstomp", children? One curb stomp. A-ha-ha... Two curb stomps... A-ha-ha... And then the Count drinks the ichor in some sort of bizaare blood ritual.

Laugh it up at my expense. Chicken Little, here, crying the sky is falling. I don't care. You can take me out of context as much as you want, as folks like to do when someone tries to point out inconsistencies in someone's viewpoint. This is a fair debate, and I'll acknowledge that the ending was entertaining. But it still sent the message that one can kill all one's enemies, leave millions of dollars to their family, and die before the police can arrest him. Sends the message that only a scum bag can kill a scum bag.

I miss movies like The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Where despite his flaws, Blondie was still a likeable guy, and a competent gunslinger. In Breaking Bad, all the good characters act like they've been lobotomized. Blondie, however, manages to keep his wits about him at all times, and therefore overcomes characters with lesser will and morality. The characters, antagonist especially, had in my opinion, more interesting characterization in the three hours of film than the characters did in Breaking Bad's run. They were archetypal, yet they kept it fresh in a genre of spaghetti westerns that was over saturated.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly also had a more interesting take on morality. The North and the South were both just soldiers. Not comically evil racial stereotypes. The gold was blood money, much like in Breaking Bad, but in a less heavy handed way. The ending showed the virtue of mercy, the cold blooded nature of Blondie along with his desire to do the right thing. So he has Tuco put that noose around his neck, rides off, leaving him to hang... and then he shoots the rope, leaving the Ugly to fall to the ground, cursing him. But Blondie is honorable. He left him with his half of the gold, true to his word. No horse, but he's got his wealth, just like he wanted.

Walter White's transformation was interesting, I will grant you that, but the final antagonist of the series, Uncle Jack, was no Angel Eyes, no Lee Van Cleef. And that trunk machine gun ending was no show down in a grave yard. It seemed to crib part of it's ending from Shane, the wounded warrior, going off to die after one last show down. Not as original as one would think.

Values have decayed since the 1960s, when they filmed it. I remember watching Sudden Impact... Anyone remember that scene where the waitress tips off Dirty Harry by filling his coffee cup with sugar so he comes back in? Well, all the robbers in that scene are black. That's a step back. In The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, there's rather little stereotyping of the characters in it. Tuco is just as developed in character as Blondie, when he could have very easily been a huge stereotype like the OTHER Tuco, in Breaking Bad. Eli Wallach played his part well. You could feel sympathy for him. Sure, some of what he said were excuses, straight from the mouth of a criminal, but Blondie did leave him to die in the desert. He was born into poverty, which is why he became a thief. Not like Tuco in Breaking Bad, who's not really characterized as anything but a psycho.

reply to post by Grifter42

I've watched the show. I'm not one of those people who hears about Harry Potter, never reads it, and thinks it encourages witchcraft. It's just got a bad moral to it.

In Breaking Bad, however, all the characters are either unlikeable, or they cook drugs.

Even though you act like you didn’t like the series, there had to have been something about it that you did like. You couldn’t have spent all that time watching an entire series you didn’t like or enjoy on some level. So what things about Breaking Bad did you like? What was it about Breaking Bad that kept you coming back for more?

reply to post by Grifter42


Grifter, I think your analysis and overall thought process is too intelligent for this thread, or for a large part of ATS in general.

Not this thread, really.. But what it's devolved in to.

hellnotes
reply to post by Grifter42

 

I've watched the show. I'm not one of those people who hears about Harry Potter, never reads it, and thinks it encourages witchcraft. It's just got a bad moral to it.

In Breaking Bad, however, all the characters are either unlikeable, or they cook drugs.

Even though you act like you didn’t like the series, there had to have been something about it that you did like. You couldn’t have spent all that time watching an entire series you didn’t like or enjoy on some level. So what things about Breaking Bad did you like? What was it about Breaking Bad that kept you coming back for more?

I don't think this thread is about whether you like it or not. Rather, it's for discussing whether or not entertainment television has a real life effect on the people who watch it.

I watched (only until season 4) Breaking Bad, and I enjoyed it.. Although I eventually got bored of it. Despite personally enjoying it I can still understand that it could potentially have a negative impact on those that watch it. Not all, but some.

reply to post by TinkerHaus

I don't think this thread is about whether you like it or not. Rather, it's for discussing whether or not entertainment television has a real life effect on the people who watch it.

I am fully aware of what this thread is about. My question was to the OP, not you Tinkerhaus, but I will speak to your statement and explain the reason for my question. Although there is a discussion here about whether or not entertainment television has an effect on those that watch it (which has been discussed to death online and offline), we are specifically discussing Breaking Bad. Now, Grifter has stated that he/she feels that this series has a bad moral and unlikeable characters. First, why would Grifter continue to watch? Is Grifter immune to the effects and influences that he/she has such objection to? I find it highly unlikely that Grifter did not enjoy the series on some level and therefore was receiving something positive from it, and what that might be.

reply to post by hellnotes


I thought it had interesting enough cinematography. I found myself enjoying how visually pleasing the cooks were. Then I realized what I was watching. It's very well filmed. However, it gave me the same feeling that Scarface did. That dumb, impulsive part of the brain that sees wealth and wants it for itself. That in and of it's self was worrying. Now, I'd never be so very stupid as to emulate anything on Breaking Bad, but others have.

You folks ever hear of a fellow named Jason Hart? Big fan of the show. You know what was his favorite part? The scene where they dispose of a body in acid. Well, Mr. Hart had his heart broken when he had a dispute with his girlfriend, and choked her to death. Luckily, he had his season one DVD of Breaking Bad in the DVD player, and figured he'd just dissolve her.

Now, this guy was a wing nut before hand, but Breaking Bad was his favorite show, and was in his DVD player, on the episode where they're dissolving a body in acid, while he's dissolving a body in acid. That says to me that it at least influenced him somewhat.

Like the Columbine killers obsessing over Natural Born Killers, right before they go on a killing spree. Still an atmosphere of psychosis and mental unstability, but sometimes outside influences can foment that sort of thing. They referred to the event they were planning as "Going NBK". In one of Klebold's essays, which he wrote about Charlie Manson, he can't stop talking about Natural Born Killers even when he's trying to talk about Manson. By the way, Klebold's take on Manson was nothing but the exaggerated lies that Bugliosi told all those years ago. There's articles filled with alleged copy cats of that Oliver Stone flick.

So there's a precedent for this sort of thing. In fact, there's multiple precedents. Now, don't get me wrong, I hate Jack Thompson as much as the next guy, but politics and debate make strange bed fellows. Now, the mentally stable, perfectly healthy folks with absolutely no history of illness of the mind are probably safe watching what they want to. But that's a rare breed these days. Everyone's crazy in some way or another.

I was watching this movie called "God Bless America". Now, in it, this guy with a miserable life goes on a rampage, killing off all these MTV type celebrities, a facsimile of the American Idol judges, and etcetera. Along the way, he's teamed up with this young girl who looks just like my old best friend I used to have the biggest unrequited crush for. Eventually, she rejected me, and I went crazy for a while. Now, this movie affected me in a way I didn't expect it to. I found myself having to repress violent fantasies involving me and that girl, teaming up and behaving similarly to the movie. I was vulnerable to it because of my past experiences. However, because I am not especially homicidal, and I'm sane, I would never act on them.

That's a rather disturbing thing to admit, but I want to get my point across that no one is immune to what they see on the television. Only less vulnerable.

Grifter42
reply to post by boncho

 

Say what you will about Miami Vice. It may be trash, but it's good trash. I have no love for the DEA, or the police, but Crockett and Tubbs never struck it rich in the drug game. They were just a couple of cool guys. Propaganda or not, it was a decent show. I guess I'm a disinfo agent then. And by the way, don't lump Miami Vice in with crap like Hawaii Five-O, or Magnum P.I.

For one, Miami Vice had way better cinematography than any of the other generic buddy cop shows. For two, none of the other shows had Don Johnson. Wait a minute... Maybe that's my ulterior motive! I'm trying to drum up antipathy towards Breaking Bad in order to get people to watch Miami Vice! I caught me! How could it be so obvious?!

I detest shows like Cops, before you label me a boot licker of the fascist empire we live in. And as to Breaking Bad "providing the other side" that cop shows don't, it's a lot less of a deterrent to see a man make eighty million dollars and then die than it is to see a man get pulled into a cop car by jackbooted thug cops. What's the point of providing this other side? To show that methedrine manufacturers are people just like you and me? Why would they want to do that? Maybe to get more people cooking it, so they can arrest them and chew them up in the jaws of the legal system.

Why are you so defensive? I said none of the things you are inferring. And I was speaking in a generalized manner.

scojak

Grifter42
The first episode, Walt is taken on a ride along and sees how much money can be made in one of those operations. How do you think that effects viewers?

Nice, I love when people take an out of context statement (in this case a scene from a television show) and try to use it to make a point. (insert the no-longer-available 'thumbs down' emoticon)

Did you watch the show? There was hardly any glorification of a) dealing meth, b) being a drug lord, c) using meth, or d) having millions from dealing meth.

a) dealing meth. Shortly after the first episode that you mentioned, Jessie contacts a colleague to try and sell him some of the Blue. They beat him up, and eventually plan to kill him. In fact, I believe every person they try to sell to, aside from Gus Fring, has the same state of mind. So no, I don't think I would ever want to deal meth.

b) being a drug lord. Sure he had respect and money, but he lost his family and certainly had no real friends. The only thing he ever got to really use his money for was his cancer treatments and to buy himself and Flynn nice cars. His life turned into a constant battle with people who stood in the way of his greed... and it was hardly glorified.

c) using meth. You failed to mention how they showed the negative aspects of meth, but hey you were trying to make a point and ignorance always makes that easier. They showed how using meth can really screw up your life, as well as how it could lead to other drugs, like heroin, and really get you into so messed up #.

d) having millions from dealing. as said before, he barley spent his money. He never lived lavishly or had nice things aside from a decent car. He lived in a home worth less than .01% of his net worth... I bet even you live more lavishly than that. He piled his money and never spent it. I don't know how this could be misconstrued as glorification.

This was an incredible show, and, as most people did, I focused on the acting and tremendous story line instead of the hardly portrayed glorification of of the aforementioned subjects. And even if it somehow did glorify the lifestyle of a meth lord, I'd much rather watch something like Breaking Bad than The Jersey Shore which has a much worse influence on today's teens and young adults. Not everyone can be a drug lord, but everyone can be a gel-haired muscle-head with no desire for even average intelligence.

BTW, I think your next thread should be how Dexter glorifies being a serial killer. You could make a much more convincing argument.

Best
Post
Ever.

boymonkey74
Yeahhh Bitch , Magnets ! yay !

Lmao, haha funniest thing, didn't notice this after the vid, and was gunna comment the same

gunna miss jessie. lol

reply to post by Grifter42


The only thing "BB" glorifies is good television. It had something most shows don't - good writers AND good actors.