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Ken's Blue Blog
Musings on "the bleedin' obvious"; views on the meaning of life, or anything else that takes my fancy.

Sunday, April 25, 2004

Soap Operas

People complain about films and dramas on television and in the cinema, which contain vast amounts of sex and violence. They worry that the daily diet of blazing guns, pneumatic boobs and profanities will undermine society.

I doubt that very much, the real “threat to society” comes from the more mundane daily diet of soap operas.

The setting of these more closely resembles the viewers’ lives than any Hollywood blockbuster could ever hope for, or indeed aims for.

As people more closely identify with the soaps, so do they seek to emulate the actions of the characters within them. The shows contain a daily diet of backbiting, odious behaviour and aggression between neighbours and family members.

Each episode is designed to pull the viewer through an emotional roller coaster ride; and ensure that at the end of the half hour they are sitting on the edge of their seat, waiting for the next episode.

The trouble is, life is really not as exciting as that; the viewers sit back at the end of the episode and look for the same “real life” stimulation that they enjoyed in the soap. It is nowhere to be found. This lack of stimulation leads to a cycle of depression and frustration, which viewers vent on each other and society.

In my view soap operas are the real danger to society.

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