My mom was wondering why we had bought a big, flat-panel TV if we were only going to get basic broadcast channels.
"We don't watch that much TV," I automatically responded.
"Then why the huge TV? Why spend all that money for something you don't watch?"
Well, for one thing, it wasn't that much money. It was the store generic brand, which lacks a lot of the bells and whistles -- OK, all of them -- but it does work.
The larger point, of course, is the larger screen. I'd rather not spend every TV-watching second with my nose twelve inches from a display. I do like watching movies, and the TV I do watch, I'd like to be able to actually see. From a couch. A second-hand futon, in fact. I don't think that's ridiculous, absurd, or extravagant, even if we only have about fifteen legitimate, English-speaking channels.
That said, broadcast channels have a lot of dead time. And by dead time, I mean they fill a lot of their programming with stuff that will melt your brain. If I have to watch one more celebrity gossip show, I will have to serve up my noggin as a chopped liver substitute. Not the best of situations.
So, I made a deal with the cable company to get a few months of cheap "family" service, which includes Comedy Central and the Food Network. That's all we really need. I would pay for just those two channels if I could.
I still can't catch every visual gag on the Daily Show. No matter: I get to see most of it and hear it loud and clear until March, and that should keep me warm through a long, cold winter.
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Showing posts with label television. Show all posts
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Better
Tonight's Saturday Night Live bit about David Paterson was a considerable improvement. I actually laughed, which was not the case last time... but, again, whether or not it's funny is subjective and not the point. To put it simply, this one didn't focus on his blindness. And as the governor himself would probably admit, there's plenty else to lampoon.
It's probably unfair to say that he's "not a good governor," considering the circumstances he's inherited, but it's just political wisecracking. For the record, other than making a circus of the senate appointment, he seems to be doing pretty well. And, of course, they keep referring to his having done cocaine once upon a time... just like the current and former presidents.
But, really, the only part that still bothers me is the bit about being disoriented and lost behind the desk. It's just not him. And I don't think people know that. But I guess the only way that's going to change is if the governor, or someone like him, changes the image with a more memorable one.
I have to admit, it was a little surreal to see him take out a pair of binoculars and pretend to read something. I don't do that with binoculars, but I use a monocular (you can guess what it looks like) to do the same thing for spot reading. It's awkward, difficult to do, and just generally an inefficient way to read stuff. I never thought it would end up as a gag on SNL.
Live and learn, right?
It's probably unfair to say that he's "not a good governor," considering the circumstances he's inherited, but it's just political wisecracking. For the record, other than making a circus of the senate appointment, he seems to be doing pretty well. And, of course, they keep referring to his having done cocaine once upon a time... just like the current and former presidents.
But, really, the only part that still bothers me is the bit about being disoriented and lost behind the desk. It's just not him. And I don't think people know that. But I guess the only way that's going to change is if the governor, or someone like him, changes the image with a more memorable one.
I have to admit, it was a little surreal to see him take out a pair of binoculars and pretend to read something. I don't do that with binoculars, but I use a monocular (you can guess what it looks like) to do the same thing for spot reading. It's awkward, difficult to do, and just generally an inefficient way to read stuff. I never thought it would end up as a gag on SNL.
Live and learn, right?
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Responses
Thought you might be interested in the discussion that broke out on another website, in reaction to my last post. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. And if you're wondering who, really, is innocent in this world, you are the only one who has ever had that thought. Ever.
Re: Live From New York, It's Deeply Offensive
Sally: I saw it and was completely offended - such poor taste and not at all funny. Thanks for posting.
Meredith: that was an amazing blog post. I don't live in NY anymore, but when he stepped into office for Gov. last year, i was elated. I've heard the employer's jaw drop, and have spent my whole career not only trying to prove to men in m sexist field that I am just as capable of them to do the job, but also I can do it just as well while being legally blind.
SNL is really good at making fun of Bush, but when it comes to the blind jokes and albinism jokes they sure fail horribly.
It hurts me that if they did this same skit but had them playing a mentally retarded person the people who are the heads of the disability act would be in an uproar about it and have SNL give a public apology.... why can't the blind get the same back-up?
Mariam: I saw it, and frankly, I found it hilarious. That's what comedy is all about folks. Some things are just NOT PC. Comedy is deadly serious and it's never been about being politically correct. That's what makes it funny. There are only a few topics that are really NEVER funny. Abortion and rape are two of those. Aaaanyway, for another hilarious video from SNL go to their website and search for "Lawrence Welk"
Mariam: By the way, the sketch did not call him a freak.*
Meredith: oh believe me, i laugh at things. Please, I have albinism. I'm always the evil villain in every movie that has "an albino". I go nuts when people freak out about the smallest things. I was for the movie "blindness" and felt people over-reacted to it, and when others freak out about the evil albinos i normally fight back with "it's not always about us."
This sketch, however, I didn't laugh once. I didn't walk away furious, like I did with "Not Another Teen Movie", but i didn't think they did a good job in the "funny" department either.
Josiah: agreed. ideally, Patterson will do the show when it returns in Jan. and get some free press.
*True, he doesn't say, "I am a freak." He does compare himself with people with a "gamy arm" and refer to the "freak-bag," where he plans to get his senate appointment. Then he announces that he wil pull his own name out of the freak-bag. Yup. He does not call himself a freak.
Re: Live From New York, It's Deeply Offensive
Sally: I saw it and was completely offended - such poor taste and not at all funny. Thanks for posting.
Meredith: that was an amazing blog post. I don't live in NY anymore, but when he stepped into office for Gov. last year, i was elated. I've heard the employer's jaw drop, and have spent my whole career not only trying to prove to men in m sexist field that I am just as capable of them to do the job, but also I can do it just as well while being legally blind.
SNL is really good at making fun of Bush, but when it comes to the blind jokes and albinism jokes they sure fail horribly.
It hurts me that if they did this same skit but had them playing a mentally retarded person the people who are the heads of the disability act would be in an uproar about it and have SNL give a public apology.... why can't the blind get the same back-up?
Mariam: I saw it, and frankly, I found it hilarious. That's what comedy is all about folks. Some things are just NOT PC. Comedy is deadly serious and it's never been about being politically correct. That's what makes it funny. There are only a few topics that are really NEVER funny. Abortion and rape are two of those. Aaaanyway, for another hilarious video from SNL go to their website and search for "Lawrence Welk"
Mariam: By the way, the sketch did not call him a freak.*
Meredith: oh believe me, i laugh at things. Please, I have albinism. I'm always the evil villain in every movie that has "an albino". I go nuts when people freak out about the smallest things. I was for the movie "blindness" and felt people over-reacted to it, and when others freak out about the evil albinos i normally fight back with "it's not always about us."
This sketch, however, I didn't laugh once. I didn't walk away furious, like I did with "Not Another Teen Movie", but i didn't think they did a good job in the "funny" department either.
Josiah: agreed. ideally, Patterson will do the show when it returns in Jan. and get some free press.
*True, he doesn't say, "I am a freak." He does compare himself with people with a "gamy arm" and refer to the "freak-bag," where he plans to get his senate appointment. Then he announces that he wil pull his own name out of the freak-bag. Yup. He does not call himself a freak.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Live From New York, It's Deeply Offensive
I just got around to this week's NBC Saturday Night Live. The Weekend Update sketch about David Paterson was... well... Here, if you haven't seen it, judge for yourself:
Seen it? Good. Here we go:
I didn't find this funny. If you did (and I'm sure many did), this doesn't make you an anti-blind bigot. People who laughed at Amos and Andy weren't necessarily racists. We instinctively respond to stereotypes that are ingrained in the culture, and there's nothing conscious about a laugh. We don't choose what we find funny and don't.
Having said that, this ranks as one of the most offensive portrayals of a disabled person in the history of television. It's garbage like this that makes it hard for people like me to get a job. I'm lucky enough to have several right now, but it took a hell of a lot of work to get them, and I'm in the vast minority.
The first problem is the cheap laugh. I would be the first to admit that the governor occasionally appears disoriented. I probably do too (although, my vision being superior, not nearly as often). He is not actually disoriented. He has a facile mind, an outstanding memory, and one of the sharpest wits in politics. He would have written a much funnier sketch.
Besides, making fun of someone who appears to be disoriented because he's mostly blind is a little like making fun of FDR for being wheelchair-bound. It's not funny on its own. Now, if you're writing a Sketch where FDR's wheelchair gives him super powers... or if Paterson were secretly Daredevil... I don't know. But the mere fact of his looking a little lost is just a crappy thing he has to deal with.
Next, the governor is not a "freak." He is blind in one eye and mostly blind in the other. He also has degrees from an Ivy League university and a law school, but was turned down from his first job because they didn't think he could handle it. Maybe they thought he was a freak.
Third, Governor Paterson was not"comically unprepared" to become the governor of New York State. He was the Lieutenant Governor. He was the minority leader of the New York State Senate, a veteran of public service for over twenty years, and one of the only Albany politicians people actually liked or respected. Upon being thrust into office (yes, by a sex scandal), he quickly made peace with the Republicans in the state senate. And while Albany has since returned to its usual bickering, Paterson has already proposed his recession-minded budget, weeks ahead of schedule.
Most bizarre to me, the sketch gets a few things just plain wrong. It implies that Paterson is from upstate. He's from Harlem. It also refers to him "loving cocaine," and, yes, he admitted to having done it. How many politicians have admitted that now? Isn't that a requirement for office? He doesn't do it anymore. And the implication that he's often in the middle of sex scandals is a funny idea in itself, considering that the only one who ever reported that he cheated on his wife was him.
Governor Paterson is not perfect, and Saturday Night Live is not evil. Paterson is considering cutting the education budget by nearly $700 million, and SNL put on a vaguely funny sketch about a lamp musical. I can't help but think, though, of those ridiculously low employment numbers for the blind and deaf, and then wonder if Lorne Michaels and company have any idea what it's like to mention the words "partially blind" or "Legally blind" and hear a potential employer's jaw drop from across the room.
David A. Paterson, odd as he may look, is the nation's most prominent advocate for the rights of the disabled. It's offensive enough to make cheap jokes at the expense of his eyesight. It's even worse to reinforce the stereotype that faulty eyes imply a faulty mind.
Seen it? Good. Here we go:
I didn't find this funny. If you did (and I'm sure many did), this doesn't make you an anti-blind bigot. People who laughed at Amos and Andy weren't necessarily racists. We instinctively respond to stereotypes that are ingrained in the culture, and there's nothing conscious about a laugh. We don't choose what we find funny and don't.
Having said that, this ranks as one of the most offensive portrayals of a disabled person in the history of television. It's garbage like this that makes it hard for people like me to get a job. I'm lucky enough to have several right now, but it took a hell of a lot of work to get them, and I'm in the vast minority.
The first problem is the cheap laugh. I would be the first to admit that the governor occasionally appears disoriented. I probably do too (although, my vision being superior, not nearly as often). He is not actually disoriented. He has a facile mind, an outstanding memory, and one of the sharpest wits in politics. He would have written a much funnier sketch.
Besides, making fun of someone who appears to be disoriented because he's mostly blind is a little like making fun of FDR for being wheelchair-bound. It's not funny on its own. Now, if you're writing a Sketch where FDR's wheelchair gives him super powers... or if Paterson were secretly Daredevil... I don't know. But the mere fact of his looking a little lost is just a crappy thing he has to deal with.
Next, the governor is not a "freak." He is blind in one eye and mostly blind in the other. He also has degrees from an Ivy League university and a law school, but was turned down from his first job because they didn't think he could handle it. Maybe they thought he was a freak.
Third, Governor Paterson was not"comically unprepared" to become the governor of New York State. He was the Lieutenant Governor. He was the minority leader of the New York State Senate, a veteran of public service for over twenty years, and one of the only Albany politicians people actually liked or respected. Upon being thrust into office (yes, by a sex scandal), he quickly made peace with the Republicans in the state senate. And while Albany has since returned to its usual bickering, Paterson has already proposed his recession-minded budget, weeks ahead of schedule.
Most bizarre to me, the sketch gets a few things just plain wrong. It implies that Paterson is from upstate. He's from Harlem. It also refers to him "loving cocaine," and, yes, he admitted to having done it. How many politicians have admitted that now? Isn't that a requirement for office? He doesn't do it anymore. And the implication that he's often in the middle of sex scandals is a funny idea in itself, considering that the only one who ever reported that he cheated on his wife was him.
Governor Paterson is not perfect, and Saturday Night Live is not evil. Paterson is considering cutting the education budget by nearly $700 million, and SNL put on a vaguely funny sketch about a lamp musical. I can't help but think, though, of those ridiculously low employment numbers for the blind and deaf, and then wonder if Lorne Michaels and company have any idea what it's like to mention the words "partially blind" or "Legally blind" and hear a potential employer's jaw drop from across the room.
David A. Paterson, odd as he may look, is the nation's most prominent advocate for the rights of the disabled. It's offensive enough to make cheap jokes at the expense of his eyesight. It's even worse to reinforce the stereotype that faulty eyes imply a faulty mind.
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