Idol Shame
Everyone, it seems, has something to say about the new season of American Idol and its nasty new episodes.
The View
I should start by saying, until this week, I had never watched American Idol. Really. I never had any interest in the show, even though it had become a national obsession. But Wednesday night there was absolutely nothing on television, and I just couldn't take watching another rerun of Cash In The Attic on BBCAmerica. So, I decided to finally watch American Idol so I could at least participate in the Thursday morning reviews.
Like most everyone else who watched this crapfest, I was horrified. This wasn't a program showcasing new American talent. This was a show devoted almost entirely to the humiliation of young men and women who should know better but don't... people who have never been told they can't really sing but have been listened to for years out of politeness because nobody wanted to hurt their feelings... people who sing on Sunday morning in church simply because nobody else will. These are people who might have limited talent but still have dreams and souls and feelings. And some of them, as weak as they might be, still have more talent than Paris Hilton. They just haven't done an Internet sex tape.
American Idol has indeed JUMPED THE SHARK.
But I'm not going to lay the blame for the tasteless agony all at the feet of Simon and the producers. It really is because of the insatiable appetite we all have for misery and agony. See "Dirty Laundry"
There is no end to the number of things that concern me about this show and the fact that it was an overwhelming monster in the ratings. But I'll focus on one area other critics might have bypassed... and that's the fact that millions of parents sat down to watch this with their children and had the opporunity to laugh and hoot at the freak show, spurred on by Paula and Simon. They will learn that it is OK to laugh at people, humiliate them and call them names. At some point later in life, they might even decide it is OK to use the word faggot at the Golden Globes. Different headline, same theory... cultivating hate by cultivating intolerance and turning people who are different or don't fit into our individual mold into outcasts or castoffs.
I can't say American Idol lost me, because they never had me to begin with. I only hope there is sufficient anger and outrage elsewhere in America that other people who might have given this program their time in the past will now give it nothing more than a cold shoulder.
While I doubt American Idol will wind up on the scrap heap next week or next month, I think it is possible people might finally begin seeing it for what it really is: a forum for people so shallow and and with so little self confidence and worth in their own lives, their only joy can be found in the destruction of others.
Simon and Paula need some humanity lessons from Tim Gunn.
The View
I should start by saying, until this week, I had never watched American Idol. Really. I never had any interest in the show, even though it had become a national obsession. But Wednesday night there was absolutely nothing on television, and I just couldn't take watching another rerun of Cash In The Attic on BBCAmerica. So, I decided to finally watch American Idol so I could at least participate in the Thursday morning reviews.
Like most everyone else who watched this crapfest, I was horrified. This wasn't a program showcasing new American talent. This was a show devoted almost entirely to the humiliation of young men and women who should know better but don't... people who have never been told they can't really sing but have been listened to for years out of politeness because nobody wanted to hurt their feelings... people who sing on Sunday morning in church simply because nobody else will. These are people who might have limited talent but still have dreams and souls and feelings. And some of them, as weak as they might be, still have more talent than Paris Hilton. They just haven't done an Internet sex tape.
American Idol has indeed JUMPED THE SHARK.
But I'm not going to lay the blame for the tasteless agony all at the feet of Simon and the producers. It really is because of the insatiable appetite we all have for misery and agony. See "Dirty Laundry"
There is no end to the number of things that concern me about this show and the fact that it was an overwhelming monster in the ratings. But I'll focus on one area other critics might have bypassed... and that's the fact that millions of parents sat down to watch this with their children and had the opporunity to laugh and hoot at the freak show, spurred on by Paula and Simon. They will learn that it is OK to laugh at people, humiliate them and call them names. At some point later in life, they might even decide it is OK to use the word faggot at the Golden Globes. Different headline, same theory... cultivating hate by cultivating intolerance and turning people who are different or don't fit into our individual mold into outcasts or castoffs.
I can't say American Idol lost me, because they never had me to begin with. I only hope there is sufficient anger and outrage elsewhere in America that other people who might have given this program their time in the past will now give it nothing more than a cold shoulder.
While I doubt American Idol will wind up on the scrap heap next week or next month, I think it is possible people might finally begin seeing it for what it really is: a forum for people so shallow and and with so little self confidence and worth in their own lives, their only joy can be found in the destruction of others.
Simon and Paula need some humanity lessons from Tim Gunn.
posted by Bill at
5:11 AM
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