Ever thought about why the daily “soaps” on daytime television, medical shows, legal dramas, and other such well-worn forms remain so popular on television? It’s my belief that we all have a streak of the voyeur in us. We really want to take a peek behind the window blinds of other people’s lives — and the soaps, melodramas like medical shows and courtroom dramas, and even some of the so-called “reality” shows on television, give us socially acceptable ways of taking those peeks into other people’s lives.
So should we do a sort of cultural “shame-on-us-all” about-face and abandon all such television or movie fare?
Maybe. But, of course, that’s never going to happen. Too many corporations and individuals are depending on our cleaned up version of voyeurism for their fortunes.
So should we simply enjoy those guilty pleasures we get watching the inner workings, fortunes and misfortunes, of these fictional people that parade through our televisions? I would suggest that, if you feel uncomfortable watching ANYTHING on television — from trendy fiction to sensationalism on the so-called “news” broadcasts — you probably should punch the button on your remote and turn it off.
Heck, you could always find a good book. Or read a magazine or newspaper, even??