Sunday, May 17, 2015

SUNDAY PROGRAMMING NOTE

Odd programming options. This evening, on The Learning Channel, there are two back-to-back specials: Submissive Wives' Guide to Marriage and Retro Wives.

The description for the first: "Submissive wives who serve and submit to their men; Autumn and Eddie are from multigenerational submissive families; submissive wife Tara helps her friend Kristen become submissive."

The description for the second: "A group of women trades modern conveniences to become the ``perfect'' 1950s housewives."

My love for 1950s fashions notwithstanding, this is truly a WTF moment. I think what we're learning here is that The Learning Channel needs a new name.

2 comments:

  1. Actually, as I understand it, they're no longer "The Learning Channel." The actual name is now "TLC" and it doesn't seem to stand for anything at all.

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  2. Sad as it is to say, we have no one but ourselves to blame for this sort of programming. Legitimate educational shows (such as the ones that were the bread and butter of The Learning Channel, Discovery, National Geographic, etc) weren't making enough money, but you throw a camera on narcissistic child beauty pageant mothers, or crabby pawn shop owners, or homophobic duck call makers, or guys who drive trucks in the snow, and the money comes in faster than you can count it. Every time I would hear someone talking about last night's Honey Boo Boo episode, even if they watch it "ironically", I want to grab them by the collar and scream, "YOU are a cog in the machine that is responsible for the death of intelligence.

    It's a cliche to say that 'Idiocracy' was actually a documentary, but it's only a cliche because saying it is merely stating the obvious.

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