The Plug-In Drug

In the article The Plug-In Drug, Winn argues that television had once a favouruble, beneficial effect on family, which today turned into a dispersing one. She sees Tv as an evil drug, that destroyes the family rituals and harms the children in families. I agree that, TV has a huge control over our lives today. I know people who includes TVGuides while organizing their agendas. This is not just sad, it is also so preposterous. We should never cancel a meeting with friends or a dinner out with the family members because out favourite TV programme is on. But unfortunately, we all do this!

My family always eats out on Saturday evenings with the company of 3 other close family friends of ours. Even thogh I really enjoy spending time with them, I’ve missed some of those dinners because I wanted to stay home and watch TV. It might sound ridiculous but that’s the case how we are addicted to TV programmes and how it destroys the family rituals.

On the other hand I also remember TV in good part memories of mine from the Christmas. When I was little our whole famly used to come together and celebrate the Christmas and I had memories of how we all together watch the Christmas bonus after the specia Christmas shows. It was actually fun and more important, it was a group activity of watching TV.

So, I agree on that TV harms the most familes and tears them apart in some ways but, it is actually a good part of bringing them together if we can use it right.

1 comment November 30, 2008

Reality Tv

The article Reality Tv is written in 2000 and from then there have been so many reality shows on the televisions. Why are they so popular and why people enjoy to watch these kind of things? What Rushdie argues in his article, is reality shows tell us things about ourselves and that’s why they succeed in. There also a lot people who watch these kind of shows, even though they think how stupid and pointless they are. I assume these people are brainwashed as Rushdie thinks or they just watch them to be a part of the community.

Rushdie illustrates the reality Tv set with the Colosseum where the gladiators fight with the animals. I think this as an important point because today, people can be so furious and with today’s media becoming famous is a piece of cake. If these two trigger each other, dangerous results could occur easily and we could find ourselves watching two people beating each other  until one of them is death and even the worse we can find ourselves laughing and enjoying it!

In my personal idea, I see this as a ‘rating’ issue. The reason Tv channels produce these kind of shows is to get more people to watch them and rise their ratings. It could be seen as a mutual effect from the side of those who want to raise their own ratings and be on the front pages all the time.

1 comment November 26, 2008

Enormous Radio

Enormous Radio(1953) is a fantastic short story about how media could effect peoples’ lives in a tragic way. What I really like about this short story is the way John Cheever(the author), represents the radio as a key to access inside their neighbours’ lives. He uses it so well that you’re getting the feeling of participating something indicent with Irene. He also writes in an ironic way which is actually the result of ironic lives of the neighbours. We see this in the dialogue that the maid is being asked to lend $5 for the doorman. The secret feeling of a gossip in the air also makes the story fun to read.

In the story we see that it’s appealing to watch other peoples lives but it also could give us harm. But what I really wonder is, is that the media that makes it so easy or is it us caring too much for other’s lives? I think it’s true that media is a huge factor in our lives, especially today, that effects our realationships. Tv is a replacement with that days radio and it can easily turn into a big pull which tears us apart from our family and friends.

1 comment November 22, 2008

Which side are you?

He comes home one day. He was in a sweet rush with an excitement. He takes a shower and dresses up while his dad is setting the table up for two of them. He smiles to his son’s extiment and tells us that ’He is meeting the Mr. Right tonight’. Yes, I am talking about the 1994 movie that is adopted by a screenplay of  David Stevens, Sum Of Us.

First of all I must say that I really like the movie. It gives us a great visual of the relationship between a father and a gay son. Don’t get me wrong, they weren’t the perfect son and father in the whole world. He gets mad when his father leaves the shower dripping and he couldn’t stand when he pushes his plate away after he finishes the dinner. But none of these could be as scathing as the words “You mean nothing to me. You walk out that door, it doesn’t matter. And if you come back in, I’m going to spit in your face. I don’t care if I’m on my deathbed, I’ll still have the energy to spit in your face.”  (Gaitskill, M. Tiny smiling daddy) Those are the words that has been said to a daughter after his father learned that she is a lesbian.

When we compare the movie(Sum of Us) with the story Tiny Smilin Daddy, we see that the situations are almost same but the reactions were totally different. These conflict also occurs in the movie when Jeff(the main gay charecter) introduces us Greg, the guy he likes. There is a clear difference between their parents. One acceptted his son being a gay and he even made an effort to get to know his ‘new son’. Although, my thoughts are in the same way with the father in the movie, I even surprised by some of his actions. He buys gay magazines and when he firt learn that he is a gay, he goes to the club with him just to see where his son hangs out. Lots of people wouldn’t be comfortable in such situations but when we compare the results with the story. It is obvious that Harry(father in the movie) is on the right track. He has an awesome relationship with his son which is enviable but on the other hand there is Kitty and her father, two strangers living in the same house. Jeff could bring his friend home to meet his father when Kitty prefers to write an article to his dad instead of talking.

The movie and the story are also both related the topic to the generations. We thought that Kitty has a bad father because his grandad was not a good one either. In the movie we know that Jeff’s grandma was a lesbian and they had a really close relationship when he was a kid. He once said that when he woke up and saw his grandma in the bed cuddled up with a woman it looked natural to him. This also can explain Harry being more tolerant on the situation because his own mother was a lesbian. He even makes a joke saying that ‘It is in their blood and just skipped a generation.’

 I just want to add one more thing about the movie. Harry wants the best of everything for Jeff and I think it was really interesting when he mentioned “He is missing something important:making a baby.”

For the ones that are interested, these two stories gives us a total different dimensions of a same situation. You can be on the side that will turn around and walk out the door the minute you heard it, or you can try to be a real father who wants to know his son and protects him all the time.Even though, this might mean to leave a loved one who sees Harry as a shame.

2 comments November 3, 2008