Lately, I have noticed that there is something fishy going on over at NBC. First, there was Medium. And in the beginning, the show intrigued me. However, a few episodes in they started to lay down the pro-life/pro-death penalty, we all go to heaven, conservative stance. That’s when I got a little wary. It seemed sneaky and I turn off immediately when I feel that someone is trying to fool me into seeing it their way. I find it a little cowardly.
Now, they have a show coming out called Revelations. I haven’t seen it yet, so I can’t really say much about it, but the broadcasting direction they’ve been moving in leaves me wondering. This one seems a bit more “hit you over the head” Christian but I kinda want to know who might be behind it all of this and why I hadn’t noticed before.
Someone recently mentioned they felt the show 24 was also very conservative. I haven’t ever seen it, so I can’t be the judge of that. I am curious, however, if this is indeed true.
That’s not to say I am anti-Christian or that I feel they have done something wrong. What bothers me is I am left wondering if they are somewhat disguising their beliefs, and instead inserting ideas into shows here and there subtly. Or, have they jumped on a bandwagon having decided that following our latest election, America has enough conservative Christians and they’re going to try and capitalize on this niche? Either way, I’d like to know what I’m getting myself into.
Maybe I am just hypersensitive to this. And I’m not for a second saying there is anything wrong with this line of broadcasting. I do realize that it’s impossible to hides one voice entirely behind something they themselves create, but if someone at NBC is consciously moving their programming into a more conservative direction, I guess it’d be nice for them to say so.
I am not allowed to discuss politics or beliefs with anyone other than myself.
Yeah. I know. I know. I probably shouldn’t have posted this. I should learn.
24 is on fox, and is built around the premise that terrorists ‘hate our freedom’. its nothing but trite scare tactics and propaganda.
revelations looks to be VERY ‘anti-christian’—not anti in that its against christians, but anti in the sense that they talk about christianity, base a plot loosely on it, and well christians hate that sort of thing. the previews i’ve seen for it have the second coming of christ as an abused child, and an evil man who doesn’t bleed. it reeks of shitty steven king made for tv miniseries.
nbc seems pretty fairly mixed between conservative and liberal shows—they seem to play both sides. until csi, cbs just programmed for the 60+ crowd. abc has been crazy ‘family’ oriented since disney. fox is just bs scare tactics to push a conservative agenda. wb is teen sex. and upn is for black people.
i heard that chris rock was getting a show on upn—sucks for him. it would be a top10 show on nbc. hes gonna destroy his career on upn.
Jon, i love you. you crack me up.
(P.S. Happy Belated Birthday, btw. What are you and your lady doing this weekend? We should take you out and treat ya pretty.)
Have you seen Joan of Arcadia? I’m into that show. It’s more about god in general than Christianity specifically (i think… or maybe i’ve been duped).
you’ve been duped. joan of arcadia is SO about christianity.
judging amy is slightly less about christianity.
but joan of arcadia is definitely jesus propaganda.
Yeah, boy that Fox and their conservative agenda with shows such as The OC and The Simpsons. Don’t forget That 70’s Show and the wonderful Who’s Your Daddy?
What exactly about the show 24 is inacurate?
I don’t watch 24, so I can’t answer. Fox has always driven me totally mad, though they do have some great shows. I guess. NBC evens it out by featuring The West Wing. Holy liberal.
Does anyone else find it hypocritical to say they’re pro-life and pro-death penalty? I know the same can be said for the flip-side. Just trying to stir up the crap a bit more, get folks riled up!
Only not really, because that makes my tummy upset when that happens and people fight. Discussion is cool. Let’s discuss.
OK… but Joan’s best friend is Jewish and has a Rabbi for a Father. Can’t it be about god without being Christian right propaganda?
I think so, gina. Yes. Jon gets worked up over God sometimes. Me thinks. And guns. God and guns.
Yeas, mihow. I agree completely. Pro-life for the fetus and pro-death for the convicted is crap. I also have issues with the whole fertility drugs = miracle blessing babies line. Six babies at once b/c you took drugs is not a miracle from god, it’s a medical procedure.
i’m not at a point in my life where i can say i am definately pro anything. i wander around confused for the most part.
if i had to pick a side, i’d call myself pro-choice and anti-death penalty, but none of it has anything to do with religion.
I had a dispute once with a woman whose whole argument surrounding what you’ve outlined was based entirely on the fact that NO ONE in the world is innocent once they are born. Try arguing with that logic. It’s impossible. SO when I sat there saying, “Yes, but we convict and execute innocent people all the time.” She would say, “No one is innocent. Only a baby is innocent.”
By the end of the argument, smoke was pouring out of my ears.
My above comment was in response to what Gina wrote. Andrea, I agree. I am often just a blubbering confused gal. Though, the things I am against, boy am I hard-headed when it comes to them.
there’s nothing ‘inaccurate’ about 24 – its fiction. it doesn’t say ‘hey, we’re the truth’—the ‘inaccurate’ stuff on fox is the news and bill o’reilly.
its not every show on their lineup, but the bulk of the fox programming strategey is about playing on people’s fears. thats why their commericials for news always start out “you wont believe what THEY’re trying to do next – news at 10”, or “you wouldn’t believe that these child molestors push drugs on first graders, news at 10”
then look at their programming ideas—on 24 ‘terrorists are out to get you. you can’t trust eastern europeans or muslims. they want to kill you.’ america’s most wanted ‘rapists and child killers are EVERYWHERE’, there’s some new show about a girl born of satan who is bringing on the end of the world. that network is just about the worst aspects of society rolled into one ball of crap.
Fox does push the fear-factor. I can’t deny this. They have a few good programs, well, one I can think of, and that’s The Simpsons. (Actually, I can’t think of anymore I actually liked come from Fox. hmmmmm I must be forgetting a few.) I guess I sort of like the O.C. but it’s more like filler for me as I wait impatiently for CSI. I’m totally rambling at this point.
I remember leaving a PETA rally when I decided that their rhetoric, posters, and tactics were too much like the anti-abortionists I faced at clinic defenses during the 1992 “Spring of Life” campaign in Buffalo, NY.
Jon, Now you’ve done it! I have to comment. For one Bill O’Reilly how many Dan Rathers do you have? And I’m not conceding Bill is what you think he is. He is Fair and Balanced all the time – just as long as you agree with his position. If you don’t, then his agenda is as unbalanced as anyone else in the mainstream media. Sorry momhow and mihow for I have sinned.
I don’t think anyone would disagree with you, mr. bob. The only thing that bugs me is when folks seem they’re being sneaky about it and just sort of casually inserting their thoughts in. Medium has done nothing but annoy me with this. They are sneaky—the writers. (in my opinion).
ive always thought that south park was concervative. i know that sounds absolutely BATTY, but if you actually watch the show consistantly (i dont even really like it, but my husband does, so i end up watching it) the ideas they consistantly push are conservative ones. someone might speak up to say im wrong, they are more libertarian, which i also agree with, but i say they are often both.
Libertarian = Republican.
::grabs garbage lid to hide from libertarian attack pebbles::
Libertarian is to Republican as big-boned is to fat.
(I’m so going to be flogged for this.)
i guess i dont really have a problem with shows pushing their political adgenda (liberal or conservative). the show (the producers, whatever) tries to sucker me into agreeing with an idea I normally wouldn’t. if it’s successful, well, i think thats kind of interesting, and it reflects on me more than it (the show).
was that totally convoluted?
It says right there in the Constitution that we have ”…the right to unbiased and apolitical infotainment…”
I’m calling the ACLU.
”…the right to unbiased and apolitical infotainment…”?
it doesn’t really say that in there. thats just something that the jews want you to think.
Michele, no disrespect meant, but you do not understand libertarianism if you are equating it with Republicanism. Strands of libertarianism share elements of Goldwater-Republicanism, but I think you’d be surprised to find how many social issues the libertarians espouse that fall more to the left than right.
There are a lot of things I don’t understand, one of them being Libertarianism. But I do feel it’s slightly idealistic and could never work. That’s just my opinion, however. :]
It operates under the assumption that humans take personal responsibility for their own actions and while that sounds awesome on paper and in thought, I don’t believe it could ever work out.
i was telling mihow earlier, that all the libertarians i’ve known have been staunch conservatives in economics, and fetishists/sexual deviants in their social lives.
Interesting, Jon.
Well, there are various strands of libertarianism, one being anarcho-capitalist, another being a more pragmatic approach. And, rather than assuming people should take on more personal responsibility, the goal is to maximize individual liberty. To quote my friend Will Wilkinson</link>, “One of the points of liberalism, and hence libertarianism, is to provide for a social order within which a plurality of different philosophies and worldviews may coexist and flourish, and within which debates over fundamentals may peacefully proceed.” That’s a starting point.
In the example of fiscal conservatism, a goal is to subdue excessive lawmaking (and thus execution of said laws via overpaid bureaucrats and bloated agencies) that limits personal freedoms & choices as well as excessive spending that compromises economic growth. Federalism is another important concept, in that where local and state authorities can act in the best interest of their constituents rather than under federal authority, they should.
You may not agree with these points, and that’s fine, but I wanted to clarify the general position.
I apparently don’t understand the link tag. I meant to cite this: http://www.techcentralstation.com/072804H.html
My officemate and good friend in graduate school was Nick Gillespie, editor in chief of Reason Magazine. I don’t think you can find anyone who is less of a republican than Nick. He’s also a hell of a softball player. I don’t know if he’s a fetishist, but i wouldn’t be surprised.
I’ve met Nick, briefly. He’s the boss of a friend of mine, Julian. Speaking of Reason, I was surprised to find a letter to the editor in a recent issue from documentarian Errol Morris expressing disappointment in the courts as a follow-up to this piece:http://www.reason.com/0501/fe.hs.civil.shtml. I was “surprised”, in that my reaction was, “Errol Morris reads Reason. Huh.”
Economically conservative and sexually liberal sounds like a fairly decent mix to me.