Reality TV – Who in
the universe thinks any of this is real? It's a tv show, with a
script and cameras, for heaven's sake. One or two of them were
slightly entertaining, but now every network, including the weather
and history channels, has multiple “reality” series that are just
tiresome and stupid.
Drug ads – I do not
want to learn about medication side effects like diarrhea, swelling
of tongue or throat, vaginal discharge, erections that last four
hours, bloating, gas, constipation, and bleeding while I'm cooking
dinner or trying to read an article in Better Homes and Gardens. If
I want to know, I'll look it up myself or ask my doctor.
Gossip presented as news
– National and local newscasts lead with stories about someone who
has had a sex change operation or molested a family member. Then the
same story repeats for days, with opinions from anyone who will
comment. Oh, and by the way, that person has a new book/tv
show/movie coming out next week. Who cares? I want to hear real news
stories, not crap, marketing ploys, or someone's opinion.
Too much skin – Please
keep your clothing in its proper place, not yanked down, pulled up,
or hanging half off of your body. I do not care to see your
underwear or the tattoos you have on your butt, your boobs, or below
your bikini line while I am eating at a restaurant or shopping. Save
showing off your fine (or not so fine) self for the lake, the pool,
or the privacy of your own home.
Weather panic –
There's a thunderstorm or snow predicted! Go to your safe place!
There's water ponding on the roads...do not drive! They're zoomed in
to street level for a tiny orange speck on the radar. I'm glad we
have access to early warning weather information, but these panicky
sounding weather people make a little storm line sound like a
catastrophic major event for days before it arrives.
Movie remakes – If the
original movie was good, it should stand on its own. That's why
they're called classics. If it wasn't, then why bother to make the
exact same film again? Lazy Hollywood ought to come up with original
ideas. There are plenty of interesting novels that would make great
films.
Formulated “music” -
The sing-song chanting stuff that is being passed off as music is
just horrible. You can't tell one whiny singer from the other, pop
or country. None of them can carry a tune and most go outside their
range to the point of screeching. The same four word chorus is
repeated over and over and over again and called a hit because it
fits some formula.
Thank goodness I can choose to
avoid most of these by changing the channel, muting or turning off
the offending sounds or shows. If only I could erase images seared
onto my brain of people's inappropriate and unfortunate choices for
public attire.