21 October 2010

Stay away, you'll never know what you'll catch.

Readers of a sensitive disposition are warned that this rant contains some strong language and frequent bloody cynicism.

I really do wonder about that little warning you hear before certain shows on TV. I wonder what they're actually for; I mean, I know there are those out there who are going to be of a certain disposition and who don't want to see such things in programming, and that's fine if that's why those warnings are given, I just don't believe they are.

If you sit down in the evening and watch a gritty drama (usually the forensic ones, like 'Waking the Dead' or 'Silent Witness'), and you hear '...contains scenes of graphic violence' then, even if you don't want to admit it, a part of you is pleased, sits down (in your head) and says, "Ah, good. this is going to be a good one." Now, that's fine, again; I have no problem with people who like a good drama that doesn't pull any punches, I myself am one of those people who does get a sort of excited anticipation when I'm told I'm going to hear 'very strong language from the start' or see 'distressing images', and those who know me, or even you reading this, will know that I am truly appreciative of swearing. No, my problem is that the people in charge of said shows and TV stations know that's what they're doing when they put out these 'warnings'.

It's just a cheap trick, the television equivalent of adding the word 'shocker' (actually, normally it's something more like 'SHOCKER!!!') to the front page of Take a Shit magazine or Who's Vacuous Weekly. Because the kind of people who can't live without those magazines are drawn in immediately, like a fly to one of those blue zappers in a chip-shop (I could have said 'like a moth to the flame' but what am I, fucking Dickens?).

I realise that there is likely some regulatory reason for them to put out warnings (Ofcom fisting them so hard they can use the stations as glove puppets), but to me that's about as damning as one of those 'Parental Advisory' stickers on albums, to a lot of people (ok, impressionable youths) the Parental Advisory sticker is like proof of quality. The 80's metal bands like Twisted Sister were ecstatic their albums got the sticker.

People are told they're going to see what they're not normally allowed to and that means that, more often than not, they'll sit through the 'talky bits' just to see the promised stabbing, shooting, nudity, sex or swearing that they've been 'warned' about. Bums on seats, money in pockets.

As you can see this was a tad on the small side compared so some of my other aired grievances on here. A 'micro-rant' perhaps. Still, I think I managed to put my opinion across all the same.

Incidentally, check this out: over-sensitive, fearful cowards.