By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Think Pieces | Comments (92)
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Posted by: OldSchool60 at February 9, 2011 11:09 AM
Don't give up hope people. There are always little glimmers of good things:
1. Justified Season 2 starts tonight
2. Last night on The Good Wife, there was a hilarious meta reference to True Blood with Dennis O'Hare playing a judge who urged everyone to give blood. He was fabulous "if you're a blood owner, be a blood donor".
Posted by: PaddyDog at February 9, 2011 11:15 AM
Damn skippy.
Posted by: Jesus at February 9, 2011 11:15 AM
A few things:
- I really did enjoy Dragon Tattoo, but I did have to initially de-snootify myself slightly because it's considered "pop" fiction. So to me its top rank isn't so bad, especially since Stephenie Meyers' turds claimed the top spot in 2008 and 2009. (I tried reading the first one of those, and I couldn't get past page 20 without convulsing.) Dragon Tattoo's got wide appeal and that's why it tops the list, but frankly most of my friends have read both the trilogy and Franzen's Freedom.
- The most downloaded movie on iTunes right now is Katherine Heigl’s Life As We Know It. - This one's a disgusting surprise.
- What the fuck is Pawn Stars?
Posted by: sars at February 9, 2011 11:17 AM
On the bright side, Community and Parks & Rec haven't been canceled yet.
Posted by: An Atlantan at February 9, 2011 11:21 AM
sars, Pawn Stars is like.. the pawn store version of Antique Roadshow. People bring their crap and then the bald guy, his son or his dad tell them a bit of history and make them a low ball offer. It's really easy to watch, but there's only so much war memorabilia a person can stand.
Posted by: An Atlantan at February 9, 2011 11:24 AM
Well. I'm glad I wasn't reading this while driving, or I might have jerked the wheel and drove into a goddamn bridge abutment.
Really though, why are people watching 6 second trailers for music videos? Do people even watch music videos any more? Let alone music videos by Britney Spears?
Posted by: MelBivDevoe at February 9, 2011 11:24 AM
To be fair, cheesesteaks are delicious. (The "Philly" part is superfluous. I don't know what you're eating if you're not in Philadelphia, but I assure you that it's not a cheesesteak).
Posted by: Tracer Bullet at February 9, 2011 11:24 AM
Why do you have to make me sad so early in the morning?
Posted by: brdkelli at February 9, 2011 11:24 AM
Well, now I'm depressed. Extra depressed, what with it being 15 degrees outside. I'll go sit in the corner and sulk.
And I can't wait for the day when we'll start getting previews...of previews.
sars: They're really good at pawning and buying pawned stuff.
No, seriously, that's it.
Posted by: Figgy at February 9, 2011 11:25 AM
Rowles you are so right, I remember as a kid my father every Sunday making us sit down with him and watch “This Week With David Brinkley” or either “Meet the Press.” I remember those Sunday afternoon movies my brother and I loved to watch, we watched those old Tarzan movies and my old man would get so upset with us he would spend the next thirty minutes talking about self image. If my father knew I liked Tyler Perry he’d fly out to Texas and try and kick ass. But their does seems to be an effort to try to appeal to our base instincts.
Posted by: Pookie at February 9, 2011 11:25 AM
GLEEEE!
I'll show myself out.
Posted by: nosio at February 9, 2011 11:27 AM
You forgot:
*Thousands of idiots actually went and paid to see a remake of Star Trek
Posted by: BarbadoSlim at February 9, 2011 11:32 AM
Bill O'Reily gets 3.7 million viewers and Maddow gets 980,000....that means people are dumb? Has anyone even ever bothered watching Maddow? It's the same shit, different wrapper. Same with Olbermann.
I gotta laugh when stuff gets written like this.
"Oh boy, you're an idiot for watching Bill O and having him tell you what to think! Me? I watch Maddow....to tell me what to think!"
I realize what website this is on but who you crappin'?
Posted by: Oh man at February 9, 2011 11:33 AM
Thanks, Figgy and An Atlantan for the info on Pawn Stars. Truthfully, the first thing that came to mind was a Kennedy saying "porn stars" with a heavy accent. I'm sure that's what they were thinking, too, when they came up with the title.
Posted by: sars at February 9, 2011 11:41 AM
Ratings go up.
Ratings go down.
Ratings go up.
Ratings go down.
That's why watching O'Reily makes you stupid.
Posted by: mrcreosote at February 9, 2011 11:45 AM
Oh man, I don't watch either O'Reilly or Maddow on a regular basis and I see what you're getting at but there is a massive intelligence gap between the content of those two shows.
All offense intended, if you really believe that Bill O'Reilly isn't a lying opportunist and a hypocrite, then yes, you're an idiot.
Posted by: Paultera at February 9, 2011 11:49 AM
As an international viewer of Community and Parks & Rec, I cannot believe more people watch 2 and a half men, re-run or not.
This is just utterly depressing.
Posted by: KJ at February 9, 2011 11:50 AM
The highest rated show on cable last week was “Jersey Shore.” It received about the same amount of viewers as “Community” and “Parks and Recreation” combined.
---
So, like, six people watched "Jersey Shore" and 600 million people wrote about it?
Posted by: , at February 9, 2011 11:52 AM
i downt ned u tellin me hou dum i are
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That being said, I am glad to say I did not contribute to most of the "top" shows, movies, books, whatever. And I only say "most" because I only watched bits and pieces of the Super Bowl.
Posted by: Kargoyle at February 9, 2011 11:54 AM
Bill O'Reily gets 3.7 million viewers and Maddow gets 980,000....that means people are dumb? Has anyone even ever bothered watching Maddow? It's the same shit, different wrapper. Same with Olbermann.
I gotta laugh when stuff gets written like this.
"Oh boy, you're an idiot for watching Bill O and having him tell you what to think! Me? I watch Maddow....to tell me what to think!"
I realize what website this is on but who you crappin'?
Posted by: Oh man at February 9, 2011 11:33 AM
Oh man, I think you miss the point. When Bill O says Obama is a secret Muslim socialist that is hell bent on redistribution of wealth and wants to bring Sharia Law to America then you might want to step back and reevaluate what t.v show you are watching.
Posted by: Pookie at February 9, 2011 11:56 AM
With Three and a Half Men, for the most part is old people who watch. Charlie Sheen is their wayward grandson who is the black sheep of the family and though he constantly screws up, like throwing the Thanksgiving turkey across the table at Aunt Jeanne because he was in the middle of a coke fit, they just continue to make excuses for him like - He'll grow out of it, boys will be boys, etc. My grandson maybe a f@ck up but I will continue to support him through the watching of his stumblings around on an unstable/explosive pedestal of whores and white powder.
P.S. - I've met his dad, Martin and he is the nicest guy you could ever meet.
Posted by: TVConnoisseur at February 9, 2011 11:58 AM
TVConnoisseur:
Oddly enough in my neighborhood, it's not old people who watch 2.5 Men. Most of the teenagers watch it and I have heard more than one neighbor say that it's the one show the entire family can sit together and enjoy.
And for the record I live in a neighborhood that demographically is college-educated.
I can't explain it. I would prefer to sit outside in the sub-zero weather staring at my dog's poop freeze than watch that show (nothing to do with Sheen's behavior: I just find it to be a vapid unfunny show).
Posted by: PaddyDog at February 9, 2011 12:13 PM
Rachel Maddow blows.
Posted by: James S at February 9, 2011 12:22 PM
The lesson of Glee and American Idol is that we want context with our music. Used to be you could enjoy the tragedy of bands like Guns and Roses self-destructing for context. Modern music has either sadly grown up, or worse, gotten insufferably safe.
Of course the notion that we consume all things through our tv set is also problematic. I wonder how long before me micro-evolve away our senses of smell, taste and touch?
Posted by: OrRoy at February 9, 2011 12:24 PM
"the latest episode of “Two and a Half Men” clocked in with over 15 million viewers."
These are the same people who voted for Bush. Twice.
Posted by: Scully at February 9, 2011 12:26 PM
I am completely unfazed by this. This could partly be because I am a self-centered person who does not care one way or another about the taste of the masses.
Or maybe the fact that it is your job to evaluate pop-culture and refine your tastes while for other people it is something to distract from their lives has caused you to lose perspective.
In the end, the fact remains that I have the things that I like and am satisfied with this and I don't concern myself with what others do with their time. Should something I like be canceled because others don't like it enough, well, I have more than enough Ambien to get me over my grief
Posted by: elgarcon at February 9, 2011 12:30 PM
I was only surprised that the highest rated cable show wasn't a basketball game (since they're showing so much of that on TNT), but the rest ... par for the dumb course.
Large portions of America like stupid. They think it's funny. Or it makes them feel more intelligent ... I dunno.
Posted by: Slash at February 9, 2011 12:34 PM
Seems to me you all are upset that people A) Don't have the same interests as you do, and B) Don't have the same beliefs as you do.
None of which proves by any means that Americans are dumb.
All it proves is that you think people who aren't like you are dumb because they don't think like you do.
We get it. You like Community and Parks and Rec. Big deal.
You don't think it's possible that doctors and teachers and lawyers like escapist entertainment, too? That they can't be smart and watch Jersey Shore at the same time?
Three times as many people watched Bill O over Maddow, yet it isn't possible that the same people who watch Maddow chose to watch Bill O instead?
This is a pathetic post, Rowles.
Posted by: Some Guy at February 9, 2011 12:46 PM
Or maybe Some Guy, Bill O has three times as many stupid people watching his show as does Maddow have that watch her show.
Posted by: Pookie at February 9, 2011 12:58 PM
Pookie, you're such a goddamn idiot. You have so much in common with the Republican ideologues you claim to hate that I believe the cognitive dissonance required to sustain you through the day would kill a more self aware person. Seeing your comments to this post is every bit as disheartening as the ten points in Dustin's column. Maybe even moreso, because unlike anonymous drooling YouTube commenters and Charlie Sheen aficionados that make up those statistics I know that you are capable of rational thought, you just choose willful ignorance and the comfort of self righteous fundamentalism.
Posted by: Yossarian at February 9, 2011 12:59 PM
Thanks you you, I too have watched that stupid 6 second trailer, and Brittany wasn't nekkid or even performing a sex act or nothing!
Pawn Stars is OK- mostly I get pissed at the dumbasses who have apparently not heard of EBAY. Those morons routinely get raped on that show. Why the fuck would you sell a book owned by Sir Issac Newton that you were just told was worth $20,000 for a third of the price? Someone will pay the whole thing, just be fucking patient. I know they work in a pawn shop and seem perfectly likable on TV, but seeing people get raped of their belongings ticks me off to no end. My wife is the one who watches that anyways.
Of the rest:
-I don't watch Two and a Half Men
-I worked during the Super Bowl
-I watch CSI and Big Bang, but not the rest
-I've never seen Jersey Shore
-I'd never watch any of those films
-I've never gone to Hilton's site (What Would Tyler Durden Do is way better!)
-I've never read any of those books
-I don't watch O'Reilly, Maddow, or Glee
So, speak for yourself, I'm not in this moronic majority.
Posted by: EJ at February 9, 2011 1:01 PM
"And I can't wait for the day when we'll start getting previews...of previews. "
we already do. we get whole blog articles about: a production still, movie posters, announcements of coming movie posters, rumours of people who may be cast in films that may go into production, pre-trailer teaser trailers.
marketers of yore never dreamed of such complete immersion in advertising
Posted by: idleprimate at February 9, 2011 1:07 PM
I suspect the reasons most people who go to the Pawn Stars store sell for a lot less than they could are:
1) Most of that stuff is stolen. Count how many people claim they "found it" in their granny's house. The guys in the shop never ask for any proof of ownership or even provenance of the item. On EBay, someone might start asking questions such as "hmm, there's a signed Isaac Newton book for sale, quite a coincidence given that I had one stolen from me just last week".
2) It's Vegas. It's a reasonable assumption that people are trying to offload something quickly to get back to the tables and recoup their losses.
Posted by: PaddyDog at February 9, 2011 1:08 PM
i have no moral high ground to sneer down at the masses from. I watch Smallville, Supernatural, No Ordinary Family and (here goes my competency cred) The Cape. Further, i'm all up in comic strips and old saturday morning cartoons. so, i'm an utter plebe.
Posted by: idleprimate at February 9, 2011 1:20 PM
I weep for the Republic ... well, not really.
I can see BillO getting more viewers than Maddow; he's been on longer, for starters, and has had more time to build up a solid fan base. He started off like your dotty, curmudgeonly Uncle, and now is in the unenviable position of being the Voice of Reason when compared to Glenn Beck.
I think more people TiVo'ed that Snickers ad because they were trying to figure out who Richard Lewis and Roseanne Barr were in the spot. Let's face it, since about 2000 they've not exactly been ubiquitous.
Pawn Stars is one of the reasons The History Channel is dead to me. Another is the fact they gave Larry the Stereotypical Fat Slob a teevee show.
Posted by: The Wanderer at February 9, 2011 1:34 PM
“Pookie, you're such a goddamn idiot. You have so much in common with the Republican ideologues you claim to hate that I believe the cognitive dissonance required to sustain you through the day would kill a more self aware person. Seeing your comments to this post is every bit as disheartening as the ten points in Dustin's column. Maybe even moreso, because unlike anonymous drooling YouTube commenters and Charlie Sheen aficionados that make up those statistics I know that you are capable of rational thought, you just choose willful ignorance and the comfort of self righteous fundamentalism.”
Posted by: Yossarian at February 9, 2011 12:59 PM
Ouch!
“You have so much in common with the Republican ideologues you claim to hate that I believe the cognitive dissonance required to sustain you through the day would kill a more self aware person.”
Ha! That’s some funny shit.
“Seeing your comments to this post is every bit as disheartening as the ten points in Dustin's column. Maybe even moreso, because unlike anonymous drooling YouTube commenters and Charlie Sheen aficionados that make up those statistics I know that you are capable of rational thought, you just choose willful ignorance and the comfort of self righteous fundamentalism.”
Yossarian if you are talking about my three comments about Dustin’ column then I can’t see what your problem is. My first comment was about the Sunday news shows my father and I watched and my second comment was about Bill O and his views on Obama and my third comment was a comical take on Bill and Maddow’s viewers. Yossarian I’m not trying to confuse anyone, and if I did I apologize, but I really don’t see what I’ve did that caused you to call me an idiot.
Posted by: Pookie at February 9, 2011 1:48 PM
THUNDERDOME! two men enter, one man leaves.
Posted by: idleprimate at February 9, 2011 1:56 PM
Everyone just needs to chill the fuck out. It's just a trade news roundup (full of particularly depressing factoids.) Not Dustin's treatise on the condition of the Republic. Damn.
Posted by: aroorda at February 9, 2011 2:05 PM
Every time I see the title Life As We Know It, in my head I hear "It's The End of The World As We Know It", which is pretty apropos for this post. Only I don't feel fine.
Posted by: MM at February 9, 2011 2:07 PM
no chilling, fight to the death. c'mon, it's pop culture, if not this, what is worthy to fight over?
what is to become of us if we cannot (cue the spock and kirk dueling music) come to arms over the savage territory of entertainment?
Posted by: idleprimate at February 9, 2011 2:19 PM
In the future, all restaurants are Taco Bell.
Posted by: The Mutt at February 9, 2011 2:27 PM
My comment was directed more at your body of work in general then anything on this specific post, but the line that sparked my response was "When Bill O says Obama is a secret Muslim socialist that is hell bent on redistribution of wealth and wants to bring Sharia Law to America then you might want to step back and reevaluate what t.v show you are watching."
I just don't get this compulsive need for hyperbole, exaggeration, and outright mischaracterization of things you perceive to be on the other side. It's just dumb. In fact, it's just about as dumb as claiming a president is illegitimate, or of a different religion, or of an extreme political viewpoint when that is not at all the case. I ask because I think you can tell me: why do people flock to stuff like that?
You think you are at opposite ends of the spectrum (righteousness on your side, evil on the other) but the opposite of a Right wing ideologue is not you, it's me and the other people that give serious thought to serious issues. You play the same games they do and frankly, that shit ain't funny.
Posted by: Yossarian at February 9, 2011 2:33 PM
All offense intended, if you really believe that Bill O'Reilly isn't a lying opportunist and a hypocrite, then yes, you're an idiot.
Posted by: Paultera at February 9, 2011 11:49 AM
I can't stand O'Reilly, b/c he is pompous gas-bag, but Maddow is hardly a font of intelligent discussion and/or honesty. She's just a shrill windbag of the left like Olbmerman. Her facts are almost always wrong, and her conclusions and analysis are the stuff of liberal college freshmen bull sessions.
Posted by: Huligan at February 9, 2011 2:42 PM
The way I see it, this country has more than enough states to divide us up into idealogies. As long as Pajibans get something with a beach, I'm fine. Texas should be big enough to house all the gay hatin' gun lovin' Real Muricans. Give the hard left liberals Washington, that state is just depressing enough for them I think. Just split us up enough so that when I ever get enough money to go to a foreign country I don't have to align myself with...well you know...Charlie sheen people.
Posted by: Blank at February 9, 2011 2:49 PM
My .02
I don't think it's indicting if you catch an episode of Jersey Shore. I know people who ONLY consume that type of material though, and I think that's kind of sad, a disservice to themselves.
Posted by: Reform Party Troll at February 9, 2011 2:58 PM
"I just don't get this compulsive need for hyperbole, exaggeration, and outright mischaracterization of things you perceive to be on the other side."
Except...all those things Pookie said were, in fact, used to describe the President on Fox News. Maybe not by BillO specifically (I have heard him say the socialist and redistribution of wealth bits, maybe not the Muslim and Sharia Law part) but it's not "hyperbole, exaggeration, and outright mischaracterization". The President has been called worse from the Right, mostly by Fox pundits, who screech just as annoyingly as Olbermann did.
It's not perception. It's mere repetition.
Posted by: Scully at February 9, 2011 3:04 PM
True, but if these things weren't true, how could you feel smug and self-righteous about looking down at the pedestrian tastes of less smart people?
Posted by: Joe Bob at February 9, 2011 3:15 PM
I'm not calling her the greatest political commentator ever or the most balanced of the talking heads, but if you think Maddow is an idiot, then I am truly privileged to interact with you mighty fonts of intelligence on this internet. Please allow me to bask in your supreme knowledge and insight. Or just dismiss me as a liberal parrot while more studied individuals like you supposedly keep this country fairly and justly running.
Posted by: DarthCorleone at February 9, 2011 3:23 PM
No, it is hyperbole, exaggeration, and outright mischaracterization.
"When Bill O says Obama is a secret Muslim socialist that is hell bent on redistribution of wealth and wants to bring Sharia Law to America..."
Pookie is attempting to discredit Bill O'Reilly by attributing to him a collection of ridiculous and extreme viewpoints without regard to context or factual accuracy. You are trying to justify it because *some* of those points may have been espoused by O'Reilly and others, well, I'm sure they were said on the same network, so that's almost the same thing, right?
I'm not going to defend Bill O'Reilly here, I think "pompous gas-bag" was a pretty good description of him and he typically substitutes verbal bullying for compelling arguments, but one thing he does not do is claim the president of the United states is a secret Muslim or someone who wants to bring Saria Law to America.
I called Pookie out because I think "pompous gas-bag" and a host of similarly unflattering remarks apply to him, too. Mostly I just grow weary of the hypocrisy. If you want to make the world a better place the first thing you need to do shut up for a second and try to figure out why intelligent people who oppose what you are doing feel the way that they do. (hint: If you immediately conclude that no intelligent people oppose what you are doing you have already failed)
Pookie could do something positive here, or he could just shut the fuck up and say nothing. Instead he spouts off with the typical hyperbole, exaggeration, and outright mischaracterization that most people settle for. The irony of his comments in a blog post about how depressingly dumb most Americans are struck me and I lashed out. In a few weeks I'll probably do it again. Maybe someone's listening.
Posted by: Yossarian at February 9, 2011 3:29 PM
I actually just watched the fifteen minute pre-Super Bowl O'Reilly-Obama interview, and he did ask the President Didn't making sure everyone had health care mean he was redistributing wealth (I don't have the exact words, but I'm by no means exaggerating. Obama just gave him a steady look and said, "No.") That being said, I would actually be more interested in what O'Reilly said if he ever let anyone else get a word in edgewise. I think he asks legitimate questions, but they're only legitimate if you're actually interested in getting answers. Otherwise, it's just rhetorical pandering, which I will not get behind.
I watch neither O'Reilly nor Maddow. I'm convinced Nielson only gives ratings boxes to people who viewing habits they can more or less predict to start with.
Now, I love me some Jersey Shore, which as my husband says, is nearly Shakespearean in its pathos, but if you don't have the capacity to stretch your viewing beyond Jersey Shore, well, that might indicate some cause for concern. Although I will admit to watching American Idol this season--I accidentally caught one of the episodes and was just riveted by J.Lo's clothing choices. She promises some choice entertainment I am loathe to miss.
But other than that, I have neither seen nor read anything mentioned up there, and I think that makes me a happier person, in general.
Posted by: leuce7 at February 9, 2011 3:41 PM
Correcetion that 6-second Brintey Spears trailer has now been seen by half-a-million-and-one people.
Posted by: Darth Darko at February 9, 2011 4:00 PM
What gets me the most about pawn stars is not that people will sell their wares for a third of the value.
To your average joe that makes sense. It isn't easy to track down an appropriate seller or auctioneer to sell something.
Even at auction your item could go for a third of its estimated value.
Anyway, the guys who expect to get the actual value for their item at a pawn shop are just as dumb as those who sell it on the cheap.
What gets me are the people who come in with personal items that belonged to their parents and family members and want to do away with their family history because it takes up space, all for a pittance.
People have no respect for history and their past anymore.
Posted by: Some Guy at February 9, 2011 4:02 PM
I think what really illustrates America's lack of intelligence is that so many people actually know what all these shows and movies are. I've only heard of 2 things from this entire list. Guess I'm too busy reading up on things that actually impact my life and the lives of my fellow Americans to spend my time investigating television shows.
Posted by: Anna at February 9, 2011 4:36 PM
Yossarian what does South Carolina, Wyoming, and Oklahoma have in common? All three of those states legislators are planning on introducing bills that would ban Sharia Law, with Oklahoma already passing it into law.
Yossarian what percentage of Americans do you believe that Obama is secret Muslim?
Well according to a Pew Research Center Poll, 20 percent of Americans believe Obama is a secret Muslim.
And about the redistribution of wealth thing, did not watch Bill O’s super bowl interview with Obama?
And how many times on Fox News have you’ve heard someone anyone refer to Obama as a socialist?
“No, it is hyperbole, exaggeration, and outright mischaracterization.”
Really Yossarian, you think I just pulled that shit out of my ass?
“You think you are at opposite ends of the spectrum (righteousness on your side, evil on the other) but the opposite of a Right wing ideologue is not you, it's me and the other people that give serious thought to serious issues. You play the same games they do and frankly, that shit ain't funny.”
Look out everybody, Yossarian is doing some serious thinking on serious issues along with other serious people that think about serious things.
Posted by: Pookie at February 9, 2011 4:36 PM
So here's my two cents on the whole Pookie Yossarian Debate.
First off I'm not a Republican or Democrat. I try not to ascribe myself to -isms. That being said Looking at the whole Left vs Right Situation in this country it does seem a little hopeless.
I completely understand what you're trying to say Yossarian. If the left does the same things the right does than they aren't any better than the people they're railing against. But on another level you have to think about this rationally. If the left wants to take a morale high ground that is absolutely awesome. It's also going to get them crushed. It's not like treating Bill O Reilly like a human is going to stop the right from slandering Obama as all the ridiculous crap they say he is. It seems to me that the mud slinging from the left is just self defense at this point. Unfortunately trash talking wins a lot more votes, than you know, being a good leader.
I say let the two sides devour eachother. Let liberals and conservatives really show the ugly faces behind their masks and mud wrestle in the streets until anyone with any sensibility refuses to be a part of either side. The fact of the matter is, until this country gets some sort of legitimate third party, shit slinging is all you're going to see. Because we're Americans dammit, we don't want a better country..We want to be right. More importantly, we want the other guy to be wrong.
Posted by: Blank at February 9, 2011 5:02 PM
Whether hyperbole and exaggeration can be excused depends on whether you're trying to be serious or not. I can see some websites that permit dialog would be primarily for serious discourse; others primarily for amusement, in which exaggeration and hyperbole are means to that end. Pajiba might fall in the middle.
If Bill O'Reilly was appearing on Stephen Colbert's show I think I wouldn't mind if at that time he called Obama "a secret Muslim socialist that is hell bent on redistribution of wealth and wants to bring Sharia Law to America".
Posted by: Pat C. at February 9, 2011 5:03 PM
Pooks, I really don't know what you are talking about. You throw around all these anecdotal facts in an effort to vindicate yourself but none of it relates anything I said (or anything you said, really). What points are you making? What does it have to do with slandering Papa Bill just because you don't agree with him?
Are some state politicians playing on the xenophobia and intolerance of small-minded citizens to propose unnecessary legislation to protect us from Saria law? I believe you, but what's your point?
Do a disturbingly large amount of American's reveal how ignorant, ill-informed, or intolerant they are in responding to a political poll? I won't quibble with your lack of sourcing or the possible biases inherent in such a poll because I can readily agree with your point that a lot of people out there are stupid and want so badly to vindicate the political ideology that they identify with that they can actually become convinced of things that have absolutely no basis in reality. Since it's not a belief held by or encouraged by O'Reilly I don't get what it has to do with what we are talking about (but if you want I can be even less subtle in the ways in which I relate it back to your comment).
I never disputed that O'Reilly accuses the President of wanting to redistribute wealth. Essentially that is what happens when you have a progressive income tax, or any tax really, not to mention social security, medicare, unemployment and welfare benefits, etc. It's nothing new and it's a stupid point to belabor. Same thing goes for "socialism". It's another bogeyman word, one that O'Reilly uses freely, and I don't for a second dispute it.
The rest of it you pull from your ass and then obfuscate when called out on it. Maybe you weren't being serious and I am taking you too seriously. That's fine, I tend to do that. You may continue to be non-serious, and I will try to ignore your ridiculous comments.
Posted by: Yossarian at February 9, 2011 5:26 PM
No, Yossarian, you missed the point.
I am an Australian interested in foreign politics. Pookie's comment was reasonable in the context of your fucked up media in the US, and for his specific medium, a movie website comments section, no, further context was not fucking required.
Pookie wasn't even that aggressive, and merely recommended the guy reconsider the tv he was watching. The guy who, in point of fact, is the most consistent straw man cocknose on the site.
The simple fact is everyday Americans have no access to journalism. Unless you count al jazeera online. How are any of you supposed to hear through the noise?
Your comment was out of line.
Posted by: Peter G at February 9, 2011 5:39 PM
I wonder if there's some explanation for O'Reilly's audience being almost 4x Maddow's. I mean, besides "People are idiots."
I'm inclined to think people are idiots without knowing their political preferences or viewing habits, but I'm a surly curmudgeon & misanthrope, happy to watch the food-fight and expecting nothing better. Surely you shiny, happy people have some other explanation? HAARP thought-control rays? Fluoride in the water? Illuminati?
Meanwhile, in case I had any doubts, the way y'all leaped at that tidit of chum would have made Pavlov weep with joy while Skinner danced a jig.
Ya got played.
Milgram / Zimbardo '12
Get programmed by pros!
Posted by: BierceAmbrose at February 9, 2011 6:09 PM
Yossarian, I’m sorry but you are making no sense what so ever. We seem to be having two different conversations. My comments were about the state of t.v. and your comments are about me being willfully ignorant and my so called self righteous fundamentalism in which you bring in some comments that I might have made in the past only after stating that I’m capable of making rational comments. My confusion comes from why do you choose Bill O to take a stand against comments I might or might not have said in the past. Specifically what statement do you think I pulled out of my ass? No generalities please, specifically what statement. If need be I can source any statement I’ve made.
Posted by: Pookie at February 9, 2011 6:19 PM
I'm starting to feel like any political post on this site is Chekhov's gun. Rowles is act 1. Commenters are act 2. You can't bring it out and not use it.
Posted by: Blank at February 9, 2011 6:26 PM
Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos.
Posted by: BarbadoSlim at February 9, 2011 6:28 PM
@aroosa nice work with "Everyone just needs to chill the fuck out", I don't feel qualified to tell people around here what to do, but this is what I wonder:
Don't people ever get tired of raging against the machine? Further, what is with the people who come to this website day in and out and ALWAYS disagree with the writers/other commenters? Not the occasional "Dustin you are off your rocker for wanting to listen to Garrison Kellor over watching the super bowl" comment, but the continual unrelenting repetitive disagreement...
I don't get it. Why bother?
Posted by: JuiceinLA at February 9, 2011 6:34 PM
Pete,
What do you think this is? Egypt? China? How can you possibly claim that Americans have no access to journalism? Anyone with an internet connection has the entire world at their fingertips, including any major news source from around the world (or down under). We can read op-eds in the Financial Times or listen to Amy Goodman host Democracy Now! It's not like the state is pumping Fox News into everyone's telescreen over here.
Maybe what makes you uncomfortable is that we do have a fee press that exists in a free market in which people exercise their free will and, many of those people being idiots, they freely choose to subject themselves to things you don't agree with, like 4 hours or more of Fox News every day. It makes them feel all warm and fuzzy. People love to be presented with a narrative that flatters them to be righteous and under attack for their views by corrupt and powerful villains (but there I go with the doublespeak again, who was I talking about?)
Look, your idea that good information isn't accessible is just ridiculous. As for Pookie, yeah, my response has grown disproportionate to his relatively meaningless comment but this is hardly the first time we have gone back-and-forth on this topic. The vilification of Fox News is just ridiculous, not to mention counterproductive because every criticism lobbed from the left only strengthens and reinforces their position.
And no, it was not a reasonable comment. It was bullshit. Tired, typical bullshit. You need to realize that just because you sympathize with Pookie's politics doesn't mean you need to support every damn fool thing he says.
Posted by: Yossarian at February 9, 2011 6:45 PM
Yeah, Hoarders/Buried Alive/whatever those shows are called DOES make me feel better about myself and my rather relaxed housekeeping.
And that Snickers commercial is so popular because everyone loves seeing an outspoken unashamed fat woman getting whacked with a battering ram.
Cockfighting herein is way more boring, by me, than anything on cable.
Posted by: Anon at February 9, 2011 6:57 PM
Yossarian you could have said "Pookie I disagree with you about your comments about Bill O" and then tell me why you disagree, but no, you instead called me an idiot. You chose name calling as opposed to having a civil discussion.
Posted by: Pookie at February 9, 2011 7:01 PM
Did you guys see that thread for the awesome new Russell Brand comedy? It's sooooo funny that I literally shit a marshmallow peep and then generic love interest #3 totally ate it.
/breaking the tension.
Posted by: Paultera at February 9, 2011 7:01 PM
Yay, i managed to get back home from the snowstorm and the thunderdome is in full swing. Gut each other!
What i find most amusing in the whole dialogue is that somehow, socialism and redistribution of wealth is some nasty radical topic. far be it from the people to wish that the profit from their labours benefit them in some way. no, a true patriot wants all wealth to accumulate into the hands of a few wealthy elite and be streamed, tax free out of the country. anyone who doesn't think this way should learn their commie peon place.
fucking americans are hilarious. gross, but hilarious.
Posted by: idleprimate at February 9, 2011 7:14 PM
Like what Jon Stewart said last week, at least Bill O'Rielly goes on shows and has people on his show that disagree with his beliefs and have debates with the guests. Unlike some people *cough cough* Glen Beck *cough cough*.
Posted by: Ellie at February 9, 2011 7:58 PM
Is this really all that surprising? The United States isn't really composed of people who read books by candle-light or chortle at esoteric jokes. We're a nation of people, and people are average. We're actually getting smarter as a nation, and if the inexorable path of history has any say, there's hope yet for a well educated, well rounded country.
Posted by: John Blaine at February 9, 2011 9:37 PM
Fox News is horrendous. People are stupid (read: misinformed, ignorant) because they watch it, in a learn-the-wrong-facts kind of way (citation required, but it's true).
Posted by: Brenton at February 9, 2011 10:20 PM
When the time comes (and you know it probably will with their track record) that NBC renews Outsourced and cancels Community and Parks and Rec, I am going to calmly put on a suit, purchase a semi automatic weapon and drive to the NBC lot to do a little housecleaning. I will walk around with a staff directory and a bucket of bullets. And I will rain sweet justice down on those who make the decisions but aren't fit to operate a Cable Access channel. Friday Night Lights? No thanks, we have episodes of The Cape to show.
And I will be taking out Leno....oh yes, that one is for you Conan, my liege. He's the face of that networks bad decision making over the last couple years and he's Jaypissin' all over Carson's grave.
Then I will go home and watch West Wing and remember when NBC had a good show on.
Posted by: Rubble44 at February 9, 2011 10:54 PM
"(The "Philly" part is superfluous. I don't know what you're eating if you're not in Philadelphia, but I assure you that it's not a cheesesteak)."
Cheese Whiz on beef tastes the same no matter what state you are in. When I was in Philadelphia, I naively believed that since I was there, Cheese Whiz on beef would taste better. It doesn't. It's still Cheese Whiz on beef. No matter what you call it, no matter what kind of magic bread it's on, no matter what the Eagles' record is this year - it's still Cheese Whiz on beef, and nothing you can do or say will make it taste better than Cheese Whiz on beef.
Posted by: Three-nineteen at February 9, 2011 11:00 PM
This comment section took a turn for the intense.
Its an odd sort of reverse chest thumping American exceptionalism to assume that Americans are especially dumb or easily lured into mind numbing pop culture. In reality, its people who are like that, not just Americans. Regardless of the perception, its not like you travel to Europe and find some mass enlightened population discussing the most sophisticated of culture. Its the same thing everywhere. Average people getting by, watching a little TV, listening to a little music, seeing some Movies, some great, most not. Don't kid yourself into thinking the its an American condition. Its a human condition.
Posted by: elgarcon at February 9, 2011 11:26 PM
Speaking as someone living not in the US; choosing to put politics aside and focusing on the quality (or lack thereof) issues alone; and talking only about the mentioned stuff I know...
I must say I'm sad about the state of culture -- pop culture even (and mostly) -- of our times.
Let me just add this: I live in a country where said state is probably worse, considering people here consume those exactly same things and, even mostly, their local derivatives and fully-blown disarranged copies, which are, of course, twice or three times less decent than the originals you already know.
Posted by: godzilla_foil at February 10, 2011 12:09 AM
Rachel Maddow blows.
Posted by: James S at February 9, 2011 12:22 PM
James S. Blows!
Posted by: John G. at February 10, 2011 12:51 AM
To be fair you guys, I'm pretty dumb and I like Parks and Recreation as well as Community. Even Breaking Bad!
Posted by: wonderbreadhead at February 10, 2011 1:14 AM
Reading this list makes me glad I am now living in Japan. I mean it's not like the Japanese aren't stupid in their own ways, but as a foreigner I am for the most part exempt from the effects of said stupidity.
Posted by: Muteki at February 10, 2011 5:46 AM
I think when Olbermann gets his new show up and running, he's going to make O'Reilly look sane and rational in contrast. And I'm Mr. Lefty Libtard Obambi Voter over here.
I hate O'Reilly and Beck and the whole FNC cabal, but I just have this feeling Olbermann is going to completely come unhinged now that he's free from any sort of supervision.
Posted by: Mario Speedwagon at February 10, 2011 9:47 AM
Well if he gave a steady look and a firm "no," he must be telling the truth.
Posted by: Mac at February 10, 2011 11:00 AM
I watch neither O'Reilly nor Maddow
---
From the numbers we see at the top, neither do approx. 305 million Americans. And even though the "Two and a Half Men" audience dwarfs those two, 15 million people is still less than 5 percent of Americans.
So what seems most stupid to me is taking the viewing habits of less than 5 percent of the populace and generalizing to "How depressingly dumb Americans are." By my math, there are more than 290 million Americans who don't watch "Two and a Half Men." You could just as easily look at that and proclaim that Americans are the smartest people in the world. (The French probably think Charlie Sheen is the funniest thing since Jerry Lewis -- ooops, did I just malign an entire nation of people by generalizing the interests of a few?)
To repeat: Apparently something like six people actually watch "Jersey Shore" and something like 600 million people natter and whine in magazines and newspapers and blogs about how dumb those six people make us all.
Posted by: , at February 10, 2011 11:06 AM
More people should be watching Rachel Maddow just for the pure accuracy in reporting alone. Sadly, conspiracy theories,and ideas composed to scare you into watching is more enticing to much of America's limit supply of self-aware critical thinking.
Typical American response to my comment:"Shit, WTF? Your gay, socialist commie basterd!"
Posted by: Dudee at February 10, 2011 12:15 PM
What the hell is wrong with the Dragon Tattoo books?
Posted by: HHY at February 10, 2011 1:50 PM
"You don't think it's possible that doctors and teachers and lawyers like escapist entertainment, too? That they can't be smart and watch Jersey Shore at the same time?"
Oh, make no mistake: I'm an attorney and am astounded by the s*** my colleagues read and watch. My parents, high school graduates, read books well beyond the level of many of my coworkers. That said, I have kids and am ridiculously busy, so I'm fussy about how I spend my free time.
Amazing how Charlie Sheen gets a free pass and the Dixie Chicks got crucified.
Posted by: samantha t at February 10, 2011 2:07 PM
I could make a much better case that Americans are morons because 110 million watched the Super Bowl than 3 million watch O'Reilly. If you added together the populations of the cities of Pittsburgh and Green Bay and multiplied by 10, you'd still come in under 5 million people who have a real, genuine vested interest in the outcome of the game. The rest watched the game (I'm convinced) because they're told they're supposed to be interested, yet they have to eat themselves into a stupor and drink themselves into a coma* so they can watch four hours of football just to see the commercials.
Or because they had money on it, which is moronic in its own way.
*--Not that I have anything against this on general principles.
Posted by: , at February 10, 2011 2:32 PM
You guys can also add some perspective to this, if you're getting depressed after seeing those numbers/facts.
In Brazil, whenever the Brazilian soccer team is playing officially -- be it on a Tuesday at 3p.m., in April -- you don't get gas station service, pizzas are simpy not delivered, stores close altogether, you'll rot at a bus stop... You get it, right?
Posted by: godzilla_foil at February 10, 2011 3:08 PM
Eyuuuccch.
Rachel Maddow's rantings have exactly as much basis in fact, reason or history as Bill O'Reilly's (which is to say, virtually none). But at least O'Reilly has a personality; even dressing like a Generic Straight Woman for the camera can't overcome that.
Posted by: gbeenie at February 10, 2011 5:29 PM
Oh, and what Dustin gets wrong, Cracked gets right:
http://www.cracked.com/article_18983_5-complaints-about-modern-life-that-are-statistically-b.s..html
Posted by: gbeenie at February 10, 2011 5:30 PM
I remember reading (decades ago) some British commentator complaining about the dumb Americans whose dumb American show was the highest rated show in England. I remember thinking, "If that's our number 10 ranked show and it's your #1 ranked show, maybe it's you guys who are dumb."
Might have been Starsky & Hutch he was complaining about.
Posted by: Pat C. at February 10, 2011 6:51 PM
Um...hello? "The Jersey Shore" anyone? If that doesn't show how idiotic Americans are I don't know what does. Not just the fact that we've produced those over-tanned groups of three brain cells each, the very fact that we WATCH it...
And I wouldn't ever watch Rachel Maddow because she slammed my college when we invited Sarah Palin to speak.
I think the sheer number of people who have no idea what the distinction between "you're" and "your" is constitutes a far more telling sign of American stupidity.
Posted by: Kate at February 12, 2011 1:44 AM
I can tell you precisely why that Snicker's commercial was the #1 replayed spot. It was the opportunity to watch Rosanne Barr get flattened over and over again. Simple, really.
Posted by: SG at February 15, 2011 12:50 AM
Jesus wept.