In this book I'm reading (that's a whole 'nother post) that I don't really LOVE, but I want to finish because I'm stubborn like that; there was a statement made (and I'm not quoting because I don't really love the book and want to talk about it and I don't have it here) that says something like ...."The more evolved we get, the more barbaric our entertainment becomes".

That kind of stuck with me. Not in the gladiator in an arena sense, but in the sometimes we enjoy watching others hurt and suffer sense. Well, maybe "we" isn't the right term because I don't enjoy watching that.

People seem to really love television shows where contestants are belittled and insulted. They think it's funny. I think it's hurtful. I wind up feeling sorry for the person. I don't watch any of those shows. The fact that they are called "reality shows" is amusing. They do have lower production costs. They go get a lot of people watching. But they are as far from any reality I've ever experienced as the moon is from my apartment. How is putting people into a forced situation to do things that are difficult "reality"?

Shows like Intervention or 1940's House are more appropriately called reality television. They are real things happening or re-enactments of real things that did happen to real people. Those are the kind of programs I want to watch. Whether or not things end well, I feel I've taken a journey, learned something and gotten in touch with my compassion for those who have a harder road than I.

I shudder to see what will come on television next. Public executions? Autopsies? Abuse "caught on tape?"

I'm grateful for the DVD player, I'll say that much. I can regulate what I see and how much of it I see.