Mary, you can glean insight everywhere you look! Thanks for letting us see with your eyes. So true: We’re all hooked on arguing about the show while the truth tellers and peacemakers are unpersoned and the producers run the world. But we can always choose to jump over the fence. Meet you there!
Thank you for the laughs I didn’t know I wanted but obviously needed. Only you would find insight in the most artificial of all artifice. Thank you for taking one for the team.
I cannot express how much I loved this post. Finding Meaning & Metaphor in The Bachelor. You're such a delightful writer, Mary, that I'd follow you anywhere but this destination of analyzing pulp drama was right up my alley!
I will watch anything to bond with my daughters. I learned all the political nuances of K*pop and how to distinguish the boys in the band who changed hair color, cut and style every season and all met the exacting standards of Korean beauty (see, that one has a fox face tilt to his eyes, and this one has a rabbit mouth...)
The Indian matchmaker show (which I didn't see) was watched early in my youngest daughter's romance. I attribute the survival of their relationship to the shared outrage over one character 'cheating' on the love match.
I've seen far too much of the 'Love is Blind' one where they can't see the other until they propose.
But my last birthday, 66th, we watched The Golden Batchelor, in which their friends thought I should be a contestant. Although I didn't say it, I've found few things more deeply depressing. Give me a corrupt economic system any day over 20 stunning women debasing themselves for a decent-looking widower who says nice things, because they don't want to 'give up on love.' WTF? Has it really come to this?
Although, as my daughter's client said recently, "At my age, friends with benefits means you know a man who can still drive at night." So maybe it has!
God forbid that people give up the fight for what they know to be real, but yes, you show so clearly the successful job that's done of turning people into mere 'good consumers' by the junk that's pushed and compulsively swallowed. I kept reading only because it's you and you'd be making a point that was worth it. You'd make a silk purse out of any pig's ear! I'm left wondering if your daughter reads your substack?!
I stopped watching tv back under O when they switched to digital. The roof of my antique was scary looking & it wasn't worth a $300 antenna, not to mention an installer crashing through the ripley roof into my living room.
Reality tv struck me as phenomenally stoopid from the get go, so I already was reduced to watching only for local weather forecast & a few select programs on PBS. About the only thing I enjoyed was the dramatic runup to blizzards & 'canes, & then they ruined that when they started naming every sprinkle & dusting.
Maybe if I'd had someone to watch & mock with, but just me, some birds & doggos.
This is not intended as holier than thou. I just found other things to piss away my time on... 😁
Mary, I love you so much for not only admitting to watching this show, but then extracting tons of insight from it. I've never watched an episode and frankly, I'm shocked at the number of spin-offs. WTH?! If it makes you feel any better, I'm addicted to "The Adventures of Merlin" now deemed just "Merlin" on Amazon Prime. There's nothing sexual beyond a rare kiss and even the violence (beheadings, war, etc.) are PG-rated. As if beheadings and war should be PG-rated. I can't blame my daughter here, I'm just a sucker for any Arthurian tale. Good vs evil at its finest.
Love this! I have not watched said show, but any reality show is probably like that. We 'see' what 'they' want us to see, and come to conclusions that are manipulated. The similarity between these 'shows' and the farcical process of a captured Republick is an eye-opener. The great and powerful Oz can take that curtain and shove it where there is no surveillance, as far as I am concerned. Good one today Mary!♥
Feb 20·edited Feb 20Liked by Mary Poindexter McLaughlin
Yup, so many "Amur-i-cons" have fallen' under the "stand with X" or "stand with Y" paradigm, yer with us 'er against us, this one BAD this 'un GOOD--an' so many more limited cherces vs sayin' screw it, it's all one lightbulb so we ain't gonna put it in yer pre-made socket an' light up like ya want. This "show" (never sawr the thing... but goin' from yer clear dee-script-shun) seems ta just reinforce the "script" they want us all ta foller which is WHY some've us cheer fer the underdawg -- but that (I'm near-sure) is planned too... there is no real "live teevee" -- most outliers are scripted-in then we go back ta the same time / same channel, tune in tomorrah. What yer pointin' out is the SCRIPT the PRODUCERS foller'--they do not wanna have the "audience" aware of the artifice, the planned limitations...
So while I full-out agree with this: "We all have that choice."
With this part-- " It is written." I'll humbly quibble cuz....
It's UNwritten! YOU an' I an' all've us thinkerz kin make a slate blank of our own accord--we do not have ta go with whut's written, we "write in" our ballots, our nuanced "neither side" takes, our objections, our thoughts... as you do here!
When I wuz a little snapper an' we went out ta eat--be it the "Big Boy" in the Midwest 'er Ratners... I wuz always the (polite) thorn in the waiter's side long 'fore basic eateries took "requests" 'er "substy-2-shuns"--I'd want fried clams (only Ho Jo's had 'em--NOT Big Boy) 'stead of the burger, pancakes fer dinner (but not at the pancake house), MORE ROLLS at Ratners (New Yawkers 'll know this wuz a SIN! --I LOVED those grumpy waiters...) But ya see.... goin' in an askin' fer the UNwritten (not on the menu), writin' in yer own candy-date... all've it is whut AmeriCANS should be doin'--- wha'heppened?
Wow! I'm speechless. You are amazing, Mary, always full of surprises with your subject matter. I also enjoyed all the humorous exchanges from such a gathering of clever, quick witted commenters. It was very entertaining, thank you all. I can hardly wait to see what next week's offering will be!!
Thanks for keepin it real, Mary. I knew there would be insights, and I wasn't disappointed.
Can honestly say never watched the show, and thanks to you, don't need to.
My TV addictions lean in the direction of cozy mysteries, (Father Brown) and then any mystery, and (as my son tells me) a narrow wheelhouse of shows for kids. Yup.
Even when escaping, we still find hard realities though, don't we? Bonding with your daughter over anything is worth any cringe-factor.💕
Mary, you can glean insight everywhere you look! Thanks for letting us see with your eyes. So true: We’re all hooked on arguing about the show while the truth tellers and peacemakers are unpersoned and the producers run the world. But we can always choose to jump over the fence. Meet you there!
Thank you for the laughs I didn’t know I wanted but obviously needed. Only you would find insight in the most artificial of all artifice. Thank you for taking one for the team.
What is Choice Forward?
I cannot express how much I loved this post. Finding Meaning & Metaphor in The Bachelor. You're such a delightful writer, Mary, that I'd follow you anywhere but this destination of analyzing pulp drama was right up my alley!
I will watch anything to bond with my daughters. I learned all the political nuances of K*pop and how to distinguish the boys in the band who changed hair color, cut and style every season and all met the exacting standards of Korean beauty (see, that one has a fox face tilt to his eyes, and this one has a rabbit mouth...)
The Indian matchmaker show (which I didn't see) was watched early in my youngest daughter's romance. I attribute the survival of their relationship to the shared outrage over one character 'cheating' on the love match.
I've seen far too much of the 'Love is Blind' one where they can't see the other until they propose.
But my last birthday, 66th, we watched The Golden Batchelor, in which their friends thought I should be a contestant. Although I didn't say it, I've found few things more deeply depressing. Give me a corrupt economic system any day over 20 stunning women debasing themselves for a decent-looking widower who says nice things, because they don't want to 'give up on love.' WTF? Has it really come to this?
Although, as my daughter's client said recently, "At my age, friends with benefits means you know a man who can still drive at night." So maybe it has!
Thank you for this.
God forbid that people give up the fight for what they know to be real, but yes, you show so clearly the successful job that's done of turning people into mere 'good consumers' by the junk that's pushed and compulsively swallowed. I kept reading only because it's you and you'd be making a point that was worth it. You'd make a silk purse out of any pig's ear! I'm left wondering if your daughter reads your substack?!
I stopped watching tv back under O when they switched to digital. The roof of my antique was scary looking & it wasn't worth a $300 antenna, not to mention an installer crashing through the ripley roof into my living room.
Reality tv struck me as phenomenally stoopid from the get go, so I already was reduced to watching only for local weather forecast & a few select programs on PBS. About the only thing I enjoyed was the dramatic runup to blizzards & 'canes, & then they ruined that when they started naming every sprinkle & dusting.
Maybe if I'd had someone to watch & mock with, but just me, some birds & doggos.
This is not intended as holier than thou. I just found other things to piss away my time on... 😁
This goes to show that value can be found in the most unexpected places. Thanks.
Mary, I love you so much for not only admitting to watching this show, but then extracting tons of insight from it. I've never watched an episode and frankly, I'm shocked at the number of spin-offs. WTH?! If it makes you feel any better, I'm addicted to "The Adventures of Merlin" now deemed just "Merlin" on Amazon Prime. There's nothing sexual beyond a rare kiss and even the violence (beheadings, war, etc.) are PG-rated. As if beheadings and war should be PG-rated. I can't blame my daughter here, I'm just a sucker for any Arthurian tale. Good vs evil at its finest.
Thx for breaking it down, pics and all. XO
Love this! I have not watched said show, but any reality show is probably like that. We 'see' what 'they' want us to see, and come to conclusions that are manipulated. The similarity between these 'shows' and the farcical process of a captured Republick is an eye-opener. The great and powerful Oz can take that curtain and shove it where there is no surveillance, as far as I am concerned. Good one today Mary!♥
Fabulous parallels with our larger "reality show". Great work!
Yup, so many "Amur-i-cons" have fallen' under the "stand with X" or "stand with Y" paradigm, yer with us 'er against us, this one BAD this 'un GOOD--an' so many more limited cherces vs sayin' screw it, it's all one lightbulb so we ain't gonna put it in yer pre-made socket an' light up like ya want. This "show" (never sawr the thing... but goin' from yer clear dee-script-shun) seems ta just reinforce the "script" they want us all ta foller which is WHY some've us cheer fer the underdawg -- but that (I'm near-sure) is planned too... there is no real "live teevee" -- most outliers are scripted-in then we go back ta the same time / same channel, tune in tomorrah. What yer pointin' out is the SCRIPT the PRODUCERS foller'--they do not wanna have the "audience" aware of the artifice, the planned limitations...
So while I full-out agree with this: "We all have that choice."
With this part-- " It is written." I'll humbly quibble cuz....
It's UNwritten! YOU an' I an' all've us thinkerz kin make a slate blank of our own accord--we do not have ta go with whut's written, we "write in" our ballots, our nuanced "neither side" takes, our objections, our thoughts... as you do here!
When I wuz a little snapper an' we went out ta eat--be it the "Big Boy" in the Midwest 'er Ratners... I wuz always the (polite) thorn in the waiter's side long 'fore basic eateries took "requests" 'er "substy-2-shuns"--I'd want fried clams (only Ho Jo's had 'em--NOT Big Boy) 'stead of the burger, pancakes fer dinner (but not at the pancake house), MORE ROLLS at Ratners (New Yawkers 'll know this wuz a SIN! --I LOVED those grumpy waiters...) But ya see.... goin' in an askin' fer the UNwritten (not on the menu), writin' in yer own candy-date... all've it is whut AmeriCANS should be doin'--- wha'heppened?
as alwayz Mary, thanks for the thinks!
Wow! I'm speechless. You are amazing, Mary, always full of surprises with your subject matter. I also enjoyed all the humorous exchanges from such a gathering of clever, quick witted commenters. It was very entertaining, thank you all. I can hardly wait to see what next week's offering will be!!
Wow! I'm thinking 'Bachelor Hunger Games', or maybe 'Bachelor Truman Show'. Maybe 'Bachelor Wizard of Oz'!
Thanks for keepin it real, Mary. I knew there would be insights, and I wasn't disappointed.
Can honestly say never watched the show, and thanks to you, don't need to.
My TV addictions lean in the direction of cozy mysteries, (Father Brown) and then any mystery, and (as my son tells me) a narrow wheelhouse of shows for kids. Yup.
Even when escaping, we still find hard realities though, don't we? Bonding with your daughter over anything is worth any cringe-factor.💕