Skene Pas Ho Bios
Last night wyspurr informed me that Mercury is in Retrograde, which might explain the backpeddling I've been doing down memory lane...
Post Prologue....
Long ago (1984-87), and far away (Douglasville, Ga.), I was sent to a "School for Bad Kids"...
In previous posts I've made rather vague allusions to this facility, but have never really expounded upon the specifics...
This post is no different in that regard.
However, in one of our online alumni groups, there's a heated discussion brewing in reaction to a show called Brat Camp which is airing on ABC (Disney). I'm not too sure how I feel about a bunch of maladjusted Hollywood producers making a show which highlights the personal issues and treatment plans of a bunch of maladjusted teens....
Behind the cut is my rant regarding said show:
OMG this is frustrating...
I've never liked "REALITY" shows, but this goes beyond the series of I married a millionaire tripe that came out a few years ago. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that, in the ever growing race for ratings, trying to sate viewers hunger for voyeurism, the producers are willing to take advantage of almost any situation...
and, oh look, it's Disney/ABC!
Now that's family entertainment, literally...
"Meet the teens trying to make their way out of the wilderness, and find out how they got there" -from the show blurbs.
Trans: Watch as adolescents are confronted with personal issues in front of TV-America...
Adapting to public high school after 'Wakee was bothersome enough for me (hell, fitting in BEFORE I was admitted was an issue; in fact it was on my treatment plan!) but has anybody considered the culture shock these people are going to feel when they're released?
Granted, what with the internet, they'll have some fan clubs that we didn't have... but what about thier future? Will they be remembered as child stars, or have we created a new category of forgotten icons?
And while I must admit some curiosity -and sympathy- for the kids, the treatment, and even the show, I can't say that I approve of the common American watching this, and hyping it up over the water cooler
on Thursday morings... This is NOT Reality... After directing, editing, post-production, etc what we get to see is a skewed view of something that should be very important to those involved. Keep in mind if you watch again, that there's at least one camera-operator, and possibly a handful of production staff present at all times... these people KNOW they are being watched and will respond differently than they would otherwise...(they'll be more guarded than we ever were!)
Talk about building on the mistakes of the past!
I'll be honest, I've considered writing a screen play about my experiences at 'Wakee, but that would be a one-time story focused on a close knit group perspective of an unusual situation. A Story. In writing such a story, I'd recognize that all of us experienced something which can't be expressed in a one-hour time slot, spliced between commercials for SUVs and themed resorts "adventures."
Anybody wanna place bets on how long it will be before we see the real Running Man on TV?
SKENE PAS HO BIOS
(Life is a Stage)
Post Prologue....
Long ago (1984-87), and far away (Douglasville, Ga.), I was sent to a "School for Bad Kids"...
In previous posts I've made rather vague allusions to this facility, but have never really expounded upon the specifics...
This post is no different in that regard.
However, in one of our online alumni groups, there's a heated discussion brewing in reaction to a show called Brat Camp which is airing on ABC (Disney). I'm not too sure how I feel about a bunch of maladjusted Hollywood producers making a show which highlights the personal issues and treatment plans of a bunch of maladjusted teens....
Behind the cut is my rant regarding said show:
OMG this is frustrating...
I've never liked "REALITY" shows, but this goes beyond the series of I married a millionaire tripe that came out a few years ago. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that, in the ever growing race for ratings, trying to sate viewers hunger for voyeurism, the producers are willing to take advantage of almost any situation...
and, oh look, it's Disney/ABC!
Now that's family entertainment, literally...
"Meet the teens trying to make their way out of the wilderness, and find out how they got there" -from the show blurbs.
Trans: Watch as adolescents are confronted with personal issues in front of TV-America...
Adapting to public high school after 'Wakee was bothersome enough for me (hell, fitting in BEFORE I was admitted was an issue; in fact it was on my treatment plan!) but has anybody considered the culture shock these people are going to feel when they're released?
Granted, what with the internet, they'll have some fan clubs that we didn't have... but what about thier future? Will they be remembered as child stars, or have we created a new category of forgotten icons?
And while I must admit some curiosity -and sympathy- for the kids, the treatment, and even the show, I can't say that I approve of the common American watching this, and hyping it up over the water cooler
on Thursday morings... This is NOT Reality... After directing, editing, post-production, etc what we get to see is a skewed view of something that should be very important to those involved. Keep in mind if you watch again, that there's at least one camera-operator, and possibly a handful of production staff present at all times... these people KNOW they are being watched and will respond differently than they would otherwise...(they'll be more guarded than we ever were!)
Talk about building on the mistakes of the past!
I'll be honest, I've considered writing a screen play about my experiences at 'Wakee, but that would be a one-time story focused on a close knit group perspective of an unusual situation. A Story. In writing such a story, I'd recognize that all of us experienced something which can't be expressed in a one-hour time slot, spliced between commercials for SUVs and themed resorts "adventures."
Anybody wanna place bets on how long it will be before we see the real Running Man on TV?
SKENE PAS HO BIOS
(Life is a Stage)