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Shocking Television
23 Plays4 months ago
The "Pieces" try to figure out why the entertainment industry is producing more sexually graphic, violent and dark content for television. Is this what people actually want? Or, is exaggerated content just table stakes now given what people are consuming on the internet and in social media?
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Transcript
Critique of Modern Media's Shock Value
00:00:00
Speaker
Ugh. Lately I'm starting to feel like an out-of-touch old man. I go to watch a show on Netflix described as a gritty detective drama, and two minutes into the show I'm wincing at a scene where a female cop takes down the bad guy by gouging him in the eyes with her thumbs.
00:00:16
Speaker
It's clearly not the first time she's used her thumbs to kill. And two scenes later, I'm wondering how the same female cop came to participate in a cocaine-induced orgy. As she lays slumped over this grimy hotel bed, preparing to get railed, there's a random flashback to her childhood, and you see her being physically and sexually abused by her father.
00:00:38
Speaker
And then the camera drifts over her badge, and we find out her name is Detective Moreno. End of episode one. It's all so dark and over the top to me.
00:00:50
Speaker
I can't tell if this is what we actually want or if the entertainment industry is just getting bored with itself. I remember the first time I watched Orange the New Black. This maybe 10 years ago.
00:01:01
Speaker
And I was caught off guard by an early episode showing two women going down on each other. They look like hyenas tearing at the flesh of a dead antelope. I hadn't seen something like that on TV before.
00:01:12
Speaker
But today, if I don't see that kind of thing in the first episode of a series, I'm surprised. The sex stuff has gotten weird, but I feel like the violence and the gore is getting even worse.
00:01:24
Speaker
The crazy stuff that was once reserved for horror films is sprinkled into every show now. You start watching this show about inner city gangs and you're thinking, you know, boys in the hood.
00:01:35
Speaker
It's episode 4 and there's this fight scene. One kid lands a devastating uppercut on another kid. The kid who gets hit falls to the ground. Instead of claiming victory, the kid who threw the uppercut starts stomping on the other kid's skull.
00:01:50
Speaker
The stomping continues unnecessarily and you actually see a flattened head of bloody mush on the pavement. You start to hate the head stomper character. And then, in episode 9, we find out the kid who we thought was a victim, you know, the one whose head was stomped, was actually a serial killer who murdered the head stomper's pregnant girlfriend and cut the unborn fetus out of her stomach and ate it.
00:02:16
Speaker
What a twist. Thank you, Netflix. Maybe there's a creative arms race to see who can be the most shocking. I'm curious to see how the next generation of kids turns out.
00:02:28
Speaker
Will anything shock them or surprise them? Will they have healthy brains? Will they be able to hold down a job? I don't know. I, for one, have had enough.
Impact of Shock Value on Attention Economy
00:02:48
Speaker
Chopping up a goat's head, sticking my dick in the head. Sticking my dick in a goat's head, hope like a TV show. jumpin proper goat's head sticking my dick in the head sticking my dick in a go's head hoping like a tv show Television.
00:03:06
Speaker
What's going on with how grotesque, how traumatic, how dark, how overly sexualized it is? Like even a normal person like me, a normal liberal person is like, what's going on?
00:03:18
Speaker
So here's my take. lot of economists and philosophers now think that the, they call it the attention economy. is maybe the most valuable thing we have now. It's like the most valuable commodity. It's like the new currency.
00:03:33
Speaker
And you see the tech products are like centered around in user engagement and user satisfaction. And they develop, they continue to develop addictive dopamine rushing solutions, video games, stock trading platforms, gambling sites.
00:03:48
Speaker
but All that stuff. And so the streaming sites do they need to capture our attention. And so they've got to put crazy stuff, Matt, really crazy stuff. But it's getting so insane.
00:03:59
Speaker
but they need to grab our attention. They need to get us to binge watch. are Our short attentions, I think, too. like not as You don't see as many well-developed stories, I think. Shocking Wang shot up front.
00:04:12
Speaker
Capture them with that. and then One after the other. yeah and you know A great example is is like you know have you see something take off. viral nature of different topics and so now serial killers are like really in they're having a huge moment now and there's like a new show on that every day but it's just a weird imagine if a family member was taken by a serial killer like ted bundy and you had to watch him become like our domer and you're like oh he's kind of being like immortalized yeah he's all sexy and fucking shirt off all the time it's so funny you ever seen the real the real domer oh yeah he's the fucking slob from milwaukee like uh
00:04:50
Speaker
Bowling league, PBR drinking, sweaty, everyday guy. I know. They characterize him as a super good-looking, charismatic guy, and I'm looking at him just like, what? Bundy. I think Bundy was a piece of meat, dude.
00:05:03
Speaker
But not really. Something
Formulaic Nature of Modern TV Shows
00:05:05
Speaker
like Brad Pitt running around. Yeah, it's like the set then it i remember though that's the like the saddest thing I've ever seen was like in the Bundy courtroom, there'd be like young white girls like he's kind of cute.
00:05:20
Speaker
It's like, this is the saddest thing I've ever fucking seen my life. There's a lot of that, to the Luigi guy and the Menendez brothers and how they depicted them in Netflix. It's all kind of sick, cut it off. But what do you think about the attention economy?
00:05:34
Speaker
do you Do you agree with that? I mean, it's what do I agree that that's a that's and like sort of a high, high level item for anyone pushing media or or entertainment or business? I agree. That's that's what's in.
00:05:47
Speaker
I don't agree with. I don't like it, but yeah, just. I mean, it there definitely is a sort of attention span issues and kind of like if i'm not if I'm not entertained, there's two things going on right now. Like if I'm not entertained in two seconds and I'm not shocked and like it's like, no, not going to watch it.
00:06:08
Speaker
And if there's three seconds of like downtime, can't do it. Like say like if you go if you've gone to a Nuggets game in the last couple of years or like a professional sporting event, like anytime there's a timeout,
00:06:19
Speaker
It's like there's got to be fucking I mean, this is not necessarily new, but it feels like they fill every second with entertainment value where you're just like, can I just I can't just sit here and talk to my friend for like during a timeout. Oh, I know. Like shot in the face with with ah T-shirt guns and people are dancing and there's a it's like it's kind of crazy. Like for an eight year old, that's probably funner than the game.
00:06:43
Speaker
But yeah, so they that's, they're, they're creating it and fulfilling it the same time, that kind of need for constant, fulfillment and like you said then what does that lead to like i'm kind of bored because if i just watch a movie i could i could go on any social media site or weird place on the internet and find weird sexual shit weird like people getting in the middle of war like getting shot you know i know or video footage of people in ukraine getting blown up by drones like so just putting normal shit on netflix now i guess people are like i can't do that because
00:07:14
Speaker
It's too boring. flooring But what do you think about like if most value extraction now in the economy comes from securing your attention? ah Procter & Gamble and Unilever aren't exactly like capturing people's attention in the stock market, right? It's all these companies are ah centered around capturing our attention. And I just think that's pretty interesting.
00:07:37
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, it's just a lot of a lot of stuff it is being consumed and like traded on note, like kind of a lack of substance. It's like a headline will move the market or or a quit a shot of something crazy will be like, this...
00:07:51
Speaker
this this Netflix series is riveting. It's like,
Media's Influence on Societal Norms and Behaviors
00:07:55
Speaker
it's the same series, dude. Netflix is the same series, just and put in different settings over and over and over again.
00:08:02
Speaker
Right. saying and So I think actually what you're saying, it's interesting because they're like, it's it's more like risque and edgy, but it's also, everything's more formulaic now. It's just like a formula where they're plugging in and just cranking out series. Yeah.
00:08:16
Speaker
So um' I'm kind of outside. it Like, I don't and know. I end up watching just like a lot of surfing on YouTube and like music guys, like Billy Strings or something, just sitting there watching them.
00:08:29
Speaker
That's the good side of ah it all. Like, if you want to watch a cool concert or something, it's like, that's right there. Guys, somebody you like playing music is playing music at Red Rocks. Like, some somebody's already posted it in three seconds.
00:08:40
Speaker
It's like, You know, right or there's a swell coming into Tejopo. You want to watch watch how the surf is at Pipeline or something? it's like, yeah, there's a live video of it happening right now.
00:08:52
Speaker
In the background, there's a wild gay orgy and people getting murdered and decapitated. but Yeah, there is a lot of that. No, but you see, like, i so I understand why the streaming sites or why YouTube or others have this type of content on it.
00:09:08
Speaker
Do you consider like a ah but a sort of part of the the original sort of sexual and free speech revolution? It's extension of that? This is just where it would go? No, I don't think so.
00:09:20
Speaker
i thinks forced but well It Well, I think, too, they have data, too. This is a great this is another thing. Sometimes the data having data like destroys creativity.
00:09:31
Speaker
It destroys the mystery. Or maybe it in some cases, like having too much data decreases the maximum potential you could reach. I don't know if that makes sense. like So now you're going back to your comment about formulaic programming.
00:09:46
Speaker
Yeah. If they see something successful, like serial killer, they repeat it over and over. If they see the gay orgy is working, they hit it and over and over and over again. And so over time, it dilutes the quality of it, dilutes some of the mystery.
00:10:03
Speaker
It does make, though, when you find something that's actually unique, like almost like an outlier, you're like, wow. how did they how did they let this person even produce this it's like outside of the scope of the formula you're like this is amazing this is just like so unique in ah and a sea of of not unique yeah i mean part of it's like what you might think all right showing male frontal nudity is unique it's not now so so maybe it's just like or showing i think uh you know like
00:10:34
Speaker
lesbian scenes that's unique well now it's like it's not that unique so you're just putting it there so it doesn't move the storyline and then it comes off as like unauthentic you know so what do you think of that male frontal nudity I mean, I think it's pretty funny.
00:10:50
Speaker
Like, it it still seems like no one knows how to do it. So it's not it's like not part of the story. It's just like, okay, why is that there? You know? cause you know Because you don't... You never just saw random shots of whim female frontal nudity for no reason. It's usually tied to, like, a sex scene or something.
00:11:09
Speaker
just You think it's just random? i do I do think the the dick selection is pretty funny. like They're not going with like porn cocks, but you're not getting casted with a micro penis either.
00:11:21
Speaker
It's got to be like a nice moderate semi. like They probably tell the actor, like get a semi going, get a decent decent shot. and Not overwhelming, but not underwhelming. Yeah, there's never a bone. like three eggs yeah Yeah, never a real bone or anything because that might be like turn it into a porno. and Maybe in like five years it's just going to be full, like a lot of erection and like PG-13. It's going to be interesting. But I'm not, I mean, am I comfortable with it? Is that the question?
00:11:52
Speaker
Well, do you like it? No, I mean, yeah, does it bother you? Yeah. okay I just don't want to answer that. like Do I have to answer that? i don't want to answer that. Do I do like it?
00:12:03
Speaker
I don't know if it bothers me. I mean, I guess it's, it's, um, it's not a, it's not a great looking body part, my opinion. It's not like I really want to see it. i I don't know that women would, I think women would even agree with this. Like for the most part, it's better to look at a female body than a male body. Okay.
00:12:21
Speaker
I mean, i don't, I don't know. Like, uh, is Is that, does it, I don't even know. Do you know? Like if there's full like full male frontal nudity, does it change the rating on it?
00:12:34
Speaker
I have no idea. Has that just become like a thing? I don't know how much Netflix cares. I don't know what the rules are for streaming sites. I don't know either. Yeah, I think there's probably some line where it's difference between porn and and a streaming site. I just don't know what it is. But it is funny to see the changing sexual standards and and what they're willing to show.
00:12:55
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I would go, dude, that... Some of it's probably good. Yeah, some, I don't know why it's good. I guess i think people think it's closer to reality or real life to see a guy get up out of the bed and his schlong is out or a girl's boob pops out or whatever. That's all real. But if we were going to be really real, you know, we'd show things that happen more frequently in real life.
Online Content Accessibility Concerns
00:13:20
Speaker
Like there isn't enough. When I see somebody sitting on the pot in the bathroom, that to me is is closer to reality. And I i don't need that, bro. I'm going I appreciate it, but like it's a real scene.
00:13:34
Speaker
And they never show somebody wiping their butt, which is something people do every single day. They never show anybody. don't want to either. You know another thing? They don't show people effing with their nose. Like what you just did. You just what wiped your nose. We do it all the time.
00:13:47
Speaker
And we pick our nose and mess with our nose because like you know you have to blow your nose, all this stuff. They need to show that stuff more. If they want to be real, they want to be provocative, show booger stuff, bro. Is that acting? Yeah.
00:13:58
Speaker
Is it is that like that's so funny you mentioned that. I don't know why I remember this, but have you seen the movie i money Moneyball? Yeah, there there is a scene where they're talking about what players are going to draft and they're sitting around a bunch of like these old old scouts that haven't like adopted the Billy Beans new style of looking at players. And there's a guy I don't know why, but I just remember he's like kind of fucking with his nose while he's talking. said it looks like very real.
00:14:24
Speaker
It looks like how you would sit in a meeting, kind of twi you know twitch and fuck around. andot and it's like i do I don't know why, but I remember that little moment. that probably I don't even know if the actor thought of it, but it was just like there.
00:14:37
Speaker
I want everyone to go back and watch Moneyball. and But people are doing that stuff all the time, and you never see it. why is that Why does that matter to you, Well, just because if you're if's the sex piece is an attempt to be real. You're me dicks.
00:14:51
Speaker
I want to see people fucking with their nose. Well, if it's you really want to be real, like be real. um Well, it's a movie. Nobody wants to watch that. But like the other piece that always drives me insane.
00:15:03
Speaker
and And again, I'm not. I drift off in a fantasy land when I watch movies a lot and I don't constantly think about this stuff Yeah. But sometimes when I see people kiss in moments that are completely unrealistic, like they've sprinted full speed for 30 minutes and then did 30 minutes of hand-to-hand combat each, and then they're going to tongue kiss after they're probably extremely dehydrated. And you know when you run real hard, you get the white gunk on the side of your mouth, dude.
00:15:33
Speaker
And your lips are all fucked Pounding garlic while running and eating onions like apples. But I just like when they kiss in these moments, it just really bothers me for some reason. i have a problem with that, and I have a problem with them kissing after a full night's sleep in bed because it just doesn't happen very often.
00:15:51
Speaker
But the the these aren't modern complaints, I don't think. This is just... No, that' that's ah that's more of... Hollywood's portrayal. like Because I think a lot of people would disagree with you that they want to see all these fucked up things in a movie.
00:16:03
Speaker
Like, it's a movie. So I don't know if I need to see someone go in the bathroom or all these things that that you want more of. You want to remember yeah real life stuff. I don't know that i want it.
00:16:15
Speaker
But the argument the argument for a ah frontal D-Pick is that it reflects reality, then let's really put in all the reality. Let's make this as realistic as possible.
00:16:28
Speaker
That could be. Would that be fucked up on? I don't know. There's still those reality shows are just like fa filming stupid families and shit. That'd be funny if they really got into that. like It was like they're going to the bathroom, cameras going in with them, like all the way in.
00:16:44
Speaker
It should. like Yeah. There's so much time spent on that stuff. What a that's so funny. um I'm OK with whatre that. I do think I think the point what what sort of puzzling puzzling to you or what you're noticing is that is that the content out there is big is just getting more extreme just for the sake of like.
00:17:06
Speaker
Right. That's where you're sitting with your wife, going watch some TV and you're like, why is that? Why is this character in there? Why is there a fucking why is his brother a serial killer? Why is his brother a sexual deviant or something? It's like weird shit. They're putting in stuff just to just to like push the story along or something like that.
00:17:22
Speaker
Yeah, that that's always that's getting crazy. And it's super annoying. The emphasis on trauma.
Speculation on Media's Future Impact
00:17:30
Speaker
is really annoying it's so insane at what like how many characters are battling back from some extreme level of trauma how like and then then the shows where survival matters know at all costs like if you you're in some apocalyptic setting right and then you're forced to kill your fucking zombie wife or whatever
00:17:53
Speaker
And then you watch your daughter get torn apart by zombies. You're not just going to like continue on. But bitching about what's realistic and what makes sense in movies. It's sort of silly. But at the same time, they just keep upping the ante. So like how many times do you need to see a guy get fucking punched in the face, hit with the steel pipe, but keep fighting?
00:18:15
Speaker
Yeah. And then it just keeps getting more and more and more like killing five people used to be a great action film. And now you're John Wick. You have to kill 74 people in one scene.
00:18:27
Speaker
So it's you just don't know where it's going to go. I guess my biggest thing and where maybe a lot of this conversation could be is like what's going to happen to people like kids and others in the future. Like what's being normalized.
00:18:40
Speaker
Yeah, what's being normalized in terms of absorbing all of this stuff. But the trauma, like, you do understand, like, if you were raped as a kid, like, chronically raped, I don't know that you grow up to become a brain surgeon.
00:18:55
Speaker
Maybe. Well, probably not related. Maybe, you're right. I don't know. It just seems far from... No, I'm saying you're right. I'm just saying that, like, they don they'll might make that as a reason, like, why this person's a brain surgeon.
00:19:09
Speaker
now like you you like a lot of times they'll put they'll make the trauma like what drives them into this career field or something like right right where maybe there's little bit that was a little bit like ah why was i don't know what is cheryl so what's reggie miller's sister uh cheryl miller cheryl miller said like her whole drive was like just to get some slight approval from her dad you know, like all the way up to like winning Olympics and going playing professionals, just like, just for her dad to be like, nice job.
00:19:39
Speaker
It's like, so there is a little bit of that, but like, okay, you got, you were getting habitually raped by your uncle as a child. I'll show him. I'm going to become the best forensic scientist in the world or something like that.
00:19:55
Speaker
That's like a storyline. yeah But the trauma thing can't be good for society, like constantly depicting that over and over again. Every character, all the teenage girls, especially seeing that.
00:20:07
Speaker
I can't believe that's good for society. Constant shows about trauma, trauma, trauma. Yeah, I think there's... I mean, I could be wrong, but I think there's... Yeah, I don't... I mean, I think there's there's this... There's been a push for a long time. Like, well, these things are reality and they should be shown for the people who are suffering and and that they're normal. Same with, like...
00:20:27
Speaker
any all the topics are out there right now where it's like, I don't know. It's like, are you creating these? It's like you're making these things normal by constantly showing them to the point where people are like, that must be the way I should be because because that's the way it is. Like, that's all I see.
00:20:40
Speaker
So so any sort of decisions are like, well, everybody else is doing it. Or that's what I see is like, I feel like you're making some of this stuff like reality in a way.
00:20:51
Speaker
Does make sense? Am I making any sense? So you're saying by showing trauma, you're getting people to know that that stuff exists in the world or... Well, anything. It could be relationships where they're showing some some like kind of unique outlier relationship, but they're showing it so much now or where if you're seven and you're not you're just processing the world, you're like, that must be like a pretty normal thing.
00:21:15
Speaker
And then 20 years, people are going to be like, wait it is normal. It's like, well, you made it normal, maybe. Yeah. may Okay, so maybe that affects people's lifestyle choices. if they see like I don't know how to say this without sounding like some fucking right wing idiot, but like, if we take like gender stuff, it's not even something that probably you and I even thought about, maybe because we we consider ourselves males.
00:21:38
Speaker
I'll speak for myself on that
Authenticity and Storytelling in Media
00:21:40
Speaker
one, dude. I think I was born a guy and I probably am a guy, but like, I don't even know if our generation really ever even thought, okay, I i could consider ah gender change.
00:21:50
Speaker
And now it seems like it's very normal. It's out there. And it's a it's like a decision it's almost now it's being presented like it's a decision that people have to make. So you got it you gotta to decide your gender by the time you're 13. It's like, I just wondered now. So the the argument's like, well, that's good because there are people that feel like they're trapped in a body and they should know that it's okay to have those thoughts.
00:22:08
Speaker
Agree. But it does it get to the point where it's like so prevalent where people are like, hmm, I need to, I need to, I looked at it. I was in the mall then. I saw like a dress. I thought, look, cool. What does that mean?
00:22:20
Speaker
Am I am I like, do I need to consider a gender change? It might. Yeah, no, it's a good. Do you think that you think that it could cross a line where people are considering things that they shouldn't maybe shouldn't be or don't really have to?
00:22:33
Speaker
Well, I think trying things on as a teenager is just part of being a teenager. And so I think you would see more people trying the idea on. not actually becoming a thing just because they see it in society. I think that it's a good thing people see something as an option and then they can be, ah they can live in the world feeling like it's ah it's an option for them. They're not alone, whether it's trans, gay or whatever.
00:23:00
Speaker
If you, if you, but what if you take it out to kind of what you're talking about, where or we're glorifying serial killers and stuff, do you think that, Do you think or even I mean, I like I like like below. I thought it great movie or any of the mafia movies.
00:23:13
Speaker
And so but I don't know if I'm going to go out and become a narco because I'm like, I saw it there. Look cool. Like, do you think that be if you take OK, hetero gender stuff is interesting, but like you're talking about ah that everyone's a serial killer and kind of fucked up thing. You think that that might subliminally be subliminally?
00:23:31
Speaker
You said it. Keep going. Encouraging people to go, hey, maybe that's the path. Like you saw, how about how the all the school shootings like were all of a sudden got like were like copycats of the the original the original, you know, the Columbine thing. But like,
00:23:49
Speaker
you I don't know. I just think that like no kid probably ever thought I can go and blow up my school because I'm being bullied and shit. And then they, they made that popular and then it got more kids. Now are probably like, fuck, that's an option.
00:23:59
Speaker
Like, I wonder if entertainment is pushing people in directions because like that. is So is it normalizing it and is it inspiring people to do some of this crazy, crazy stuff? It, I think it always does. Art always inspires like, but is it responsible for it? No.
00:24:16
Speaker
um Yeah. Can't say that. I think that we have a lot more mentally ill people running around. We do. We have a lot more mentally ill people. We have a lot more weapons, I think.
00:24:28
Speaker
and I can't say that for sure, but does feel like the caliber of weapons that are running around in society now versus maybe the 40s or fifty s is like they're much more dangerous automatic weapons. But yeah, that you could see that and maybe not murder or mass killings, but you could see how there's a higher level of acceptance or awareness of some of these things.
00:24:51
Speaker
And maybe as a teenager, you try on being gay. I don't know that you try on murder, but and ah but I guess it's possible, dude, like especially if you're already mentally ill.
Effects of Extreme Content on Youth
00:25:00
Speaker
What about like, you know, you hear about some kids partaking some sort of messed up parties.
00:25:06
Speaker
Like, it seems normal now. Like, sex-related parties and shit like that, which seems like... It's just easier for kids to hear about this stuff. and not Maybe not just from entertainment and streaming sites, but it's like, oh you hear about this? The school had an oral sex party. Maybe we should do that.
00:25:22
Speaker
hear shit like that. I think i think it's possible, dude. it's Honestly, like because what's yeah what is normalized is getting more extreme.
00:25:34
Speaker
ah So I think we have to, as much as I want to like hedge and say that you see more trans or gay people that you don't necessarily become that, it's possible.
00:25:46
Speaker
But it's like it's possible that if you see a bunch of deviant porn, that to your definition of success or your definition of sex changes differently. And then you're like, oh, this is normal.
00:25:57
Speaker
This is normal for a girl to have sex with four guys or for a guy to have threesomes all the time or something. That's the goal. Yeah, maybe like that that becomes the goal. maybe Well, is it a goal or just like it becomes something we now think is possible in our lives or something we we think is normal?
00:26:16
Speaker
Yeah, I think it can influence. It's like the the home makeover shows. It's the same thing where you think like, okay, this this whatever, a threesome is possible. It's like, I need to have a fucking, I can have this sweet house. Everyone's doing it. Everyone's.
00:26:32
Speaker
you made You made such a huge leap there. I couldn't hold it together. Such an amazing segue. No, that's funny. But i don't want to before I get into that, I have a ah rant about these home makeover shows. Again, nothing new because those have been popular now for like 30 years. but um did do you find i don't know if I don't really watch like any cable TV or regular TV or like sitcom Do you find this the same issue though on regular TV now? Is a lot of it's streaming services that are under the same umbrella for regulation from maybe what the FCC does? Do you find that everything's like that or just more like it's specific to streaming?
00:27:11
Speaker
Sort of more extreme depiction? It's all gotten more extreme. And what they'll do in TV is is not necessarily show the scenes, but they will basically imply that that's what happened or whatever happened.
00:27:24
Speaker
It's all all more extreme. It's all more attention-grabbing. Mary got her carpet cleaned last night by Sally. They just talk about it on networks. Not quite, but, you know. You get a sense that two people went in the room and did something.
00:27:40
Speaker
stan Stan went behind the bathrooms at the public park last night at 1 a.m. m I think we all know what happens there. Stan showed up at the truck stop with mostly male truck drivers.
00:27:52
Speaker
What was Stan doing?
00:27:55
Speaker
Or who? So it's it's just everything' so everything's being pushed in that direction. and you it's It's interesting, dude, to look inside your head. So left on social social economic things, but a little more right conservative on entertainment value.
00:28:12
Speaker
You're a complicated person, Lance. Well, no, I mean, I don't know that I'm right. I just think it, I'm just questioning like what's happening. How far will it go? ah Even a liberal person, I think they're actually more ah millennials and Gen Z folks that are like, what the hell is with TV?
00:28:29
Speaker
They're like that. Do we need the sex in this? Do we need this or that? So I think everybody's feeling it. And it's just the care ah curiosity is more of like, how far does this go? Like the twist.
00:28:40
Speaker
you know you ah Can they even write a ah normal twist anymore? it just Things get so grotesque and shocking. some some Some wife is an assassin, and then you find out she killed her husband, and the children don't know that their father was murdered murdered by her mother, and then then she also kills the grandparents.
00:28:59
Speaker
And then what's next? like I don't know what's next there. Does she like... murder one of the kids and then eat the kid and like like a cannibal like is that the twist
Escalation of Shock Value in Media
00:29:10
Speaker
it's always so insane i was just watching a show that netflix didn't make but it's running called yellow jackets pretty interesting show my wife we're watching but it just gets so fucking insane Like, does that lose does it lose the goodness because you're like, this they're just throwing this in there to make another episode unique. it's not Yes, it does lose the goodness. It's like the premise is pretty awesome.
00:29:31
Speaker
The characters are pretty awesome. And then all of a sudden you're like, okay, how is that person still surviving and existing after the things that they've done? How are they not...
00:29:43
Speaker
So the depictions of just like, what would you call it? Psychological improbability, like how absolutely insane humans could be is ah is so over the top. I don't know how, and don't know people like that.
00:30:01
Speaker
I don't know how somebody cuts up bodies and then goes on about their life. Well, happens all the time, Lance. Well, but but that person did it. And then five of her friends did stuff like that. And they're just going about their lives and they're all sort of mentally ill, but they're still functioning.
00:30:18
Speaker
That's what I like. Like you'll see, it'll be that all the shit you just said, but then it'll be like, she's also the head of the PTO meetings or something. It's like they make this happen to normal people.
00:30:30
Speaker
she's ah oh She's killed her whole family and... She's in a book club. Yeah, right. Or substance abuse is kind glorified. Like they're hanging in. They got a problem with it, but they're still getting up and functioning where at the levels that they're doing it, nobody would be able to function. seems funny. Yeah, it'll be like a white person that likes crack or something. It's like, ooh, it's unique. Yeah. I mean, if you look at real mental illness and stuff like that, it's pretty ugly.
00:30:58
Speaker
People are often disgusting people Yeah, they're not always this charismatic genius or or something, that right? Right. There's a kid in our neighborhood who went off his meds, ah had schi has schizophrenia. He's not a kid. He's an adult. But, like, he does crazy things, dude.
00:31:16
Speaker
He'll just sprint out of the house and, like, jump in front of your car and say something wild and then run back in the house. This isn't sexy. Anyway, the shows just seem to want to depict – so much more insane and crazy stuff. And you're just kind of going, wow, where, where do they, where does this go from here?
00:31:38
Speaker
Where does it possibly go? So it's interesting to see. And I just curious how much further will it go? Like how grow gross, gross. Do you remember the show? Sorry. I know we're ranting, but do you remember the show? That's why we're here, bro.
00:31:51
Speaker
The movie, it was on VHS and everybody was like, it was like this huge underground thing. it was like somebody had captured video of real people dying. I forgot what they called it.
00:32:02
Speaker
Faces of Death? There it is, buddy. Faces of Death. Do you remember Faces of Death? I hated that. and how I never watched it because I i just thought it was insane. But I was probably like 10 or 11.
00:32:13
Speaker
My brother was like talking about it all the time. It was insane at the time. like the Like the most fringe fucking you would never even see it anywhere else ever.
00:32:25
Speaker
It was insane. Yes. And now something like that is who cares? I can go on YouTube and watch people dying all day long. Yeah, satanic sacrifice or any like anything. yeah I hated that shit. So who was it? A couple of guys we went to high school with would always want to rent that.
00:32:41
Speaker
They thought it was great. I'm like, why are we watching this, guys? Why? Yeah. The worst. Yeah. That was that. your I could see that. That's funny that your brother was into it. Would he deal with just the fuck with you? So he like a younger brother, like scare you?
00:32:55
Speaker
No, he just talked about it. Yeah. I hated that shit, but, but I don't, yeah, that would be tame probably now. Oh yeah. I mean, the stuff we get can get on YouTube, like the stuff is so violent.
00:33:09
Speaker
And you can get a rabbit hole of fights where people are truly getting fucked up and like somebody's in a fight and then a dude comes up behind and hits one guy with a bat. and you watch that Kai fall to the ground, and it's just so brutal. And so so we we have access to all of this. And I guess the big question is what happens to us as humans with so much of this at our fingertips?
00:33:31
Speaker
It's weird. Like, if you live outside of that, like, I don't, I've never seen any of that shit. I hear about it. You know, I hear podcasters talking about what you can see now, like, is crazy.
00:33:42
Speaker
and But i I never really watch it. Like, you're talking about, like, random fights and people getting... beat to death and shit and like decapitatedly it's like all over the place apparently oh you can i don't go look for it at all no what about i don't know if you know this or you want to talk about but like do you think your kids have access i know they have access to it but you think like that generation because don't know my kids are old enough to be like to want to seek out a i don't know like a narco lighting someone on fire and decapitating them. But like, do you feel like that, that teenage generation, maybe like young, early twenties, they kind of grew up with it, that that's like normal for them.
00:34:20
Speaker
You ever get either your kid going, Hey dad, check this video out. There's this fucked up thing happening. or Is that going on between their friends? I think to some degree, but i ah many of them- Are shying away from it, maybe? Well, they're they're self-moderating.
00:34:34
Speaker
They're just like, I don't want to see that shit. So I think that's a good thing. And I think many of them are like questioning- why so much of this stuff is in their face. they're still kids. They're still probably terrified like I was watching that shit. They're probably like, what the fuck?
00:34:49
Speaker
Yeah. so But I think to parent in this era of such over-the-top, attention-grabbing stuff is tough. I think I still have the PG-13. No, I removed it recently from my son's Netflix profile.
00:35:04
Speaker
He could still get anything he wants online. I can... I can figure out how to see it, but it's it's just a sad world. And I think the art kind of depicts that world.
00:35:15
Speaker
I mean, you're inundated with just mad sex, mad violence. And you're kind of like, ah wow, was that was that entertaining? Have you seen? Yeah, it I just i I already said it. But you go back to like, have you seen a movie lately that's like has a story?
00:35:31
Speaker
It's not a superhero thing or not like this some crazy fucking character. It's just like there's a storyline. I have, but they're hard to watch.
00:35:42
Speaker
I'm not going to lie. They're harder to watch. Your your brain's been like retrained to want like something more intense? what what's It's been retrained to watch Jason Statham beat the f out of 45 guys and or watch Fast and Furious and absurd action. Fast Furious.
00:36:00
Speaker
It's just sad. You're like, oh, this is moving slow. They put the title on it and it's just like there's nothing popping right away. you're like, oh, this is a slow burn. In 10 seconds, you're not you're not seeing like some F-16 landing on a Ferrari. to Yeah.
00:36:17
Speaker
It's like showing some kid playing with like model rockets and when he was young, and it's like, boring, and but the whole premise he's going to grow up to be an astronaut. It's just you can't get through that. You want him to be shoving the rocket up his ass or something.
00:36:32
Speaker
You got to... Anal. Show me anal stuff. I think that's the thing where they do the pre, what's it called? like they They have to open the scene, but he's already a sweet astronaut and he's in a crazy thing where they're running out of oxygen. He's freaking out and he fixes it. and then And then it goes back to his childhood because you can't start like like chronologically because you're just like, boring.
00:36:55
Speaker
Yeah. yeah Oh, why is he an astronaut? Because his drunken uncle used to take advantage of him or whatever. He was involved in the Penn State football program when Jerry Sandusky was a defensive coordinator.
00:37:08
Speaker
Oh, yeah. that That's what got him to space. He wanted to escape. Yeah. Oh, yeah, there you go. yeah The interesting part is, like, how far does the attention economy go? Because I see you're Matt's distracted again looking at something. i'm drawing i'm I'm drawing a picture of a guy with glasses, dude.
00:37:25
Speaker
Sometimes I do that while we're talking. He's on his iPad? You're just drawing stuff? No, no. It's just a piece of paper. That's nice. Yeah. You don't do anything. What do you do with your hands while we're recording?
00:37:37
Speaker
Touch my penis. Yeah. Dude, no, fine. But like, what what happens to us when there's nothing but addictive things that we move from one to the next?
00:37:51
Speaker
Apps, TV, ads. Right. Products. I'm just getting there with my kids, dude. And just the the idea of like, I come off the field, check my phone. I get out of school, check my phone.
00:38:08
Speaker
i got it's It's so weird and it's so inevitable. But that's you're you're all you're fighting for that. You're fighting for that shit, regardless of what you're doing. If you're Netflix, if you're ah you're a content maker, you're fighting for that.
00:38:22
Speaker
And so it's just naturally everything has to ramp up. It's got to be quicker. It's got to be more and wild, more entertaining, and you're fighting for that all the time. Because one's like, oh, this is boring.
00:38:34
Speaker
Check this out. so yeah Yeah, like Netflix competitors are just, it's like far and wide. Like anything you can do other than watch Netflix is like a competitor.
00:38:45
Speaker
yeah Online chess. what does It doesn't matter what it is. Yeah. I like to now, like i don't know if it happened in chess, but if there is online chess, it'll be like overproduced and all fucked up. Like it won't just be guys playing chess. and It'll be like,
00:38:59
Speaker
like all sorts of video graphics and displays are like lighting and and like everything. ah You can't just take that normal thing now. Yeah, you take a rook and then like a middle finger comes up and it's like, oh, yeah. yeah Or a video shot of a real like medieval fight of a like a knight. There you go. all like yeah Yeah. Same with like bowling.
00:39:23
Speaker
Got a little little crazy. But yeah, don't I mean, I don't know. Like it's where is it all going to go? I mean, things will just be normalized. It'll keep going. Yeah. And then there'll be a pushback of of real, like real, there'll be a hard push. Maybe it's already happening. Sort of that social pushback.
00:39:41
Speaker
You have like the political pushback that kind of flipped the scales in this last election. There might be like a social one coming. I think i think it's already happening because you're saying like the younger generation is actually kind of resisting this stuff because usually works in reverse, right? The younger generation is kind of pushing the envelope.
00:39:56
Speaker
It's starting to flip a little bit, I think. Do you think the shows are going to just be, as the pendulum switches, will be just like white dudes ruling the world? Again?
00:40:06
Speaker
And smacking around their wives and you know just one madman type show madman type show after another. that's the That'll be the the read the rebalance, so to speak, you're saying? guess. Will be like a real push for just back to real whiteness?
00:40:23
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. ah no No, it's got to... The balance will just be like, what's good... What's good is important and nothing else. Not pushing a narrative or not doing not doing something to further a group of people or anything. It's just... It's just what's good. I mean, I was listening to a podcast yesterday and these guys were talking about this kind of happened in stand-up comedy. like in ah Right around the time I stopped, it was kind of like...
00:40:53
Speaker
every show would you just be like wow it's clearly a push to not have a white a white male on this show and and i think a lot of people are like well that's good right like but then it became the the comedy didn't become the didn't become the sole purpose for the booking it's like right then the comedy sucked because at some point there's just not enough people to go around that have good that are skilled you know i've been working long enough or worked on their act so just have people You know, you just had eight people doing a show about how their ethnic mother is crazy. It's like the same joke about my Indian mom, my Mexican mom, my black mom. And you're like, okay, cool.
00:41:32
Speaker
And then you're like... you know Dave Chappelle is the greatest one of the greatest comics ever. He's not great comic because he's black. He's just fucking so creative and funny. so You got to get back to booking somebody because they're funny. That's it. so I think the show like the shows have to get back to like it's just a great story.
00:41:50
Speaker
It's just entertaining. It's not furthering the advancement of of a group of people. It's just like, is that the best show we can put out there? all right, let's do it. so Smart take.
00:42:02
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, and that's with everything. That's like with everything. it It should be that simple, right? Yeah, it should be. so But it's not, though. i have i have It's pretty funny, dude, watching...
00:42:18
Speaker
watching do you do you and Do you and your wife part like watch these? I mean, they're kind of addictive, but like these home makeover shows and HGTV and all this.
00:42:29
Speaker
they like There's so many of them, even like House Hunters and all those kind of shows or Flip This House, Love It or List It. Yeah, she does. i can i I only liked them at a point one point when we were actually trying to remodel.
00:42:42
Speaker
And it lasted for like a month and a half. But I actually hate them. Why? um Is it just back to your like minimalization thing or you always hate it? No, I think when they started, they first started, it was pretty interesting.
00:42:57
Speaker
Like the idea, oh, I can make my house cool. so Yeah, it was pretty interesting that, you know, oh, hey, check it out. You can DIY and here's how you might do it or here's how you might make an income property.
00:43:08
Speaker
And then it got really commercialized. And then you see across... The country, every kitchen is like gray with some blue tones and a white granite countertop and and everybody replicated all of this stuff. But then, all you know, I just get annoyed when all the advertising and all the constant commercialization of everything.
00:43:28
Speaker
comes into the art world. And I think these shows were unique at at the start and now they're trite and boring and sensationalized. I didn't have to say anything, dude. Yeah.
00:43:40
Speaker
Knock that out of the park. You took them down. Well, what I want to say is it's, it's really i like, ah if I watch one of those shows with somebody from here and say, we're We're like literally joking and laughing out loud because it's just so ridiculous.
00:43:56
Speaker
Yeah. Because you watch it like a foreigner, Costa Rica might watch it and be like that before, you know, like we got to renovate this home is the nicest kitchen you've ever seen. It's like, yeah, well, it hasn't been redone since 2016. It's dated.
00:44:11
Speaker
We like open concept and we just like to entertain. It's like, who the fuck are you entertaining? Like throw some shares chairs out in your driveway and fucking like, who are you entertaining? You're building a, you're spending a hundred grand on a remodel, but like for four days a year when your in-laws come over that you don't even like, or your neighbors, first of all, second of all. You don't need a fucking open concept if you have it great. If not, it's just this great room where we can all lounge around and yeah be a part of what, because when I'm cooking, I want to be able to talk to the kids and stuff.
00:44:42
Speaker
After like five years with a family, you're like, I want my own, I want a room that's completely, I want like completely bored, like blocked off from the rest of the family so I can have five minutes to fucking thank you. Yeah, with soundproof foam all on the walls there.
00:44:57
Speaker
I remember listening to like wives and shit up there that are just like, ah I just love open concept because we like to entertain. You're like, Shut up. Yeah, that show, like to speak of influence, that probably influenced a ton of people in terms of what other good life is.
00:45:14
Speaker
and They don't put normal people on there, though. I don't know about that. they put Well, man maybe not now. It's probably probably influenced a lot of people to desire extreme things. But to your point, yeah, there's always somebody with.
00:45:28
Speaker
the strangest preferences, like a closet that, you know, it has to be walk-in, like huge walk-in. And you're like, oh, i know we're not going to buy that house. It needs to have a walk-in closet. It's like what people need becomes so absurd.
00:45:43
Speaker
Double vanity, walk-in closet, open concept, fire pit, like, oh boy. Oh boy. Society, society, why? it's just It's just fucking funny, dude. watching It's just funny watching it from people that aren't have never thought of that or accustomed to that and don't care. mean, I'm sure you're up a lot of ah lot of Europe's the same way because they they're just living in smaller like city centers where you're like you just don't have... You might have your washer and dryer in your in your galley kitchen.
00:46:15
Speaker
yeah Nobody fucking cares. It's fine. right it's just i don't know it's just so red' i mean i don't know if people realize the wants and needs of these things are how absurd they are but they become normalized kind of how i'm tying it back to the other shit but it's like you got to have an open concept like if you buy a house that was built after 1985 first thing you do is you go wait a minute how much is the re the how much is the ah renovation budget because it's like why why don't you just move in who cares but No, it's sad.
00:46:46
Speaker
It's super sad, bro. Open concept, bro. Yeah. Well, that's good riff. You can entertain, though, dude. Can you guys entertain? You bought an older house. What'd you do? It's a good one. Well, they had gutted it. You did something, right?
00:46:57
Speaker
They had gutted it, so it was open concept.
00:47:01
Speaker
Did that get you guys? Because I fell in the same trap. I can't point too many fingers, but... yeah like, this kitchen's kind of closed off. It got us in the early 2000s.
00:47:12
Speaker
We did knock down a wall. Try to create that vibe. How long have you guys been in the current crib? Four years. Oh, that's it? Yeah, only four years because we moved from the hills and during the pandemic.
00:47:27
Speaker
But yeah, dude. That was only four years ago? I thought you guys came down a while ago. But the U.S. has weird standards. Thank you, HGTV. is funny it's kind of like showing cock do you have yeah uh what is it spartacus have you seen that spartacus it should be called wangathon is it like prison or penitentiary situation lifting weights rip bodies with their cocks up uh is there any have you found if we leave on this
00:48:00
Speaker
I don't know what our piece of shit statement is, but I think i think our piece of shit statement is we're turning into cranky old men. like Modern at entertainment doesn't serve us anymore. But have you found anything? One one show where you went, you know what? These people did it right.
00:48:16
Speaker
they are They are open to what modern society is, but they also retain a storyline and something entertaining. entertaining I can't think of one. I mean, I liked this show a while ago called The Queen's Gambit, but it also had a ton ton of trauma stuff that she was going through and and and substance abuse stuff. So...
00:48:38
Speaker
That's the chess player one, right? Yeah, that was interesting. how but Dude, can i say something about that? Yeah, yeah. So, just, I just want to say, like, I saw that. I think, I thought was pretty good, actually.
00:48:49
Speaker
Because there was an actual point, right? But we're so trained for the trauma shit. When the, I think the janitor of the school, like, takes in the basement and teaches her, teaches her how to play chess, my first thought was like, here it comes.
00:49:02
Speaker
Here it comes, dude. Totally. He's gonna fuck with her. Yeah, right? But I was just like, waiting for it. Like, Come on. I got go to work. You going to rape her? not It's like, come on. Let's get the drama out. It's just like, I just immediately, and then then I was like, oh, that guy's a good guy.
00:49:15
Speaker
was like, wow. it It was, it was, anyways, sorry. I mean to cut you up, but. No, it's fine. You just reminded me. We are trained to like, think that. It's, it's just so funny. though I'm looking up, I'm not, I'm looking up a show that I thought was actually pretty good.
00:49:32
Speaker
You know, some of the shit is good. when that when it actually ends. I've noticed a little better are the the shows that actually end, like a 10-show episode, because then they don't have to make up these bullshit storylines so they can like finish it.
00:49:48
Speaker
so Anyway, sorry, go ahead. were you going say before I cut you off? what's it So The Queen's Gambit, was there another one? oh oh There's plenty. There's plenty that seemed to, like Marvelous Miss Maisel was kind of loosely based on Joan Rivers.
00:50:00
Speaker
I thought that was an interesting take, and then it had all the things you might want in a Hollywood show with good good set design and everything. That was interesting.
00:50:11
Speaker
And there's there's several others. I still think Schitt's Creek was a pretty damn good show, buddy. Schitt's Creek? A lot people do. Yeah. What's that, dude? It's just funny. So, anywho, dude. Have seen this chef's table?
00:50:27
Speaker
Just kidding. ah There was an Ali Wong show that I think it Oh, Beef. Have you seen that? I've seen that. I saw part of it. I kind of got annoyed with it. Why did you get annoyed with that?
00:50:38
Speaker
It just kept getting... The things they were doing just kept getting so fucking stupid. I thought i that was the one where I go, they ended it. So that, so it became, I mean, you're right. There's some ridiculous, there, there was a lot of the, oh, the normal house husband who does stupid shit. And there's a lot of like random stuff. But, the but the fact that it had to end is what made it all right for me.
00:51:00
Speaker
Yeah. It would have went crazy if it had like five seasons. Oh yeah. Would have been control. But I thought that was a good one. because it ended but i don't have i don't have another recommendation so I'm goingnna go back into my my own world of ah not worrying about anything, but waves and slabs, bro.
00:51:17
Speaker
And how many if Jokic finishes with the year averaging a triple-double and gets fucked on the MVP? Dude, I'm so tired of you and white basketball players. Can you root for a black guy for once?
00:51:28
Speaker
No. They wouldn't root for me, bro, so I won't root for them.
00:51:35
Speaker
um I have a few, dude. Brunson's my man. You're going to be like, well, he's the lightest skinned brother in the league. Yeah, he's halfs. Halvesies, bro. Is he? I have no idea. My my favorite black players are Banchero, Brunson, Devin Booker, and Steph Curry I like a little bit, but I haven't decided yet.
00:51:57
Speaker
Clay. Clay, yeah, exactly. And the on the Ball Brothers. Those are my favorite black players in the NBA. Oh, boy. Wow.
00:52:09
Speaker
Yeah, so I don't know how to close this. I think we've exhausted the rant, but TV's fucking weird. I'm not going say it sucks. It's pretty entertaining, but it's also just weird.
00:52:20
Speaker
It's like, I just, I don't know. Everyone has to answer themselves. Are we going in a good direction because we're more open about unique situations that aren't you actually unique?
00:52:31
Speaker
Are we going in a such an extreme path that we're were going down a sort of a moral path? I'm going with b but if I was any sort of marginalized group, maybe I would disagree. Maybe it's just I don't have that experience to be like, this is great. They're finally representing me.
00:52:48
Speaker
maybe Maybe I don't have that. That's why I can't see the light.
00:52:59
Speaker
chocolate cover coats head sticking my dick in the head sticking my dick in a goat's head hoping like a tv show jumpin proper a goat's head sticking my dick in the head sticking my dick in a