Comments on: Anti-Intellectualism on TV

by: karen

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 01:56:42 +0000

Hey, y’all!!! Been out of the loop for awhile training a unit for deployment, and this is the first time I’ve been able to check in for awhile.

Has anyone checked out Dexter on Showtime? He’s your loveable-serial-killer-guy who just happens to be the blood splatter analyst. I am so in love with this show.

I also kinda like Chuck. Completely unreal, but funny nonetheless.

Both shows portray the geek in non-stereotypical roles.

by: Luke Maciak

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 19:23:12 +0000

Oh, man! I should have went with CSI:* to cover all my bases.

This is why I always say - when you are making a show about X, and you have a very vague idea about what X is all about, it’s probably a good time to hire a consultant who is X specialist to go over your script. Replace X with any profession, field of expertise or whatnot.

I mean how much does it cost to get someone to spend 2-3 hours to read your script and jot down some suggestions.

by: Teague

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 18:10:49 +0000

@Luke
Oh, close! Judges? No, I’m sorry, we were looking for CSI: New York. I guess you just weren’t cut out for intellectual shows like Jeopardy.

I have to ignore a lot of stuff to watch shows with military aspects. Sci-fi or not, some can be pretty annoying. Especially the SGs and BSG. I roll my eyes every time I see a supposedly career soldier with bushy model hair and all kinds of stuff wrong on his uniform. My favorite, though, is on BSG SPOILER ALERT when Admiral Cain gets shot in her own quarters by a known Cylon during a time of war. Then, like they’re pointing and saying “this one’s just for you, Teague”, her replacement gets killed IN THE SAME QUARTERS by some mafia guys. In both cases, the killers were already in there when the Admirals came in!!!!! (ok, deep breaths….)

by: Luke Maciak

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:15:02 +0000

@Teague - oh, are we playing Jeopardy? Let me try to guess:

What is CSI?

Do I win? Btw, from what I understand, people who actually work in forensics feel the same way when they watch CSI that I feel when I watch any movie or TV show about “hackers”.

by: Steve

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 15:48:32 +0000

Well..given that society-at-large often rewards those with lesser intelligence, it’s not surprising that Hollywood hacks follow suit. For instance, if A-Rod is worth a purported $30 million a FREAKING year because he can hit a ball, how much do you think one incredible, self-sacrificing, inspirational police officer, firefighter, or teacher should make? The reality is, intelligence has very infrequently been celebrated in general society. Given the dumbed-down state of the American education system, the ratio of smart-to-stupid people is certainly on the decline.

by: Teague

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 11:57:13 +0000

One show situation this made me think of was a recent episode of a certain crime drama show, wherein the villain was using a ficticious online game to set up victims, and the good guys had to interact with the game to track the villain down. All the good guys in this show are super-scientists with college degrees and tons of scientific knowledge, but all wear super-chic clothes and are all quite attractive in their own ways. But NONE of them knows anything about this online game, which, in their world, is portrayed as being as popular as WOW, and so have to rely on the stereo-typical geeky lab tech who, of course, knows all about it.

by: General X

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 10:34:28 +0000

You hit the nail right on the head. I have noticed it as well. Except for sf shows such as SG-1 (but not Atlantis) and BSG.

by: Ian Clifton

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 03:49:57 +0000

My only thoughts as to why is because the average viewer is not intelligent and it’s easier to point to something that’s different and say something bad than to see that someone might be superior in some way. It’s definitely reflective of deeper societal values. Look at any of the poverty groups and their attitudes toward education. It’s uncool to be educated; it’s cool to be in a gang and act out. Certainly the mainstream public isn’t that extreme, but the themes are similar. Over the past 20+ years psychologists have continuously found that the “brains” or “nerdy” clique is the least desirable group to be a part of.

I’d say your observation is accurate. There are some exceptions (like Heroes, one of a handful of good shows these days), but most shows are as you describe. If you find the secret to making people realize that they can be (and should be) intelligent, let me know!

by: Miloš

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 02:38:48 +0000

It’s the good old 80-20 rule. Unfortunately, 80% of scientists do fit this mold. When you really look around at these people at school, work, conferences…wherever, on average they are not the most stunning looking crowd. At the same time, physical appearances are important in our society whether will like (agree with) it or not. Another very simplistic example: As a guy, when you walk down the street or while you are at a bar and a girl catches your eye, it’s always her physical appearance that attracts you, not how intelligent she might be. That is something you get to learn later. When it comes to movies and shows they have on average from 90 minutes to 13 weeks to tell their story and by design intelligence and deep substance loses.

Also, 80 % of people are not scientists, developers, programmers, engineers…it’s just the way it is. Most of these network studios cater to the larger market which financially makes sense. It’s sucks and I share your view, it’s just how things will most likely stay for a while. This have been getting better with cool innovations reaching global market such as those coming out of Google, but it will take time to be cool to be smart on TV.

by: jaymz

Thu, 01 Nov 2007 00:10:41 +0000

Also, not that makes any difference, but I run Kubuntu, rather than Ubuntu I’ve been reading your blog for quite a while, it provides a welcome distraction from my day to day grind