Todd, your words, "Woke television, as exemplified here, doesn’t just entertain—it manipulates, urging us to applaud a world where freedom is traded for conformity, and love is reduced to a performance." I think this sums up a lot of television/movie programming. Those who produce these pieces seem to go all out to fit in with today's expectations or maybe it is more like they are trying to convince the majority that this is how it is supposed to be. They portray that being in love is not near as exciting as having a one night stand and to increase the excitement maybe with a threesome. This is loveless and lust not love and intimacy. I have no interest in watching trashy programs and let's face it - many of these reality programs are just that (my opinion).
I have to agree with you 100%. You nail it with this, "They portray that being in love is not near as exciting as having a one night stand and to increase the excitement maybe with a threesome." So, so true...
I would be furious if I were gay, and in my research I found a lot of comments by gays who were not happy with the impression all gays were sexually "fluid."
I am upset regardless—gay or straight—with the destruction of love and deep connection amongst lovers. There are so many shows pushing this down our throats...it is unconscionable.
TV programming and shows also push inter-racial. Not that I have a problem with mixed races but I am also sure there are lots of white couples or black couples or asian couples but now there always has to be one of each to make it look trendy or something. And the same goes for sexual behaviour. If you aren't cheating on your partner, you aren't living it seems. No moral compass in these programs today.
That's all agenda stuff as well. Setting us up for this homogenized culture where nothing matters...no preferences...no differentiation. Like it is bad, and not cool, or even racist, or evil, to have a preference for race in a relationship...bad for black/black, white/white, asian/asian...almost to the point where gay/straight should be together...that's the coolest (and "Four Seasons" implied this when it was made clear that one of the straight white women used to date one of the gay men, who was black.) The gay couple was white/black...Again, I am also saying none of that matters, but like you, find it odd and forced.
This is all part of the intention of the agenda...same with the "cheating"..."transactional sex" etc. Crazy stuff.
Fantastic article, Todd! As I was reading, I occasionally thought of something I wanted to add, then you covered it in the next paragraph. And, you're so correct: the woke agenda permeates television programming these days. It's in the shows, the news, the advertisements... it's everywhere. It's the reason I stopped watching television. (Note: I haven't even watched 'The Four Seasons'.)
The only other comment I would make is regarding the show's 'reviews' and it's 'viewership': I'm sure both are every bit as concocted as the storyline itself.
Well, you are probably right about concocting ratings and such. I pretty much don't believe anything that could be used to coerce someone into something. But we do know, as well, that there ARE indeed woke loons out there who love all this touchy feely "lets love everyone" sensibility.
From a divine aspect, I think loving everyone is a good idea...and I don't, personally, have a problem with it. I DO love everybody. But that isn't what this is about...it is about creating a strange "non-critical" mindset...a mindset where there is no judgement, no personal preference, where it is all "good", everyone and everything is the same...as long as the controlling factions say it is good, if they say it isn't good, then it isn't.
Wasn't there a movie out there a few decades ago about this? Some strange utopian world where you loved someone one minute, and when the agenda which had power over everyone said, "OK, now you hate them, they are bad!!" people would turn on a dime. It wasn't "Logan's Run" but something like that...maybe it was a "Star Trek" episode...
True, Todd. There are way too many non-thinking virtue-signallers out there. They don't realize that DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) only applies to some. And that 'equalization' really just means the lowest common denominator. If one has a home, a pension, or a nest egg... well, that's "just not fair".
Instead of standing up for their own right to have these things, they allow themselves to be brainwashed by the media to side with the globalist bankers. It's sad.
don’t intend to ever again. I have not been interested in saturating my mind with mostly sappy, mind numbing and boring programs. I feel that life is too short to spend valuable time on it. Hours that can be spent doing something more worthwhile.
I feel sorry that you had to watch this program in order to write your story on it.
I am not saying that I never watched tv and that everything on tv is wasted.
I do think everyone has grown up with tv since it was invented. I realized it’s “purpose” many years ago when I noticed everyone seemed to be preoccupied with tv “characters”and what was going on in a “program” then with real life. I was not going to be so involved with a fake person to sit and stare at a tv screen.
I didn’t want to be in that circle. I feel that many of the new APPS these days now are replacements for the TV culture.
A lot of them are just to occupy people away from a real life.
I thank you for your exceptional articles and look forward to each one.
In my opinion you are 100% correct, and I commend you for your views and your actions. As I said in a previous comment, I was in the entertainment industry in Hollywood for 30 years, so I still have a tendency to see "what is going on" in that industry, although I approve of very little of it.
I stopped watching commercial TV probably about the same time you did. I still go to movies (rarely) and still watch what I consider to be decent cinema on TV (but often turn it off 10 minutes into it). As far as series are concerned, there are still a FEW out there I find entertaining and maybe even psychologically or philosophically interesting, and NOT intended to brainwash, although there is always a little of that going on with any sort of media.
I typically will not watch contemporary garbage (most is garbage), comedies, anything they consider "romantic" (that is long gone). Maybe I will watch historical drama (unless I get wind right away the producers are attempting to change history...which of course is an oxymoron).
But nearly every time I get myself to watch something I am disappointed. I do believe the media industry is totally captured, and there is nothing going to be made again that has much of anything important to say.
Thank you...I used to want to be a film MUSIC critic...funny how nothing I like doing pays me money...psychotherapy has been a good career, film composing, forget it (I made my living as an orchestrator and conductor and copyist, and I should have focused on THAT)
It was actually sad it was so annoying. Some of it was entertaining. I watched the original movie with Alan Alda...it was annoying for other reasons...
I just thought it was fascinating how "in" it is now to follow this weird agenda...with sex, gays, etc. Like I said, I have no problem with seeing gay people as regular people in a film or TV series, but why do they have to be identified only from their sexual perspective?
I am kind of tired with that approach with straight people as well. Just like I don't think watching someone taking a crap on the toilet is necessary to tell a story, I don't think watching people actually have sex as necessary to tell a story...I guess that qualifies me as a prude.
Good for you. Since I was in the biz for so many years I have a tendency to check things out, although I am very picky. My wife does most of the choosing. It is also an easy way to see what the woke world is up to...kind of like watching MSN.
I think it is a forced reflection. Hollywood has been in the hands of government/CIA since its beginnings. They have always been the big G's propaganda machine. Used to be conservative (except for the communists...are they considered now right or left?), now hard left liberal. Of course most of the people working in Hollywood are already hard core Woke liberals. I do wonder if any of these people will ever figure it out.
Psychological Priming:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/priming
Todd, your words, "Woke television, as exemplified here, doesn’t just entertain—it manipulates, urging us to applaud a world where freedom is traded for conformity, and love is reduced to a performance." I think this sums up a lot of television/movie programming. Those who produce these pieces seem to go all out to fit in with today's expectations or maybe it is more like they are trying to convince the majority that this is how it is supposed to be. They portray that being in love is not near as exciting as having a one night stand and to increase the excitement maybe with a threesome. This is loveless and lust not love and intimacy. I have no interest in watching trashy programs and let's face it - many of these reality programs are just that (my opinion).
I have to agree with you 100%. You nail it with this, "They portray that being in love is not near as exciting as having a one night stand and to increase the excitement maybe with a threesome." So, so true...
I would be furious if I were gay, and in my research I found a lot of comments by gays who were not happy with the impression all gays were sexually "fluid."
I am upset regardless—gay or straight—with the destruction of love and deep connection amongst lovers. There are so many shows pushing this down our throats...it is unconscionable.
TV programming and shows also push inter-racial. Not that I have a problem with mixed races but I am also sure there are lots of white couples or black couples or asian couples but now there always has to be one of each to make it look trendy or something. And the same goes for sexual behaviour. If you aren't cheating on your partner, you aren't living it seems. No moral compass in these programs today.
That's all agenda stuff as well. Setting us up for this homogenized culture where nothing matters...no preferences...no differentiation. Like it is bad, and not cool, or even racist, or evil, to have a preference for race in a relationship...bad for black/black, white/white, asian/asian...almost to the point where gay/straight should be together...that's the coolest (and "Four Seasons" implied this when it was made clear that one of the straight white women used to date one of the gay men, who was black.) The gay couple was white/black...Again, I am also saying none of that matters, but like you, find it odd and forced.
This is all part of the intention of the agenda...same with the "cheating"..."transactional sex" etc. Crazy stuff.
You are correct - this is all part of the agenda where anything goes. And some of it just isn't pretty.
Fantastic article, Todd! As I was reading, I occasionally thought of something I wanted to add, then you covered it in the next paragraph. And, you're so correct: the woke agenda permeates television programming these days. It's in the shows, the news, the advertisements... it's everywhere. It's the reason I stopped watching television. (Note: I haven't even watched 'The Four Seasons'.)
The only other comment I would make is regarding the show's 'reviews' and it's 'viewership': I'm sure both are every bit as concocted as the storyline itself.
Thanks for an enjoyable and insightful piece.
Well, you are probably right about concocting ratings and such. I pretty much don't believe anything that could be used to coerce someone into something. But we do know, as well, that there ARE indeed woke loons out there who love all this touchy feely "lets love everyone" sensibility.
From a divine aspect, I think loving everyone is a good idea...and I don't, personally, have a problem with it. I DO love everybody. But that isn't what this is about...it is about creating a strange "non-critical" mindset...a mindset where there is no judgement, no personal preference, where it is all "good", everyone and everything is the same...as long as the controlling factions say it is good, if they say it isn't good, then it isn't.
Wasn't there a movie out there a few decades ago about this? Some strange utopian world where you loved someone one minute, and when the agenda which had power over everyone said, "OK, now you hate them, they are bad!!" people would turn on a dime. It wasn't "Logan's Run" but something like that...maybe it was a "Star Trek" episode...
True, Todd. There are way too many non-thinking virtue-signallers out there. They don't realize that DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) only applies to some. And that 'equalization' really just means the lowest common denominator. If one has a home, a pension, or a nest egg... well, that's "just not fair".
Instead of standing up for their own right to have these things, they allow themselves to be brainwashed by the media to side with the globalist bankers. It's sad.
No wonder I gave up TV viewing years ago!!!!
I haven’t watched tv for 30 PLUS years. And I
don’t intend to ever again. I have not been interested in saturating my mind with mostly sappy, mind numbing and boring programs. I feel that life is too short to spend valuable time on it. Hours that can be spent doing something more worthwhile.
I feel sorry that you had to watch this program in order to write your story on it.
I am not saying that I never watched tv and that everything on tv is wasted.
I do think everyone has grown up with tv since it was invented. I realized it’s “purpose” many years ago when I noticed everyone seemed to be preoccupied with tv “characters”and what was going on in a “program” then with real life. I was not going to be so involved with a fake person to sit and stare at a tv screen.
I didn’t want to be in that circle. I feel that many of the new APPS these days now are replacements for the TV culture.
A lot of them are just to occupy people away from a real life.
I thank you for your exceptional articles and look forward to each one.
In my opinion you are 100% correct, and I commend you for your views and your actions. As I said in a previous comment, I was in the entertainment industry in Hollywood for 30 years, so I still have a tendency to see "what is going on" in that industry, although I approve of very little of it.
I stopped watching commercial TV probably about the same time you did. I still go to movies (rarely) and still watch what I consider to be decent cinema on TV (but often turn it off 10 minutes into it). As far as series are concerned, there are still a FEW out there I find entertaining and maybe even psychologically or philosophically interesting, and NOT intended to brainwash, although there is always a little of that going on with any sort of media.
I typically will not watch contemporary garbage (most is garbage), comedies, anything they consider "romantic" (that is long gone). Maybe I will watch historical drama (unless I get wind right away the producers are attempting to change history...which of course is an oxymoron).
But nearly every time I get myself to watch something I am disappointed. I do believe the media industry is totally captured, and there is nothing going to be made again that has much of anything important to say.
What an excellent article. Perhaps your next career will be as an Arts critic, never mind psychotherapy!
Thank you...I used to want to be a film MUSIC critic...funny how nothing I like doing pays me money...psychotherapy has been a good career, film composing, forget it (I made my living as an orchestrator and conductor and copyist, and I should have focused on THAT)
Even though I love Tina Fey, I will pass on this one. Thanks for the warning.
It was actually sad it was so annoying. Some of it was entertaining. I watched the original movie with Alan Alda...it was annoying for other reasons...
I just thought it was fascinating how "in" it is now to follow this weird agenda...with sex, gays, etc. Like I said, I have no problem with seeing gay people as regular people in a film or TV series, but why do they have to be identified only from their sexual perspective?
I am kind of tired with that approach with straight people as well. Just like I don't think watching someone taking a crap on the toilet is necessary to tell a story, I don't think watching people actually have sex as necessary to tell a story...I guess that qualifies me as a prude.
I don’t watch tv, network tv, haven’t for many years. But I remember the original
Good for you. Since I was in the biz for so many years I have a tendency to check things out, although I am very picky. My wife does most of the choosing. It is also an easy way to see what the woke world is up to...kind of like watching MSN.
Yes. And Hollywood is a reflection of society and sometimes a fore-warning of what is coming in society
I think it is a forced reflection. Hollywood has been in the hands of government/CIA since its beginnings. They have always been the big G's propaganda machine. Used to be conservative (except for the communists...are they considered now right or left?), now hard left liberal. Of course most of the people working in Hollywood are already hard core Woke liberals. I do wonder if any of these people will ever figure it out.
True