Why is cruelty funny?
Maybe I am missing something important. I certainly am missing a lot of entertainment. Perhaps someone can enlighten me about why so many shows are popular when they primarily show people being unkind to each other.
Immensely popular shows have been around for quite a few years now showing house wives and other persons in a neighborhood being truly cruel to each other, showing people working together in a horrendous office situation, and “reality” tv shows people voting against each other and undermining each other in unkind ways. Candid camera was like this, too. It entertained by embarrassing people. I heard about a popular Japanese game show where people were filmed at the moment someone screamed in their face.
Why do people enjoy watching immoral unkind acts? Why is this funny or scintillating? It reminds me of cruelty like making fun of someone based on a disability or race. The reality TV aspirants who pretended their son might be aloft seem a natural consequence of this entertainment.
I do get why a stand up comedienne’s shtick is funny when she deflates the balloons of false pretense. I understand that political humor can be clever and sarcasm is a worthy art form (within reason). Of course great literature and film is full of stories about how people deal with adversity. It just seems to me that watching pointless cruelty is not fun.
You are most welcome to leave a comment. I would appreciate any illumination you might shed on this issue (or even commiseration is welcome).
I’m with you, Melissa! It’s like public school extended! We don’t watch any of those shows either. I worry about a society that keeps that kind of trash on the air. It doesn’t take long before it moves out of the TV into everyday social situations. The only difference is, there are devastating consequences not shown or talked about on TV. You probably see the impact more in your family practice. It’s very sad. Glad you are there to help people put their lives back together enough to hopefully move forward.
Comment by Laura Black — April 20, 2010 @ 8:16 am