And So Caricature Becomes Reality

A recent opening sequence to Bones depicted a multi-cultural group of churchgoers praising the Lord at a garbage dump, the future site of their church.[1]

Weird stuff then happens to set the stage for the episode (birds dropping out of the sky and the discovery of a body part), but the interesting thing to me was how poorly they captured Christian fundamentalism. They had the words right, but the presentation was a cartoonish approximation, like a cardboard backdrop for a high school play; I perceived it as insulting, though I think it was intended more as caricature.

(A few minutes later they were throwing bio-buzzwords around over a corpse, and I know from what I've read and heard that TV CSI has about as much to do with the real CSI as Tang does with orange juice. So I guess one of the morals of the story is don't expect to learn anything about real people or real science from Bones.)

It's easy to be critical; it's much more difficult to say something constructive, because you really have to know what you're talking about and who you're talking to. Hollywood often misses on both counts, and in so doing reinforces stereotypes in the minds of folks that have no personal experience with which to compare it, so caricature becomes reality.

[1]
I don't watch Bones, but it took House's time slot [before House finished its final season] and my not-as-smart-as-Tivo alternative for recording Clear QAM programming didn't know the difference, so I gave it a whirl.

I refuse to rent a Comcast-issued DVR and you can't decode cable without their equipment; and I refuse to pay Tivo for the privilege of recording what I'm already paying for.

So, I record unencrypted (Clear QAM) digital HD signals sent through my cable. Comcast is not allowed to encrypt them; much of it is over-the-air digital broadcasts, but some is stuff Comcast doesn't seem know what to do with, like 24/7 commercials, grainy arts and entertainment, NASA TV, etc.

Anyway, in my area, the basic network and extended digital broadcasts provide plenty to choose from, more than I would have a chance to watch if I recorded everything that interested me.

Started: 2012-04-17