Does that make me a hypocrite?
A friend of mine sent me an article today about the television show, 24, which shows more graphic violence and torturing each season, and now seems to align itself with the Republican party. Though I've known most of this for years, it hasn't stopped me from watching, because Jack Bauer, in short, is awesome. So instead I watch each week, focusing my attentions on Jack's awesomeness, the thriller aspects of the show, and back on Jack. Does it make me a hypocrite to say that I've made entertainment more important than my values? Maybe, but this show is so damn addictive that even the friend who sent me the article said she's not going to quit watching--yet. To quote Cher Horowitz, "Until mankind is peaceful enough not to have violence on the news, there's no point in taking it out of shows that need it for entertainment value.”
Our discussion then turned to Grey's Anatomy and Isaiah Washington's recent bigoted comments towards one of his gay castmates. Though Grey's is her favorite show, my friend has threatened to stop watching unless/until he is fired. But this one seems more complicated to me. Yes, his comments were out of line, but he's a small part of a huge ensemble cast that is arguably the most diverse on tv. And even though he hasn't been fired from the show, news outlets around the country have condemned him for his comments, so they have not gone unnoticed. So is it hypocritical of me to continue watching the show, despite not respecting him? I say no. Along the same lines, I wouldn't forbid myself from watching an occasional Seinfeld rerun because of Michael Richard's recent racist comments. Again, he's part of an ensemble and doesn't represent the whole show, so this doesn't seem wrong to me.
I have, however, given up all things Mel Gibson--not that I ever really liked him or his movies. Somehow his errors seem worse to me. His repeated offenses, lack of apologies, general preachiness, and love of all things religious (which some would call fanaticism) put him on an entirely other level in my mind--and it's been enough to disgust me into boycotting his movies, changing the channel when he's on tv, and refusing to read news articles about him. But is it hypocritical for me to renounce Mel, while continuing to enjoy Grey's Anatomy and Seinfeld?
So where does this put us? Was Cher right after all? Should entertainment take precedence over values--at least until society's values change and entertainment follows suit? It probably shouldn't, but that's not going to stop me from enjoying an awesome hero and some sexy doctors. And if that makes me a hypocrite, well then so be it.
Our discussion then turned to Grey's Anatomy and Isaiah Washington's recent bigoted comments towards one of his gay castmates. Though Grey's is her favorite show, my friend has threatened to stop watching unless/until he is fired. But this one seems more complicated to me. Yes, his comments were out of line, but he's a small part of a huge ensemble cast that is arguably the most diverse on tv. And even though he hasn't been fired from the show, news outlets around the country have condemned him for his comments, so they have not gone unnoticed. So is it hypocritical of me to continue watching the show, despite not respecting him? I say no. Along the same lines, I wouldn't forbid myself from watching an occasional Seinfeld rerun because of Michael Richard's recent racist comments. Again, he's part of an ensemble and doesn't represent the whole show, so this doesn't seem wrong to me.
I have, however, given up all things Mel Gibson--not that I ever really liked him or his movies. Somehow his errors seem worse to me. His repeated offenses, lack of apologies, general preachiness, and love of all things religious (which some would call fanaticism) put him on an entirely other level in my mind--and it's been enough to disgust me into boycotting his movies, changing the channel when he's on tv, and refusing to read news articles about him. But is it hypocritical for me to renounce Mel, while continuing to enjoy Grey's Anatomy and Seinfeld?
So where does this put us? Was Cher right after all? Should entertainment take precedence over values--at least until society's values change and entertainment follows suit? It probably shouldn't, but that's not going to stop me from enjoying an awesome hero and some sexy doctors. And if that makes me a hypocrite, well then so be it.
posted by Cheryl @ 2:48 PM
1 Comments:
At 3:52 PM,
Kelli said…
Ok, ok, I am the “friend” and because I don’t feel like doing work right now – yay procrastination! – I will defend myself for “all 6” of your readers
As I mentioned earlier, I strongly believe that outside of the voting booth, the only way to influence the status quo is by the purchasing decisions we make. Now, we don’t actually “purchase” television programs but advertisers do purchase commercial time. If the ratings of a program drop, there is an incentive for change.
That said I, too, have boycotted Mel Gibson. In no way do I want to condone his behavior. Therefore, I refuse to give him the $10 it would cost me to see his latest film. I agree with you that his “repeated offenses [and] lack of apologies” are ridiculous. However, I fail to see the difference between his behavior and Isaiah Washington’s.
Isaiah Washington used the slur the first time in an altercation with Patrick Dempsey. He used it again two nights ago at the Golden Globes. Repeated offenses: Check!
Washington also “apologized” in People magazine and supposedly to Knight and Dempsey. However, again, the cavalier manner in which he used the word at the GG indicates to me that the apology was, at best, insincere. He acted like a raging homophobe who clearly has no clue about the implications or the hurtfulness of the word. Lack of apologies: Check!
The cast of Grey’s Anatomy is clearly quite diverse and they do pride themselves on these storylines. However, I think Michael Ausellio at TVguide.com put it quite eloquently:
“His continued employment on a show that wears its diversity as a badge of honor is the height of hypocrisy. If ABC wants to be remotely true to the principles Shonda Rhimes so eloquently espouses through the show, it has to do the right thing and fire Washington. Anything else at this point is simply unacceptable."
Yes, Grey’s Anatomy has other themes running through it. It is a show about being human, making mistakes, and getting second chances. However, it is also about the consequences that arise from such mistakes and the need to own up to your choices. By using the slur and then subsequently denying that he said it, he is again, not following the principles of the show.
In sum, by threatening to boycott the show I am merely stating how disappointed I am in a man who has had every opportunity to take the high road by admitting his mistakes and instead has chosen to run in the opposite direction. Although he is part of an ensemble cast, the advertising dollars ABC collects based on ratings do pay his salary. Although I was unable to find the exact amount of money he makes, I do know that he was recently given a $200,000 bonus. What has he done to deserve it?
So there’s Mel Gibson and Isaiah Washington. I’ve never seen Seinfeld but can pretty much guarantee I’ll never watch now. As for 24…this one does make me feel like a bit of a hypocrite because I did say that I would continue to watch. However, this morning was the first I’ve heard of ties to the Republican Party. Where have you heard about it in the past? Yes, the torture does sort of get to me – especially as a communication scholar I can cite all of the proven detrimental effects of violence on tv – but I feel with Jack’s recent experiences there’s the potential for a real dialogue about it this season. So I think I’ll stick with it and give it a chance - besides Jack Bauer is awesome :-p
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