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
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