In the wake of Extreme Makeover, the most evil show on television. Saw an episode at the gym the other day (not sure which it is, they all look the same). Two points: the girl's parents buy her a $7,000 dress that fits horribly. Then, on the day of the party, the girl is smitten, karmically, with a massive zit next to her nose. Rather than panic, she GOES TO A PLASTIC SURGEON to have the zit burned off. THAT DAY. No sweat!
In an addendum to my "Reality TV" rant below, we see in this show a perfect example of the economy of American entertainment, fundamentally structured by envy and retribution (that of the viewer). We are given something to envy: whether it is the very fact that this person is on television, the fact that they're rich, that they're talented, whatever. Something is presented that we, the viewer, lack. Then the owner of that something is systematically punished for having it-- humiliated or tortured, and always enthusiastically. We are thus immediately comforted for not being that person-- what might be called "anti-envy."
Think about every Hollywood/Miramaxian film about an artist ever created. Only unstable artistic personalities-- the Van Gogh mold-- are chosen. We see their genius, and then they self-destruct. They are punished for their talent-- punished for daring to be superior to us. Entertainment is not complete without the entire cycle. Were we to only see their genius, we would merely be reminded of our own inferiority. This winning formula is dementedly, infinitely repeated (the recent films Walk the Line and Ray are virtually identical), particularly in the case of female artists --Sylvia Plath, Frida Kahlo, Diane Arbus, etc. etc. etc.--who dare to upend the ideological ordering of gender and are inevitably beset by neurosis, hysteria, disease, suicidal tendencies...
In My Super Sweet 16, a curious play of class is added to this formula. In reality these people are the most empowered members of society, caught in the midst of their appallingly lavish adolescences. But the camera is somehow able to make them suffer-- precisely because they don't know they are suffering-- and in that moment they go from victimizers to victims, felled in the subtlest of modes of class warfare.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Two observations:
--"They are punished for their talent-- punished for daring to be superior to us."
I would add: for daring to be superior to us in a way "we" (the viewer) never will or can be (i.e., creatively: you're born with talent). Reminds me of that Harper's article in which that anthropologist hypothesized that one of the consequences of late capitalism in America is the tendency of the working class to side with the rich powerful talentless asshole (who they might someday conceivably become) over the rich powerful intelligent leader--the latter not only being the product of, but standing for, an elite education system and world of culture which is even more inaccessible than big bucks.
--In the MTV sweet 16 show, the superwealthy families are frequently ethnic minorities (black, Latino) or immigrants (Persians, Armenians, etc.). I've seen some Jewish families. But never yet a classic superrich WASP household. Any significance?
I am relatively sure that my accursed acne episode featured a wasp, but yes, there is a conspicuous number of "ethnic" types abusing their parents for the camera and staging nouveau-riche orgiastic spectacles.
The success of George W. Bush is absolutely an illustration of what you describe-- there is a perverse "American Dream" ideology there in which we are supposed to be comforted that a talentless idiot can get into the White House. If he can succeed, why can't we?
Post a Comment