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Addendum Issue 059
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Addendum
URL: http://www.adden.tr.cx/
Issue# 59 : Poor Mr Orwell
28th May 2002
Author: Steak
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A recent change in normal TV has taken place, people are watching less
fictional or non-fictional TV in favour of new "reality TV" shows like
survivor, boot camp and big brother, the latter of which I want to talk
about
Now I personally really do not like this show, I won't go into the
reasons here because it would go on for too long, lets just say that
I personally don't find watching people just do there everyday boring
lives all that fun, but thats just me, many people do and thats ok.
What I do object to though is the fact that people are calling this
TV show a 'Psychology experiment' and feeling good about themselves
because of it. It is in essence not a psychology experiment.
These people have never even studied psychology, and even if they did
they would have forgotten all that they were taught because of years
and years of boring mundane burger-flipping mc'Jobs
As any year eleven psychology (and any science really) student will
tell you, if they have been paying attention that is, which is in actually
very unlikely looking at most year eleven students...
Anyway the good ones will tell you that any experiment undertaken in a
science has to be a fair test, It has to be, it is essential, there must be
a control to see what would happen normally if there was no experimenter
involvement. Also, no single variable in the experiment can in anyway
affect the outcome of another variable. (unless of course you need them
to..)
It also has to be a random selection, by random that means that names
are put into a random number generator and basically, pulled out of a hat.
This ensures that the process of selection is random and is therefore
a fair selection of the population. This is the most important thing.
Big brother is does not follow any of these rules. The applicants have
to go through an audition process to find out about them and weather or
not they will make good entertainment. Weather or not the statistics will
like them (lets face it, to the TV companies you are just number 14787)
or if they will hate them. Will they make good 'in-house' entertainment
because whats so fun about watching some people just talk all day, they
want things to happen. for example, they may decide (and I think they
already have) to put a homosexual or bisexual and a homophobic person
together in the hope that some fights will break out and that the
statistics will be able to create strong views on the subject and get
angry, hence good entertainment value.
They also commercialize the thing right over the top grabbing any
possible advertising they can, scrolling banners on TV, adverts,
on mobile phones, on radio, in newspapers anywhere they can put there
filthy pours they will plant a "Big Brother is watching you sticker"
Gorge Orwell (who created the concept of big brother in his political
book '1984') would puke if he could see what was happening here.
In the shows original concept it may have been a "psychology experiment"
but as soon as the corporations got there hands on it they twisted it
out of shape into something disgusting that makes me want to die
every time I see it.
If you love the show, apologies, but I really can't stand it. Now I
must stop writing before I turn into some kind of hellish incarnation
with all this anger.
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Addendum
(C) Steak May 2002
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