Do you think that Sitcoms are a means of social engineering?

Basically, serving as "templates" for our own family and social lives???

Duh.
Third line.
Duh.

reply to post by SystemResistor


ohh god i hope not


threes company??

reply to post by darrman


Sad.
But true.

The purpose of a sitcom is to make lying funny.

Instead of being a serious breech of ethics,
it trivializes it and creates an environment where
anyone can dabble in lying as long as one starts small.

The formula is pretty simple.
For example: Husband is embarrassed and lies to wife. Hyjinx ensues.


David Grouchy

reply to post by davidgrouchy

Honeymooners. Classic equation. I picked up the entire collection at a thrift for five bucks.
And all the Bilko for six.

No. Movies do that. Sitcoms repeat the same plots from other sitcoms. Plus no one watches them.

I think movies are more targeted at peoples brains.

reply to post by davidgrouchy


lying to my wife----

hyjinx NEVER insues....

Here are some clips from popular sitcoms with the laugh track removed:





I notice many techniques that generally go underneath the radar of the average individual, such as slight adjustments to the voice levels, what appear to be slightly synthesized voices, slightly sped-up and slowed-down sections, as well as the framing and zoom effects. It takes a highly objective mind to really see the camera and editing techniques that are used, eventually one breaks through the illusion and sees these shows for what they really are.

reply to post by darrman

Drummer?
Ppppprrrrrmmmmmm
Bump.

reply to post by TerryMcGuire

So Resister

eventually one breaks through the illusion and sees these shows for what they really are.

What would that be? Just money and the lowest common denominator or what?

Yup, has been and always will be. Just changed a bit with reality TV's dysfunctions, but aren't most of them fake anyway...

reply to post by TerryMcGuire


Basically, as if the shows were designed by social psychologists. There are various moral "lessons", and a kind of "modelling" takes place where the audience models thier own personality and behaviour on the character archetypes. Its difficult for most to realise as they would have been conditioned by these shows since they were young children, almost entire personalities owe thier characteristics to the shows that they watch on television.

At 0:41 says it all pretty much....

reply to post by JibbyJedi


Yes. You could say that.

reply to post by SystemResistor


Well, yeah.

Sitcoms, "reality" programs, team sports, television "news".

Everything on the screen has several purposes.

Primary in the minds of the networks, is to allow them to sell advertising dollars. They attempt to make the shows "entertaining" in order to do this.

But, within there is certainly social engineering taking place. The crime-drama where the police nab the bad-guy every week. The sitcom showing unrealistic depictions of life, which people aspire to emulate. The "news" where comment and reporting blur further and further all the time.

reply to post by SystemResistor

Basically, as if the shows were designed by social psychologists. There are various moral "lessons", and a kind of "modelling" takes place where the audience models thier own personality and behaviour on the character archetypes. Its difficult for most to realise as they would have been conditioned by these shows since they were young children, almost entire personalities owe thier characteristics to the shows that they watch on television.
edit on 7-5-2011 by SystemResistor because: (no reason given)

If true, and I think you are correct, then this understanding of things would undercut a whole lotta peoples sense of personal identity. It's no wonder this idea is not generally accepted.

reply to post by SystemResistor


read my signature

reply to post by SystemResistor


Well, there's another possible explanation for why I'm so weird. I never watched any sitcoms, hardly got to watch any TV at all as a child. Even now I don't watch sitcoms, or soap operas, or reality tv shows ...

I came to this thread to tell you "no, they're just a reflection of the apathy and (lack of) intelligence and education of the masses." As classroom lessons must be targeted for the slowest students in the class, TV shows must be targeted to the lowest levels of the audience. But .. perhaps I'm wrong.

If they are social engineering, the ones I've unintentionally watched some of seem to be trying to get us all to be smart-mouthed, stupid, gullible, and totally preoccupied with minor and meaningless issues.

I've been wary of sitcoms 'programming' for a while. Specifically it's portrayal of men and womens 'roles' - men are often portrayed as bumbling insensitive idiots, while the women are strong and intelligent.

I've seen these similar roles being played out in my friends marriages - She's always right and always puts him down and insults him, and he slips into the bumbling husband role.

Case in point - Everybody loves Raymond, The Honeymooners, Friends...etc etc...Men are being put down and dumbed down by these 'examples' of what relationships and genders are supposed to be like.