Why do conspiracy theorists attack TV shows but not movies for dumbing down America?

This is just a general observation I have rather than an expose. Basically over the past year I used to watch movies with other people to try to "fit in with them". That used to be all I did. I still like watching movies with other people just for the heck of it. But I've kind of grown tired of doing that and I think I've started to get more into TV shows that I like.

Back in the past I used to think that watching TV was stupid because nothing made any sense and it perpetuated a sense of ADHD into the people that watched it. We would watch endless repeats. There was no coherence to anything. Movies were simpler and they were just one thing and you could watch it and have a pure sense of enjoyment just from watching the movies.

The more I think about it the more I realize that TV shows are actually a lot deeper than movies and if we watch a TV show enough we end up learning a lot about social relationships and it gets us to think about things that have to do with the world.

It is simple to say that the world is not like it is on TV. Of course it isn't. Life is not as glamorous or as fascinating as it is on TV. But the medium of TV is more like the medium of a book than we think it is. Now that we have Netflix and Hulu we are able to access the shows we want and watch them when we want to.

Television has become far more Democratic. The web is now more like TV was meant to be. It is more bottom-up than the TV being more top-down.

Our problem with TV shows lied with the networks and how everything was top-down when Cable companies dominated and controlled how TV shows were ran on the air.

I say that movies (minus the exception like the Matrix) are the cause of these problems. Movies dumb people down. Not TV shows.

reply to post by Frankidealist35


I disagree
Soap operas and series are in your face on a daily or weekly basis, people set their lives to be at home or record their favorite show and watch it in between other shows they watch.

A movie is something you get engrossed in for 2 hours and then think about off and on for the next couple of days.

I dont see movies as daily programming, although yes they are full of gore sex and violence just the same, they are usually pay per view.

TV shows on the other hand, day and and day out, daily dumbing down, like daily tap water.

It is simple to say that the world is not like it is on TV

I'd say the world is exactly like the TV. People are mimickers, they duplicate what they see. They look, act, dress, and think like the TV... as was said in the movie Network.
www.youtube.com...

Movies play a similar role. Many films have different purposes. One being, to ridicule the term "conspiracy theorists", check Woody Harrelson in 2012...


Just because I have long hair & a beard doesn't mean I live in a trailer concerned about 2012... I just live near trailers concerned about 2012, difference!

Originally posted by Frankidealist35

I say that movies (minus the exception like the Matrix) are the cause of these problems. Movies dumb people down. Not TV shows.

But how are they using movies to dumb down people, and what tools are they utilizing?

Maybe relevant:

www.abovetopsecret.com...

reply to post by Frankidealist35


It goes much further. All of the entertainment contributes. Movies, tv shows, video games, etc. But in my opinion the one thing that hurts people more than any other is the news. The mainstream media lies to people every single night and people believe them because they think the news is only reporting facts. They also are much worse about spreading certain stereotypes.

A great example is Ron Paul. (not trying to derail, but this is a perfect example) They call him crazy, a conspiracy nut, a dangerous man on foreign policy, etc. But he's not crazy. He predicted the housing bubble, the financial crisis of 2008. The CIA and foreign policy experts agree with his foreign policy, etc. BUT... because the media says it, people believe it. They don't go and research on their own. The media is God to them.

Anything that causes people to become completely engrossed to where reality is 2nd to fantasy will result in the dumbing down. People are more caught up in movies and video games than they are in what bills are being passed in the government. Distractions everywhere!

IDK I hear ATS complaining about movies and TV regularly.

reply to post by EagleTalonZ


This thread isn't about Ron Paul so please stay on topic.

Though I do like that image from "They Live". I actually watched this again the other day and it never fails to blow my mind over and over.

Originally posted by The Sword


This thread isn't about Ron Paul so please stay on topic.

I did stay on topic. Using Ron Paul is an absolutely perfect example of something happening right now...

People believing what they see on tv and not researching for themselves. My point was people are dumbed down by the media.

Oh, I definitely blame movies as well as TV. Take the movie "Beer Fest" or "Dude, where's my car?" for example. The movie dribble is everywhere and it plays just as much a role is promoting stupidity as a TV show.

The thing is though is that there are at least two viewpoints for every damn thing in existence. Media not being an exception. There are TV shows and movies that are well thought out, enlightening, cerebral and intelligent (obviously). You can't really lump it all into the "garbage" category just because you view it on a Television. TV and movies has played just as much a positive role in humanity as it has a negative one. You have to be intelligent enough to separate yourself from the garbage.


My. $0.02.

reply to post by Frankidealist35


I have been thinking about this for awhile now and tv shows leave other information out that you may not notice and I think this can be damaging if watched to much. Anyone notice the sheeple mimicking things they see on tv? I do for the most point agree with what poster said im just looking at it slightly different.

reply to post by Frankidealist35

good topic. my partner and i like to consider ourselves somewhat "movie critics" we've seen hundreds, maybe thousands of movies and we've noticed some things. there are far less "great" movies now compared to the past despite the monster budgets the movie makers receive, and the content of these movies are highly questionable. movies today are like drug pushers: pushing sex, homosexuality, drugs, drinking, anti-family agendas and a good portion of todays movies make me believe they are preparing us for disaster. aliens, epidemic disease, zombies, natural disasters. and they all use the same actors and the same basic scripts. it's like they're using some kind of computerized generator to come up with the new movies.