The Duty Of Entertainment

'Reality Television' reminds me of the absurdist comment in The Fountainhead, where Lancelot Clokey and his pals are chewing the fat; the critic says that in the future, there will be no drama, only everyday life and critics commenting on it.

Well.

It has happened. And Britain is leading the way. Big Brother is a supremely ironic title for something which really is Orwellian.

Meanwhile, Samizdat continues unabated.
There are literally dozens of totally and deliberately undistinguished 'police-type' dramas, in which the old fashioned notion of crime, criminals and justice has been replaced by grossly over-inflated public service announcements.
These include the 'medical' and 'pathology' dramas, in that they all provide opportunities to include various arms of the public service.

Also, schools are now part of the threadbare tapestry on unchallenging, witless and bored-witless non-dramatic dramas.
All aspects of television are ruled by carefully patronised racial profiling and stereo-type, obviously all 'positive' in that the the characterless flesh-lozenges present approved prejudices to camera, and the effect is like being a Catholic Priest hearing confessions at a Bores Anonymous convention.

This is called 'quality' 'entertainment'.

It is actually piss-poor crap.
Thank god for Ugly Betty(which thanks Latino Drama), thank god for the History Channel, thank god for re-runs.
But not of 'Friends', which suits the suits so much they practically devoted a whole channel to it, complete with miserable pastiche sponsorship sketches which stink of fan drama.