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Glorifying the Inglorious |
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Written by Richard Mbuthia
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Friday, 27 April 2007 |
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why some of the vices we stand on the roof tops to discourage are the very ones we contentedly sit down to watch on TV (to our detriment, no doubt)?
We grin, laugh, smile and purse our lips when we watch steamy love scenes and passionate kissing courtesy of the manifold soap operas that grace our sets. What would prevent a teenager from experimenting with what they watch? During the day we rebuke immorality, promiscuity and other such ‘vices'; In the evening it is served hot (on TV) for us to savour and join in the fray. Why this ambiguity? What message is being delivered to the audience at the end of the day? The soaps ‘teach' us that having multiple sexual partners is alright as long as you have the money to keep the ‘relationship' going. They also aim at making us believe that divorce is the sure-fire way of dealing with issues in marriage. Patience and perseverance in marriage are no-go zones according to these programmes that have lately taken Kenya by storm. A western mentality with regard to family ties and sexual relations is being slipped down our throats (without our noticing it) through these programmes. We open our arms to welcome their insidious notions and ideals. We try as much as we can not to miss an episode. I know a woman who sulks the whole evening if she is ‘disturbed' as she watches her favourite soap. When her husband wants to talk to her or asks her for food or bath water she gives a thousand and one excuses just to make sure that she watches the soap without missing any action. Talk of disrespect and disregard! Where are we headed if this is the status quo? I dare say, homes are crumbling and disintegrating thanks to the subliminal messages in the aforementioned. Though their story lines are very interesting and spellbinding, there is a dark abyss under their seemingly harmless façade.
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Ahh,now that I have that out of the way, let's get to the morality aspect of soap operas, which by the way is not peculiar to Kenya. In many parts of the world, many television viewers have the same reaction not only to soap operas, but also to the reality-tv craze.
I don't watch soaps, however, I have made an attempt to understand why they fascinate people so much.
1) the twists and turns are interesting drawing audiences to keep watching as each show ends with dramatic suspense.
2) the characters in the show are likeable, allowing viewers to have an emotional attachment to them
3)without a doubt the above appeal more to women and men thus the popularity of soaps by women over men.
There are other things that make soaps appealing.
Now, the problem with television and now the internet, it comes into your home invading not just your physical space, but also your time and thoughts. At the same time, I don't imagine that soap operas like movies will make an individual unfaithful much as a violent movie will make you go out and shoot.
However, parental control is imperative, for children and some teenagers have only the screen media as moral educators