Has television done its work too well?

Gizmodo: What Happened To Cause the Big Bang?


Has society been rendered devoid of logical reasoning?... Has television done its work too well?

Some examples of ... like, duh!

#1:

Guardian: Say Nope to the Pope

• In mass protest, demonstrators against Catholic church apply for free tickets but will not be attending

But a loyal (therefore irrational?) believer condemns the action:

• “Protest is legitimate and OK, but denying other people the opportunity to attend a mass or an event is not legitimate protest in my view and is most unfair. It should be condemned”...

Huh? Had they actually gone to see the pope, they would still have been denying others the opportunity to attend. The complainer himself would be guilty as well.

Personally, I like this protest. It's a bit like handing back your election ballot to officially "decline to vote". People who should know better are so stunned they don't think straight.

See also: Ford Nation and a Sleazy Election All Round

In the case of the pope and other self-styled leaders who set strict rules of conduct for their followers yet personally flout the finer teachings of Jesus, Jehovah, Muhammad et al, they should consider the possibility that they might not get away with it indefinitely.

.........................

#2:

Guardian:  Big Bang Theory Ending After Twelve Seasons

• The inexplicably popular geek sitcom has announced that its 12th season will be its last. Its demise should come as a relief to everybody

Agree with the sentiment, but am not so sure it's inexplicable. I think The Big Bang Theory has remained popular because it provides a legal outlet for all kinds of vicious prejudice. Let's face it -- it's what bullying and trolling are all about.

Viewers are encouraged to jeer at:

• absurdly nerdy science types, one of whom suffers from Asperger's syndrome;
• a brown foreign guy who has wealthy, domineering parents, is unable to speak in the presence of a female, and is suspected of having too close a relationship with his dog;
• a professor with a serious speech defect;
• a wimpy little Jew who dresses funny, has problems with the truth and who marries the equivalent of his invasive and shrill mother (the deliberately exaggerated sound of either of their voices sets the teeth on edge);
• the fact that all of the mothers in the series are portrayed as emasculating nutcases;
• the main character is patently gay and emotionally attached to Penny's boyfriend/husband, but hooks up with a dumpy female who is secretly attracted to Penny but will take any relationship she can get;
• Penny is a stereotypical dumb blonde who regurgitates science theory by rote, and whose breasts and derriere play peek-a-boo just often enough to keep slack-jawed oglers glued to the screen in anticipation.

Jeer at any one of these types at school or work or on the street and you may be charged with racism, sexism, ableism, mentalism, antisemitism, bullying, anti-LGBT+, and at the very least considered grossly hurtful and disrespectful.

Yes, I watched it until I just couldn't anymore. But that's how I know its popularity is explicable.

-------------------------

​#3:

Not sure what to make of the following blog item:
Wape Jokes Awen’t Funny, And Neither Is My Speech Impediment

The author seems to decry that fun is made of speech impairment, yet finds a midwestern accent "unbeawable".  Does it seem to you that prejudice is universal and totally irrational?

Image: "... researchers found that people with both relatively higher and lower levels of cognitive ability show approximately equal levels of intergroup bias, but towards different sets of groups."