Yet Another Sign of the Impending Apocalypse...
There's a show on the WB called "Dance:360" that attempts to bridge the gap between the courtroom dramas of early afternoon and the well... courtroom dramas of late afternoon. (It is the WB, after all. Their show selection does not exactly inspire moments of glory.)
Usually the show features 18-24 year olds. Two gentlemen (who I assume are somehow famous) pick six of them out, quickly interview them one by one, and then watch them dance. Here's how it goes:
Famous Guy: Where you from, girl?
Dancer: My name is Alyssa and I'm from I-OW-WA!!!
Famous Guy: I-OW-WA!!!! in the house! Let's hear it, people.
At this point, a group of people that would be hard pressed to find Iowa on a map go nuts for the Hawkeye State. Then the music goes on and the person dances in the middle while everyone cheers.
This is fine- I watched it one time for shock value and then changed the channel. If people want to dance, God bless 'em- it's their right. But I don't want to watch it.
Today as I was changing the channel (my wife was watching the Larry Elder show and it had ended) I was reintroduced to the show. Yep, it was the same show.
Only with kids.
This is the definition of ridiculous. One of the contestants seemed hell-bent on proving that "white girls can dance", which sent the crowd into an uproar. That's why I dance- to destroy negative cultural stereotypes. One boy appeared to suffer from an epileptic fit upon hearing the music- once it ended, he returned to a quiet kid who stood in the corner.
The saddest thing about all of this is that there are actually parents who drove and flew their children in from all over the country to be on a cable TV show in an effort to make them famous and live vicariously through them. These are the same parents that will criticize the children when they get home for missing a step or losing the competition.
When I grew up, I watched game shows, which at least reinforced the idea that it might one day pay to know something no one else does. These kids, on the other hand, learn that it's more valuable to move their bodies to a rhythm. Which is all great and good, but I'm curious to see how it will translate to the job market and the real world.
Usually the show features 18-24 year olds. Two gentlemen (who I assume are somehow famous) pick six of them out, quickly interview them one by one, and then watch them dance. Here's how it goes:
Famous Guy: Where you from, girl?
Dancer: My name is Alyssa and I'm from I-OW-WA!!!
Famous Guy: I-OW-WA!!!! in the house! Let's hear it, people.
At this point, a group of people that would be hard pressed to find Iowa on a map go nuts for the Hawkeye State. Then the music goes on and the person dances in the middle while everyone cheers.
This is fine- I watched it one time for shock value and then changed the channel. If people want to dance, God bless 'em- it's their right. But I don't want to watch it.
Today as I was changing the channel (my wife was watching the Larry Elder show and it had ended) I was reintroduced to the show. Yep, it was the same show.
Only with kids.
This is the definition of ridiculous. One of the contestants seemed hell-bent on proving that "white girls can dance", which sent the crowd into an uproar. That's why I dance- to destroy negative cultural stereotypes. One boy appeared to suffer from an epileptic fit upon hearing the music- once it ended, he returned to a quiet kid who stood in the corner.
The saddest thing about all of this is that there are actually parents who drove and flew their children in from all over the country to be on a cable TV show in an effort to make them famous and live vicariously through them. These are the same parents that will criticize the children when they get home for missing a step or losing the competition.
When I grew up, I watched game shows, which at least reinforced the idea that it might one day pay to know something no one else does. These kids, on the other hand, learn that it's more valuable to move their bodies to a rhythm. Which is all great and good, but I'm curious to see how it will translate to the job market and the real world.
posted by Yorick at 12:10 PM
1 Comments:
What's not real about a world where dancing is a great form of leisure, excercise and self-expression?
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