Show And Tell Off

The other day, I was watching "Dog The Bounty Hunter". I found it to be the best out of a handful of poor options. It's a terrible show, but I was receptive out of a desire to have something on while I was eating. The show made me think of something that I have noticed in other shows. You'll have these shows that are supposed to be real, documentary-style programs, and they'll be about something like a pawn show or a mechanic's shop. They're anything but real.

They tend to be predicated on conflict and drama, typically of a familial nature. You find yourself wondering how they could ever make a dollar, squabbling more than they work. "American Chopper" was like this. You only ever saw a lot of sniping and backbiting, from which they would occasionally take breaks to make motorcycles. I would have liked the balance to be tipped in the other direction, but I suspect I was in the minority. All of the contrived drama proves to be rather lucrative.

I imagine that to be the reason most of these alleged business are able to make a go of it. It doesn't seem to me that many of these businesses have a fantastic profit margin unless a lot of television money floods into the coffers. Watching "Dog", I was struck by what a Keystone Kops operation they seemed to be running, but also by what resources they had to throw at their quarry. I would have been more interested if they had been operating under more realistic limitations.

My dislike of the show and its ilk are of no real consequence. From the start, they write off the likes of me (unless they count on everyone sooner or later having to watch for lack of an alternative). I shouldn't even be thinking about it. It's the equivalent of engaging with a crazy man on the street. You can't reason with him, so all you're doing is wasting time and risking some kind of violent confrontation. I should just walk away from this one.