Concerning Each Other's Worlds

Anyone and everyone possesses the ability to criticize television. Why I do it might be slightly different from why you do it, and what I find in a television program may be the opposite of what you interpret. But this is what makes television criticism, with a forum to display such criticism, worthwhile. If I have interested you enough to keep reading you will discover my reasons for creating this blog and my goals for television criticism, the way in which I see how the role of television and its analysis is useful in today’s society, and that I can inspire you to make your own cases on this blog because it is through good, intelligent debate that we truly expand our knowledge.

I will admit that many times I watch television to escape reality for a time. I have not only seen every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I own them. But from time to time I take a closer look at the story being presented to me, and I see a commentary on the way the world is and the demons that our society faces. When I choose to take this closer look I am obtaining a greater understanding of our culture which leads to my greater appreciation of Buffy (feel free to substitute in your favorite show), which means that I am meeting the goal of criticism as stated by O’Donnell (2007) (4). This approach to criticism falls, to an extent, under the epistemological category presented by Sillars and Gronbeck (2001). I see television as addressing issues present in our society, allowing the audience to interpret the way in which it is presented and then come to their conclusions about what it is saying about our society and culture (15). So when I present my arguments for a certain reading of a television program, segment, commercial, you get the idea, I will be offering my reading of it and what it has to say about society to my readers and hopefully bringing about a discussion that will lead to greater understanding for all.

I do believe that people who share their opinions and critiques of television take into consideration that oversimplifications and generalizations can hinder the pursuit of greater understanding. Generalizations can appear when thinking of the audience. Sometimes the critic assumes that anyone falling under one large category will have similar beliefs and ways of interpreting texts. Brundson calls this fragmentation, when it is assumed that one group automatically has a relationship to a second, and that belonging to one precludes belonging to the other (314). This can be a little hasty. I will return to obsession, Buffy. Many critics say the show advocates feminism. But to assert that is the only way people interpret is incorrect, there are those who claim that, ‘Buffy may be “Barbie with a kung-fu grip”, but she is still Barbie’ (Jowett, p. 197). I guess the point I am trying to make is that television is a polysemy (Butler, 2002). Many different interpretations and readings can come from one show, and I invite you to share your readings with me.

Now, as you may have guessed by my screen name, I have a tendency to watch too much television. It happened not too long ago that after discovering a show on a Wednesday evening I downloaded all forty episodes off of Itunes, and watched them, by Sunday evening. Many Saturdays are spent watching 13 hours of one show straight. My taste in television is fairly broad, I am a big fan of the cop dramas like CSI, Life, Criminal Minds, and the Mentalist. I’d say my top five favorite programs all time would be Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The West Wing, Gilmore Girls, Veronica Mars (I want that movie to get made!), and Judging Amy. This is a fairly diverse group of shows, although looking at the list now I recognize they all share strong female characters. This blog is my attempt to quit just watching. I want to learn to have that critical eye that will grant be greater understanding of my culture, as well as greater enjoyment in the programs I watch. This blog will also invite those precious few of you who read this to give me your input on shows, their meanings, and anything else you find interesting. Hope to be hearing from you.

References

Brunsdon, C. (1993). Identity in feminist television criticism. Media, Culture and Society, 15: 309-320.

Butler, J. (2002). Television: Critical Methods and Applications (2^nd ed). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Corner, J. (1999). Critical Ideas in Television Studies. New York: Oxford University Press.

Jowett, L. (2005). Sex and the Slayer: A Gender Studies Primer for the Buffy Fan. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan UP.

O’Donnell, V. (2007). Television Criticism. New York: Sage.

Sillars, M. O. and Gronbeck, B. E. (2001). Communication Criticism: Rhetoric, Social Codes, Cultural Studies. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.