WK 8

 

    My television-viewing habits have changed drastically throughout the years. Initially I developed them when I was in preschool period, watching mostly cartoon channels like Cartoon Network and Jetix, this is what drove my interest for learning English. This is the period of time when I was watching television as my primary source of entertainment and also the period which comprised my entire TV watching experience. I would watch these channels every day after school, and also after homework was completed. What made me this viewing experience so interesting apart from the content of the cartoons was the fact that it was in a way a shared experience with my classmates. We grew up watching the same shows like Samurai Jack and Kids Next Door. Not watching these shows meant that I was missing out on something crucial and it excluded me from the group. Thus, to a certain extent it formed a sense of identity and belonging within me. My TV watching experience was slightly reduced in elementary school, where most of the shows were exchanged by the extremely lengthy Japanese animated series like Yu-Gi-Oh, Naruto and Bleach. However, I tried not to get too attached to these shows as they would go on for more than twenty seasons. The disenchantment with these shows was also caused by the fact that everyone seemed to be watching a different show in my class, so there was no real need to be an avid fan of any particular show. By the end of the fifth grade of elementary school my television-viewing experience had finished, as I got into computer gaming and disregarded television altogether. After that period, I never owned a TV in my room and I never felt the need for one. A desktop computer felt far more superior in terms of both what it could do and the kind of content it could provide. However, my gaming experience was soon finished after I started high school. Soon I started watching TV shows on streaming services and other various less legal sources (such as Stremio). This is when my viewing experience truly altered. For the first time ever, I was fully in control of what I watch, when I watch it and how I watch it. I was choosing shows based on the information I wanted to know such as various documentaries. For example, at the beginning of my first year of high school I was deeply fascinated with the Viking culture, and my favorite TV show at that time was Vikings. I was never a fan of sitcoms because I felt a sense of nervousness just by looking at the number of seasons and episodes of each particular sitcom. I preferred quality story driven miniseries such as True Detective or Taboo. The choice of these shows was finally a true part of my identity only this time it was regardless of what others were watching or what others thought was trending (e.g. I never watched Game of Thrones). I don`t like watching TV shows on popular streaming services like Hulu or Netflix not because I am a cheapskate but because I always feel like there is an agenda being pushed and certain shows are promoted more than they are truly worth. That is why I choose to use open-source applications and streaming software like Kodi and Stremio, which offer unlimited sources and endless possibilities. These days I am more into foreign cinema and TV shows because I am trying to understand different worldviews and perspectives from around the globe.

 

MAD MEN

    According to this show we see that America in the 60s was still functioning as if it were the 50s with all of its societal norms and gender roles. Don Draper is the exemplar of the category of successful men in the corporate world, wearing his expensive suits, tall, masculine and confident. However, he belongs to this old era, still living according to the 50s format. This show clearly distinguishes between the roles of men and women in this corporate world. Women usually work as secretaries and are not allowed to be present at the meeting of their male superiors. Peggy Olson is in one such position. It is expected of her to dress a certain way, and behave a certain way. Precisely, she is supposed to be attractive for her boss, and she is supposed to be flirtatious but in a submissive manner. Don Draper is supposed to have access to all women in the company, he shouldn’t even have to ask.

    This show is obviously sexist, but in a way that is painfully obvious that is why we should view it critically and learn from it how to overcome these tendencies to split people into roles based on their gender rather than viewing each person as an individual with certain qualities that can contribute to the society in their own way.