TV's Cancer

Newton Minow once referred to a day of watching television as "a vast wasteland" to the National Association of Broadcasters in 1961. Even then, he had no idea how far TV had to fall.


Here's a tiny sampling of how bad TV has curdled:

The Discovery Channel
Then: Documentaries on science, technology, and history
Today: Reality shows (Dirty Jobs, Mythbusters, American Chopper)

MTV
Then: Tons of music videos, Mark Goodman rambling, Martha Quinn looking adorable
Today: Reality shows (The Hills, My Super Sweet 16, Paris Hilton's My New BFF)

The Learning Channel
Then: The Learning Channel: "A Place for Learning Minds" Documentaries on nature, cooking, and home improvement
Today: Now TLC:"Life Unscripted" Reality shows (Junkyard Wars, What Not To Wear, Jon & Kate Plus Shoot Me in the Fucking Face With a Shotgun)

I'm anxiously waiting for reality shows to die forever. Because I can't justify buying a widescreen TV just to watch banal repetitive shit like this (feel free not to watch the whole thing):



Purgatory is full of reality stars, all milling about and not making friends. And definitely not reading.

*EDITOR'S NOTE: I realize "National Lampoon's European Vacation" is not a reality show. It just fits in with the theme of TV going to hell.