If he thinks buffy is empowering to women then HE HASNT BEEN WATCHING and if he thinks the status quo is just dandy because it meets the needs of the industry ( as opposed to the American public who own the air waves) and therefore no one should try and change things - then this guy comes off just like the target demo NOW is complaining tv is being made for his hey its mine, its fine and if you don't like what you see, either turn the channel or press the off button comment well pretty much tells me his mental age/maturity
And this dude is a tv critic no wonder we get the dreck that is todays tv
Id say he needs a few letters as a wake up call
tgoodman@sfchronicle.com______
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/ar...161343.DTLBlinded by 'eye candy' idea, NOW misses new TV reality
Tim Goodman
Television, the limp dog that always gets beaten for society's woes, is regularly the subject of reports and polls and studies -- all of them negative.
If it weren't for our relentless distaste for political correctness, these watchdog-group yelpings would be easy to ignore. But the latest one -- that is,
until tomorrow, undoubtedly -- seems so sadly out of step that it merits attention.
It's the NOW Foundation's Third Annual Feminist Primetime Report. It's part of NOW's "Watch Out, Listen Up!" campaign, which, just a guess here, is completely honorable but ultimately preaches to the choir.
In light of the "Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" coming up on CBS, however, there's probably some merit in the report's existence.
But what's galling about this oversimplification of television is how wildly illogical it is. The report focuses on the six networks -- ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, the WB and UPN. The NOW Foundation used 80 teams of "feminist field analysts" from around the country to survey 107 programs during the beginning of 2002. It also peeked at the new fall season.
Kim Gandy, president of the NOW Foundation, said, "Network programming sends a distorted, often offensive image of women, girls and people of color --
brought to you through the point of view of white men and boys. Television remains very much a man's world, with women serving primarily as eye candy."
This is interesting, given that four of the six networks are programmed by women. Maybe it all comes down, as it normally does, to agendas and perspective.
Let's ignore the fact that there are an incredible number of smart, powerful women producing TV series at this very moment. Let's clump them with the four most powerful of all -- those running Fox, CBS, ABC and UPN.
Now, what are these "feminist field analysts" watching? In the report, there are references to wrestling and Drew Carey and "Fear Factor," etc. Never mind that the "Drew Carey" reference makes little sense and ABC is probably happy that someone is watching, since his show is regularly pummeled by everything short of the competition on PAX.
And can we all agree that there are huge portions of the TV menu that are just plain stupid? Most people know that going in. They understand that networks generally program for a younger audience, feature young, attractive people (both female and male) and that, ultimately sex sells -- and sells more with a flat belly and provocative cleavage.
Given that, is NOW really watching closely, or is it colored by agendas and skewed perspective? One look at the schedule reveals lots of strong women in the ever-popular crime and punishment genre and loads of them as the brains and pants-wearers in family sitcoms -- not to mention successful doctors, teachers, lawyers, vampire slayers and other empowering roles.
Are some of them "eye candy"? Sure. So are lots of men. Television is nothing if not all about eye candy. But you know what? There are lots of other people on TV who are not exactly Victoria's Secret models or Eddie Bauer catalog types either.
NOW's Gandy also had this to say: "TV bigwigs are using the incredible power of the medium to get rich by serving up an adolescent boy's fantasy world. Women and girls deserve better."
Yeah, it would be a shame for them to watch the great mother-daughter drama "Gilmore Girls" on the WB. Or see all those women as doctors on "Presidio Med. " You wouldn't want them to see all the female FBI agents and detectives on TV.
Or watch television's two biggest girls-kick-butt dramas, "Alias" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
The list goes on and on. It far outweighs the easy targets that are routinely held up for the now-tiring "j'accuse!" role.
The NOW Foundation's report said it judged shows on four criteria: "gender composition/diversity, violent content, sexual exploitation and social responsibility."
On the last one, well, hold on just a second while we get up from the floor,
having fallen down laughing hysterically. "Field analysts commented on the low level of maturity in prime-time TV and its overall lack of interest in social issues."
Did they also comment about their frail understanding of reality as it relates to commercial television, profits and viewer expectation? How about moronic wish fulfillment?
Look, TV is an easy target. That's why these things crop up so often. But political correctness ought to at least be tempered by some sense of reality or reasoned analysis. In one passage, the NOW report says, "In family comedies,
women frequently play the sensible, hardworking, wife-mommy to a lazy, immature husband."
And this is a bad thing? Oh, for the days when little girls could watch TV and see Alpha Dad do all the work and get all the smart lines and Mommy could wear an apron and sleep in a separate bed.
"Sadly missing," the report says, "is a strong, high-profile comedic character in the tradition of 'I Love Lucy,' 'Murphy Brown,' 'Mary Tyler Moore' or 'Roseanne.' "
Forget that neither Lucy nor Mary would be considered strong under most definitions, but what kind of slight is NOW giving to Patricia Heaton from "Everybody Loves Raymond" or Jane Kaczmarek from "Malcolm in the Middle," among many other strong women on television?
Here's an idea for the NOW Foundation -- watch more closely. Watch without prejudice. Factor in a dose of reality and, if you don't like what you see, either turn the channel or press the off button.
E-mail Tim Goodman at
tgoodman@sfchronicle.com.
