I’ve had some interesting conversations over the weekend with Rosie, James and Ben that have got me thinking again about the worth, or lack thereof, of soap operas. I used to hate them. As far as I was concerned, they were for people who preferred to spend their time following fictional creations rather than getting involved with real people and communities. I don’t think that anymore. After spending a year or so living with my wife’s Eastenders addiction, some of her arguments have begun to persuade me otherwise.
The soap opera can be an effective forum where ethical issues that would otherwise go un-discussed invite comments and opinions from all who watch. In a culture like ours, where morals and values tend to be ignored in much public discussion, the soap opera provides an opportunity to contemplate the good and the bad in life. Fair enough, there is a lot of rubbish around (anyone who saw Peggy Mitchell throw Chrissy into the grave of twice dead Dirty Den will agree), but many serious issues are also covered (e.g, Adoption, terminal illness and child abuse to name but a few).
What do you reckon?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
As with everything, I think soap operas can provide good forum for debate. Whether we like it or not, they offer running social commentaries on many levels and are full of moral dilemmas.
The phrase "everybody's talking about it" nabbed by eastenders bosses is quite apt. The masses do not flock to the theatre anymore. They need a forum in which to meet and unite, and for the time being, soaps seem to do the job in their wide ranging appeal and mass coverage. Even the Queen watches them (is that true?).
And for the majority of them, the moral framework is there. There are goodies and baddies and, of course, reformed characters. It reminds me of 19th century melodrama. People know who to boo and hiss and when to cheer the hero. But we all know life is not as simple as that. We can laugh at these outlandish characters and the crazy stunts they pull, but the absurd inevitably points us to the complexities of life and, hopefully, provokes us into discussion and (jon's fave word) dialogue. Soaps provide a starting point for discussion at least.
And yes, they do cover some hard-hitting issues. Again, how in-depth or profound they are often leaves much to be desired, but at least they are there - flagged up on our tv screens.
Ideally, I think theatre is where it is at. Live interaction.
I would not advocate that soap operas were the only thing to watch or that watching all of them all the time is a good idea. But a healthy mix. Everything in moderation. We need soaps like we need panorama. All forms are equal.
I think the danger lies whereby reality tv shows become like the latest soap and real people become the stars/characters. If soap operas are meant bring out our sadistic sides, then reality tv is, in my opinion, far worse.
Soaps like Eastenders are created to make us feel better about ourselves. There's always a character worse off than you and that provides reaasurance for the whole country to keep living their ordinary lives. It's a propaganda tool to ensure our country is maintained!
Victoria, you sound like my wife (that's a complement not a diss, in case your reading dear). I also think that theatre (and also film) are better mediums given their greater depth and better writers.
Question: what makes soap opera, or any fictional narrative for that matter different to the reality television shows/ celebrity following magazines. I don't think they are the same but I am struggling to see why. James reckons that the shows and magazines present limited facts in the form of a soap opera that in eseence is a fiction too. I wouldn't want to go that far but don't know why, any thoughts?
Tim, a conspiracy theorist in our midst. Do you reckon the government covertly fund soap operas? (talk to Trevor about this, he will lap it up, especially if you mention the involvement of the aluminati).
Justyn, I agree with you too. Nothing risky ever makes the main storylines, but is that a bad thing? Also, I'm not sure that these issues would surface just in general conversation or through the newspapers. Morals and values tend not to be discussed generally (in my experience); the soap opera provides an effective forum where this can take place.
Ben, I think that a fair amount of discussion does get generated, it certainly does in our house and with people who I talk to about Eastenders.
Theatre is only 'group' in the sense that people sit next to each other in silence and then go their seperate ways without talking to each other. I prefer theatre because it feels more real and is generally a better quality than the soap operas.
if you look at how soap operas are used in other countries/cultures, you can see they actually have much more use than in the uk. Some places/governments, eg South America, use soap operas as one of the main ways of getting political and social messages out, and often in poor countries, millions watch soap operas, whereas access to in depth written literature or theatre is unavailable or inappropriate. eg for something like hiv [sorry to harp on] soap operas can play a huge role in raising awareness as they have such a broad reach and potential to simply raise awareness, and several NGOs actively fund stuff like this. We are lucky that here we can access a massive range of educational resources, literature etc, but others are often not so lucky.
Theatre is more 'group' than you describe Jon, I would argue. Its a collective experience. Your perception of the piece is altered when viewing it alone / as a group. The mood, the reactions, it all informs your experience of the piece. People may not sit and discuss in the aftermath, but there are many ways we speak to each other than with words.
I understand you are talking about traditional pieces where the audience sits in a darkended auditorium. But there are other types of interactive theatre too, where audience members participate in the drama and will get up onstage to conclude pieces, for example.
But I definately agree with you that theatre can be more 'real' to us and that you can engage with the action and characters in a deeper way.
p.s. I would only ever take being likened to Becky as a compliment of the highest order. Get her on a blog!
p.p.s. And did you know, we are coming to Swansea this weekend. Are you guys free to meet up?
Bexter, good point. I have nothing to add.
Victoria, I stand corrected. Maybe I should leave commenting on theatre to you drama people.
Ben, you are right, it was Becky's argument. And the hate is mutual.
Victoria, would be good to see you guys this weekend. We are free on Saturday evening if you are up for it.
Post a Comment