Dumb

Why don't people on TV watch TV? Well, to be fair, sometimes they do, usually some old crap, stuff that people don't really watch. But in general, people on TV spend their evening down the pub or visiting each others' houses.
It's annoying. If we didn't watch TV, we would, apparently, suffer from depression, but we'd also have twice the amount of time we have now, we'd have our daytime life and our evening life.

But you do learn things from TV that you couldn't possibly learn anywhere else. For example, I learnt from watching 'Reaper' that even the Devil washes his hands after going to the toilet. Who knew? And what does what say about the skanks who don't?

Then there's reality and non-reality. I don't mean reality TV. But consider two programmes we've been watching recently.
The first one is 'The Tudors'. Sleepy sent me an article in the Daily Nazi this week that I found I almost totally agreed with. The story of Henry the Eighth is so compelling that it doesn't need to be tortured and invented. The Beeb claimed artistic licence. Well they must need their bumps read. When something has the BBC stamp on it, you expect everything to be polished, historically correct and correctly pronounced.
But not so. Rhys Meyers continues to take liberties with the language whilst the writers continue to take liberties with history.
'If you accept American money,' said several of the commentators, 'I'm afraid you must expect Americanisation.' In this case, I'm afraid that Americanisation equals dumbing down.
One commentator pointed out that Katherine of Aragon had quoted TS Elliot. Dear God.
And I have reached the point where I would like to punch Jonathon Rhys Meyers in the face and honestly - in my entire life, I have never punched anyone.

On the other hand, the excellent series 'Waterloo Road', shows where it is acceptable to use a bit of artistic licence.
The school seems to have a staff of about eight, and a student body of twenty, and yet they show things that really do happen in schools unlike the usual romanticised rubbish.
In this week's episode, the Head tried to exclude a pupil who had sexually threatened a member of staff.
The parent came in and complained about the pupil being picked on. They actually tried to get the exclusion rescinded, to 'win' against the school. This happens.
The member of staff had to give evidence at a hearing, where her word was doubted because she was the only one in the room apart from the boy. This happens.
The exclusion was reduced from permanent to 15 days. This happens.
It was all so real it had to have been written by a teacher.

Off the topic of TV, but still on children's behaviour, I have noticed since doing the Halloween Howl play up to three times a day, how true it is that the kids, usually boys, well, to date it has been always boys, who make the most noise and draw attention to themselves, are the ones who won't touch the snakes, slugs and worms. The ones who claim they love yucky things, and who hassle the others the loudest, back off when faced with the beasties themselves.

And wouldn't you think, that parents who bring kids to a play, would perhaps NOT talk all the way through it?
And then there are the things that go missing.
While Alex and I have been indoors, our 'un-nature trail' for one of the programmes has gone missing. I can almost, almost mind you, understand the parachutist and the helicopter disappearing, but why oh why, would anyone crawl through brambles and undergrowth to take a plastic squirrel and a child's wellington boot?
Beggars belief.