I agree that some fun is necessary. However, saying “fun is necessary” and then using that statement to say “hundreds of hours a week of fun is necessary” is folly. In my case, I wish to be the best Sci-fi/fantasy writer that I can possibly achieve. MY entertainment is productive. It inspires. I don’t, however, play hundreds of hours of solitaire, or spend 80 hours a week playing pointless video games allowing my mind to adapt into a routine of languor. (of course I am not blessed with an above average or genius level intellect)
I suppose Einstien was a poor example. He was graced with a massive intellect. I wonder though, If Bill Gates or any of the countless others that have reached the pintacle in thier proffession stick to this “mindless entertainment is useful” creed. The few rather sucessful people I know, are too damn busy to watch 20 hours of TV a week.
As somebody that actually has to WORK for his intelligence(IQ ~95), and work hard to keep it, I of course have a bias against those that don’t have to work. Even more so if they waste it. I guess the more intelligent a person is, the more inclined they are to invent justifications to do stupid shit. So good of justifications that they themselves are irrevocably convinced. Maybe that is why there are so many pathetic Mensa members with ungodly IQ’s working at Quick and Go, watching 100 hours of TV, instead of appying themselves and actually making something of themselves.
But what do I know, I am not a Mensa member, thank god. I actually work for my shit, and don’t have a free Genetic hand out. (issues, what issues?)
I just saw Jackass earlier today. I thought it was goddam hilarious.
When the show was first on, I’d catch an episode every once in a while, and my reaction was something along the lines of “This is really fucking stupid. This is utterly vile and profoundly disturbing. How can anyone find this amusing?.. I can’t stop watching.”
Of course, I’m 24, male, and given to doing stupid things for the amusement of others (well below their league, of course, I’m willing to eat balls of wasabi for a couple bucks, but snorting it would be too much).
Fallacious? (Note the correct spelling here.) I fail to see how this is in any way an appeal to authority, considering you were talking about Einstein (again, note the spelling) himself. Now, granted, you said he didn’t spend a majority of his time goofing off, which is probably true. That doesn’t make goofing off a sin, though. I myself did absolutely nothing today other than play games and watch TV, a much needed break from schoolwork.
Generalize much? I do spend a lot of time on thought puzzles and more mindless activities, but I’m also studying languages and linguistics at school, as well as working a part time job every single weekday evening. If I didn’t indulge in mindless activity, I’d probably become even more irritable and harder to work with than I naturally tend to be.
I applaud your work at bettering yourself, and I certainly wouldn’t scoff at it. If you want to spend every waking minute doing something productive, that’s simply wonderful. Yet, I don’t see how it gives you carte blanche to look down your nose at people you see as smart but lazy.
I guess it all boils down to: what does it matter if other people like Jackass?
[sub]Note: the above spelling corrections were not intended as an attempt to make Epithemeus look bad. Merely trying to help you better yourself, after all.[/sub]
I did generalize. That was wrong of me and I appologize. I was cranky and sleepy and I let that effect my judgement.
Thank you for that correction. It doesn’t matter if people like Jackass or not. (that wasn’t my point) Only if you like Jackass, The Simpsons, Buffy, Greed, Survivor, and 5 or six other sitcoms in one day, every day.
I personally don’t like the show…y’all have the right to like it, but
Why NOT mention the kids? You wanna laugh and think it’s funny when someone brings this up, but I think it’s incredibly irresponsible and wrong for kids to see this kind of stuff. And for the record I am NOT anywhere close to being conservative.
And I will admit that the kids who attempt to do the stunts in jackass are few, but they’re out there. Where are you empirical studies that say kids won’t attempt these stunts…there IS a disclaimer you say…well, THAT should stop kids… then on to the argument that parents should make sure their kids don’t watch this or are supervised when they do…hmm yeah that stopped ME every time as a little kid…never did anything my parents told me not to do…
The POTENTIAL of kids attempting the stunts in this show/movie is too high for me compared to its intrinsic value. Therefore, I’m against it and make fun of me if you will…
(I remember that poor kid setting himself on fire because he was copying jackass…the “funniness” of the show ain’t gonna make THAT up.
There was no kid who set himself on fire because of “Jackass”. There was a kid who hurt himself, but I think it was a skateboarding stunt. Are you thinking of the fire that was blamed on Beavis and Butthead?
Yep, there SURE was a kid who did that…tried to burn lighter fluid off of himself and set himself on fire…horrible scars…it was on dateline or some such program. It was on videotape…they were “trying out” for jackass.
Yep, there SURE was a kid who did that…tried to burn lighter fluid off of himself and set himself on fire…horrible scars…it was on dateline or some such program. It was on videotape…they were “trying out” for jackass.
There WERE no “tryouts” for Jackass. They did not even look at the video tapes that were sent to them. They made this clear at the beginning and end of every episode. The idiot who burned himself did so on his own, completely without any sanction or knowledge of the tv show. He was not a "poor kid, " he was a fucking moron.
Diogenes the quotes were to indicate that they were not literally trying out, rather they thought that the show might look at the tapes despite it’s stance on that issue. Sorry if I indicated otherwise.
The mere fact that they receive these types of tapes indicate a problem.
I agree that he was an idiot, but he IS a poor kid as he’s scarred for life…I never indicated the tv show sanctioned it…just gave kids some good ideas and may have given them the imprssion it was cool to do these things.
I’m sorry to say it, but when are people (kids included) expected to take responsibility for THEIR OWN actions? I’ve seen a lot of crazy, stupid shit, but I didn’t try them. The show itself had enough disclaimers and such to discourage all but the dumbest of the dumb to try the stunts they were pulling. I think I’ve just run out of sympathy for anyone who says “but I saw it on TV!”. Fer the love of cheese.
I’m not one for the “poor kid”, either. I also don’t believe in “giving kids ideas” from TV (or videogames, for that matter). What parent was letting their kid even WATCH this show, by the way? That’s what I’d like to know.
Look, my parents were awesome, but if I’d have heard about that type of show, I’d have found a way to get around parental censorship to see it.
Depending on age and impressionbility (is that a word?!) this show could be very harmful. If my little brother saw this anytime before he hit 12, I guarantee that he’d have tried some of that crap and more likely than not gotten hurt. Why?! Was he stupid…nope he’s genius level, but he’s not good at that impulse control thing and he likes to get high on adreneline.
My stance against this show/movie is that I know too many kids that would have/have been influenced in a bad way by it.
From the few bits of the show I’ve seen, I thought that audience was shown, in detail, any injuries the Jackasses inflicted on themselves. Viewers have no reason to think ‘I can do that without hurting myself’ after seeing SteveO and the rest get stitches, casts, etc. Jackass depicts stupid and dangerous behavior. It also depicts the consequences of that behavior.
No problem. I see what you’re getting at, too, and there can be such a thing as too much.
As to the topic, I myself don’t watch Jackass–I do think it’s a bit moronic, truth be told–though the commercials for the movie are hilarious, and I enjoyed watching Johnny Knoxville on Conan O’Brien a few nights ago. I do like to watch Trigger Happy TV, a Brit show on Comedy Central with the same sort of humor, only a lot less destructive and a lot more…I dunno. Insane.
I concur with Zette, too. Even kids should be able to realize that what the guys on Jackass are doing is dumb and dangerous and should not be tried at home. Then again, I’m an idealist.
