Friday, March 9, 2012

Nice Television and Conversation Direction

    Is it just me, or are we all starved for nice television. Well spoken, well mannered, well dressed, beautifully educated people with decent families respectfully trying to get along with each other and striving to live their lives positively and happily.
   Enough of the foul mouthed, ill mannered, ill spoken, ill educated, mean, sloppy, selfish people treating each other horribly with utter and ultimate disrespect. As a Bruce Springsteen song once said: "57 channels and nothin' on." No kidding. Are we, as a country done yet with the grossness of "Reality TV?"
   Most clips of "Reality TV" I have seen (because I do not watch it), remind me of the Circus freaks I used to see in books from the turn of the last century. Yes, it is human nature to be drawn to the unusual, the sensational, the spectacular and fantastic. Eventually though, wouldn't we all rather spend our valuable free time happily escaping into a lovely world filled with some of the niceties in life?
    The British drama, "Downton Abbey," is set during the turn of the last century, at the height of the  Edwardian Age. It is a  huge hit across the pond with 12 million viewers and is becoming a success here in the USA as it took home a Golden Globe award this year. Downton Abbey has a few Facebook pages devoted to this show and folks adore the every day politeness, manners and general respect the characters show each other. Yes, life happens and human beings make mistakes, but the downs in Downton Abbey are a far cry from the foul, crying, unfair and nasty downs we all have to suffer through in watching Reality TV.       
   Speaking of Edwardian manners, did y'all know that during the first course of a meal, guests would talk in one direction (for example, to the right), then for the second course, guests would talk in the other direction (for example, to the left), and so on. For dessert, guests spoke to whomever they wished. The direction was set by the Hostess. This way, everyone at the table gets to speak and is spoken to, and no one is ignored. Civilized conversation. Fair and very nice.