brianlynchmd.com

[drlynch]

Certainly, over the last few years we can say that humiliation has been on the rise on TV. This has been most exemplified with "Reality TV".

That said I cannot honestly speak much about the those shows as I have never watched any of them but, as we all have, I have seen promotional spots.

Otherwise, of late and over the years, I have seen other shows that obviously play on our desire to see other people humiliated.

Two come to mind of recent. Law and Order: Criminal Intent and House MD. Both of these shows are very popular.

I have seen maybe ten episodes of the former. It is a detective series. A spin off of the long running "Law and Order" and is powered by a supposedly super brilliant detective that can psychologically profile the criminal. It is oddly written so that it culminates in a scene where the detective is able to corner the criminal and humiliate him/her.

The more I have watched the show the more I have concluded that the detective is the more disturbed person of them all. I have heard that on some of the episodes that there is some criticisms of the character written into the show but I have not seen any of them. I have also heard that there have been problems with renegotiating the actors contract. Just interesting. It is a question I would have for the list about acting about playing such parts. Would an affectively "stable" person have trouble playing an affectively unstable person? Or let me change that to playing one over and over in an on going role on stage or TV? I have heard that it is very difficult to do and in fact has been damaging to people.

Now in general, prosecutorial shows obviously are going to go for the punitive element. The above show is just the "worst" I have seen. The flagship "Law and Order" sometimes is not much better. Yet, of course, your local prosecutor's office is often probably much worse.

Now for "House, MD". There is much I like about he show. But first of all I must say I have only seen the complete first season and about two or three of last season.

I won't summarize the show if you have not seen it as it won't make much sense. Much of the impact has to do with the stylized setting and the force of House's character.

That said I am sure you can guess my dislike and that is his disdain for the "the clinic". The show, it seems to me, obviously takes the view of House and that is that his is the "real medicine". Real medicine is done in the lab and with the head. You don't need to see the patient. You can "call it in" . Almost all the patients in the clinic are "head cases" and deserve to be humiliated. All of this is not good at all. Yet the show is greatly redeemed by the fact that we see House as a complex personality had he is told over and over again that he is a "bastard" and that he should be more compassionate. We know he has been greatly damaged and that at the end of the day has a heart, actually a very big heart, as damaged souls often do.

I also like his postulate that "all patients lie." As they do, as well all do all the time, as we all do all the time. A very good thing to always keep in mind.

Finally, I will mention one "Reality Show" and that is "American Idol". I have seen bits and pieces of it. I have never seen it when Simon has apparently really lit into someone. But this whole phenomena is something we really must, I think, think long and hard about. Why do we tolerate this? I would we emulate someone like this. More examples? Explanations?

Dr. Lynch