Reading reactions: connecting assigned texts to personal experiences and current events

Feminism & Entertainment
Toeing the line between taking a social stand and coming off as “preachy” is not the easiest thing to do. It is to be expected that the media and entertainment will always be a force in terms of showing where society is going. However, there are some people and entities that push such narratives entirely too strongly. The verbiage in the readings for this assignment explains that the Mary Tyler Moore Show struck the proper balance. Rather than being about the browbeating of men or society, it just showed what was possible and perhaps subject to change in terms of broader society when it comes to women in the workplace. While shows that try to adjust social norms can come off the wrong way, it would seem that the Mary Tyler Moore Show struck the right balance.
Analysis
It is not reasonable or proper to expect media and entertainment outlets to not try to push societal and economic narratives. However, it should be done in a certain way. Further, other methods should be avoided. The example in the Mary Tyler Moore Show-related reading describes a situation where the right tone and pitch is present. It is a showing of what is possible and perhaps better for society while at the same time not being abusive or incendiary. A modern example of where not to draw the line would be the new comedy special by Chris Rock, that being Tambourine. The censorship and regulation of what comedians can or cannot say is a very slippery slope. However, Rock’s assertions that some white people should be shot so as to even out the number of black people that are shot is rather shocking on its face. Indeed, anyone being shot by anyone else for reasons other than self-defense, etc. is a tragedy and thus is not funny. There are so many ways to make the point without going there. That is certainly something that the Mary Tyler Moore Show would have done and that would hold true even if Chris Rock and that show existed in the same time. Indeed, there are just some comedians, media people or other such folks that stretch the facts, exaggerate or just get nasty when they are trying to score political points. Even if it is cloaked in the form of entertainment or comedy, that is not right.
When considering the context of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, the main point was that women wanted to be able to “have it all”, or at least what they wanted. Whether it is a homemaker’s life, a career, a marriage or a combination of the above, women wanted a voice to assert what they truly desired in their own lives, whatever that may be. By contrast, what would be less than useful (or what has been less than useful) is women castigating other women for being homemakers/raisers of children even if that is what they really want (and not because of what society expects of them), anyone suggesting that all men are sexist pigs or anything else that pollutes or muddies the true and real debate. When things devolve into hyperbole, character assassination, exaggeration or bomb-throwing, it just coarsens what is being discuss and it prevents the good work from being done. Even to this very day, that is no small thing given the current debates that exist when it come to immigration, gun control and sexual harassment, just to name a few things. There is a happy center that can be found when it comes to all of these matters. However, calling all gun owners killers or all men pigs is just not true and it serves to prevent real progress from happening.
Conclusion
Hopefully, enough people will start to see that the debate detractors and trolls that exist are a part of the problem and should be treated as such. There is a spectrum of viewpoints and debates when it comes to all subjects. Anyone or any idea that resides at either extreme should be avoided and condemned. People should, as much as possible, align with the other side and find compromises that lead to progress while at the same time recognizing the priorities of the other side. Women should be able to choose their life’s path, lawful gun owners should not be demonized and so on. So as to keep this consistent with the goals and path of the Mary Tyler Moore Show, the entertainment and media spheres should properly frame the debate and the sides that exist rather than offering a one-sided spiel or rant against the other side.
Works Cited
Evans, Morgan. "Chris Rock Calls Trump A Bully, Jokes About Police Brutality In New Netflix Special." Fox
News. N.p., 2018. Web. 21 Feb. 2018.