What happened to the good old TV Dinners?
Well, the TV Dinners of old may still exist to some degree (in any frozen dinner section of a market). The concept of the TV dinner is what's dead. But the "TV Dinner" as we once knew it is gone. And should be. And not just because they were considered unhealthy.
The concept of the TV dinner was to relax, sit at a small table in front of the TV, and enjoying dinner while watching one's favorite TV show. How could things be better?
Well, watching TV and eating dinner is no longer compatible. Not because of the sex and the violence. Of course, if someone has a problem with sex and violence, there's usually a warning now at the beginning of each program, stating what may cause potential offense. So, if say someone was particularly squeamish about violence on the screen, they can avoid watching it, or avoid eating while watching it.
But......where's the forewarning of scenes containing vomiting?
It's to the point now, where watching current movies and even comedy TV shows will almost guarantee seeing an assimilation of someone getting
sick within a couple hours of viewing. Movies are probably the biggest culprit, but TV shows, and even TV commercials are not far behind. So someone could sit down with a nice meal, and get treated to seeing multiple people vomiting on an airplane on the TV show "House". Of course "House" is about a doctor, and a hospital, so it can be argued that it's usage falls along the line of reality. But again, today it's a common thing in comedy shows, commercials, and even Disney shows (for crying out loud).
I remember seeing an Adam Sandler movie at the theater (someone who seems to cater to the more grotesque side of comedy). In the movie he basically adopts a young boy around 3 or 4 years old. There's a scene where the boy goes into spinning around mode in the living room, and of course gets sick all over his nice rug. And I honestly don't recall anyone in the theater actually laughing. I do remember one loud "ewwwwwww!" from
one of the gentlemen in attendance.
I don't think most people find this trend funny or entertaining. And the one's that do can watch movies and TV shows where fortunately we do know ahead of time are meant to entertain people taking gross dares, etc. So what gives? Why is this becoming such a common trend?
I think we're so programmed into thinking sex and violence in movies and TV shows a progression in our society (the willingness to deal in realism) that it's assumed that blatant grossness is also a progression. And that if it bothers anyone, that person is prude, has a weak stomach or constitution (thus being a weak person) so nobody really complains about it much. It's tolerated. But think about it. Although the concept of the TV Dinner has been killed, proper etiquette at the actual dinner table hasn't. If a guest is invited over to your place for dinner, and at the dinner table he talks about vomiting, how would you react? You're eating your favorite meal, and your knuckle-head guest shares his experience for you to visualize (or try to avoid visualizing) of himself over the toilet one morning from a hang over. Do you just say "Ahhhh, nothing like the freedom of expression even at the dinner table"? Or, "Please have the courtesy and respect to not talk about that at my dinner table"?
