06-24-2010, 05:19 PM
Quote:Some of things that really go up my nose with the Channel 4 'archaeology' programmes is the fact that they:
- (a) string things out for far longer than they need to, with constant repetitions, then
(b) insist of recapping the 'evidence' or course of the argument immediately after an advert, as if you absolutely cannot retain any information for longer than 2 minutes and
(3) that a tentative 'conclusion' suddenly becomes a 'fact' (with little real evidence) and on this 'fact' they then construct a whole 'story', which is then used to 'explain' other 'facts'.
Sadly, all too common in TV documentaries and part of what Stephen Fry has called the infantilisation of TV (start at about 35:20 in, during the post-lecture discussion) - the assumption that we're all pretty stupid. The same reason many (thankfully not all) publishers are afraid of footnotes and want to produce pappy generalised books. They fly in the face of Bishop's Second Rule of Everything: the audience are always brighter than you think they are, although some will be much more stupid than you can possibly imagine.
Mike Bishop
