The Trawlermen Yes, Diy Shows No

[Sledgehead]

Only 5 days and BBCs early evening show, "The Trawlermen" is finished. In each show we saw these extraordinary souls taking on huge debts, huge risks and huge seas in the normal course of a working day. No time to linger upon some approaching deck-hands wedding, or the family finances of the first mate. Just wall-to-wall waves like wallls and imminent disaster. But, as I say, after five days, that is now over.

And now it's back to plastering

and scraping

and cushion arranging

and stripping

and painting, stretching out as far as the eye can see.

How can this be? How can it be that doing up a house, an immensely boring chore, is deemed more worthy of our viewing attention, than the constant struggle against the elements, a battle which Hollywood saw fit to dramatize in "The Perfect Storm". When will the beeb realise that the absence of a film called "The Perfect Property Development" from the pantheon of cinematography might have something to do with the fact that IT JUST IS NOT ENTERTAINING.

Indeed after so many years of "decorating as entertainement" I have come to wonder whether an alien from outerspace would, on seeing our TV schedules, reasonably conclude that all property development should be self funding. Surely, he might reason, all one need do is set up rows of deck chairs in front of the next wall to be stripped and sell tickets for "the event".

Edited August 5, 2006 by Sledgehead

[Duplex]

We find that whole communities suddenly fix their minds upon one object, and go mad in its pursuit; that millions of people become simultaneously impressed with one delusion, and run after it, till their attention is caught by some new folly more captivating than the first.

Common Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds (1841)

Same old same old.

Edited August 5, 2006 by Duplex

[Fancypants]

Only 5 days and BBCs early evening show, "The Trawlermen" is finished. In each show we saw these extraordinary souls taking on huge debts, huge risks and huge seas in the normal course of a working day. No time to linger upon some approaching deck-hands wedding, or the family finances of the first mate. Just wall-to-wall waves like wallls and imminent disaster. But, as I say, after five days, that is now over.

And now it's back to plastering

and scraping

and cushion arranging

and stripping

and painting, stretching out as far as the eye can see.

How can this be? How can it be that doing up a house, an immensely boring chore, is deemed more worthy of our viewing attention, than the constant struggle against the elements, a battle which Hollywood saw fit to dramatize in "The Perfect Storm". When will the beeb realise that the absence of a film called "The Perfect Property Development" from the pantheon of cinematography might have something to do with the fact that IT JUST IS NOT ENTERTAINING.

Indeed after so many years of "decorating as entertainement" I have come to wonder whether an alien from outerspace would, on seeing our TV schedules, reasonably conclude that all property development should be self funding. Surely, he might reason, all one need do is set up rows of deck chairs in front of the next wall to be stripped and sell tickets for "the event".

I guess it all boils down to money pornography. The trawlermen, who have bigger bollix than all the feckless simpering halfwits that have appeared on the property progammes put together, have quite a tragic story to tell - they are broke. It is a struggling industry, where they tale on massive risks (financially and personally) to - at best - eke out a modest living. Whereas the property entrepreneur... oh hang on

(well, for the past few years, people have made a lot of money out of it - we are now patiently waiting for the televisual herd to catch up with reality)

[CrashConnoisseur]

Not so common

Common Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds (1841)

'Extraordinary Popular Delusions And The Madness Of Crowds' [Charles MacKay, 1841]:

http://www.litrix.com/madraven/madne001.htm