A Special Request... Writing 39B Blog Post #1

Man V.s Wild(North Africa 4 Clips) Forum Post:

3.) In the quest for profitability and popularity, all television programming broadcasted today is premised upon the value of entertainment. While the discovery channel is widely recognized for its high educational value (relative to other programming say MTV) there is always an appeal to the entertainment experienced by the viewer.

A confluence of logic and psychology tells us that humans will seek to integrate what is perceived as enjoyable into their lives. The inherent purpose behind entertainment is to bequeath its viewers an enjoyable experience. Although, education is often the secondary objective of much television programming, the educational value of a show does not increase viewership or profitability. This is empirically evidenced to the fact where the profitability of educational programming such as C-Span or televised are lilliputian in contrast to entertainment oriented shows such as “Dancing with the stars.” This very effect has become the obsession of the media industry, because their profitability and success is contingent upon their amount of viewers. The entertainment value of a show can be soundly quantified by the amount of viewers. This is true because a show gains prestige by providing content entertaining enough to keep viewers continually watching their program, as well as facilitation of the attraction of new viewers.

This aim for entertainment centered programming is evident throughout “Man vs Wild.” This aim is evidenced in the composition of the show itself. The objective end of all entertainment in current society is to provide an “escape” from what we know of as our boring and mundane lives. To this extent we are captivated by any change, be it the outrageous lives of celebrities, the thrill of saving America one terrorist at a time, or the experience of super natural powers; all a far cry from the 9-5 spent in the cubicle.

Discovery realizes that this foreign element is what creates entertainment, and integrates as many shocking, alien, and norm breaking elements as possible. Firstly, the show is located in a myriad of exotic locales ranging from lush rain forests to the inhospitable blistering deserts of North Africa. The locations themselves provide the audiences a huge break from what we know of in either the cities of the suburbs. The foreign lands feed into our inner desires of traveling the many exotic and distance parts of the globe. Also, without this unique environment, the show would have no basis as we all know how to survive with the amenities civilization provides us with, the comforting cage we yearn to break in out every day lives. While the entertainment value is immense, the educational value is quite trivial. We are not learning much, as we are already cognizant of these exotic locations, and can already predict what challenges the environments will provide Bear Grylls With.

The center of the show: the host himself provides a second insight into this heavily skewed education/entertainment balance within the show. The host’s name is Bear Grylls. Let me repeat “Bear Grylls.” His name screams of action and adventure a far cry from the average “John Smith” who works at your neighborhood accounting office. On top of that, Bear is a survival expert an ex veteran of the British Military. Bear plays the part perfectly, with his action hero worthy frame, cool demeanor, and an ever attractive British accent. Bear Grylls is the archetypical action hero which we idolize, are attracted , and are unable to resist. Distracted by the entertainment value we are unable to absorb more than a modicum of educational value. Bear Grylls educates us on his tasks on only a level of experiences, as he does not display a deep understanding to nuances and intricacies of survival, only what he has been trained to do in specific situations. Moreover, we are realistically never going to find ourselves in the situations Bear finds himself in, further mitigating the practical educational value of
Man vs Wild.”

A final analysis into the specific actions presented in the show completes argument that education is severely shortchanged in the name of entertainment value. “Man vs Wild” is designed to shock us. Bear’s outrageous acts such as recycling his urine and eating a live octopus are what we as viewers demand. Although actions such a building a campfire are presented, the focus is on the outrageous. From eating bugs to wearing a urine soaked shirt, Bear Grylls keeps us engaged as to the extreme actions he must take to “survive.” Us as viewers, use entertainment to escape from the daily grind of life. We don’t care about anything he has done or can do. We only care about what shocks us, and Bear Grylls is more than happy to supply. Although, we might believe that watching Bear perform these “acts of survival” will in some way educate us on how to survive, this is false. What Bear is teaching us has little practice value, because his survival skills cannot be gained by merely watching the T.V, they must be practiced and endured through extensive training, the likes of which Bear Grylls has completed.

Analysis allows us to conclude that the real focus of this show is on entertainment. The educational value of the show is at best, trivial. Not only does “Man vs Wild” throw viewer education in the backseat to entertainment, the show exploits education by claiming it an additional reason to be watching the show, when in reality it is quite the contrary.