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March 13, 2000
Ancient human needs and desires are driving the trendy popularity of today's blockbuster
television programming like ABC's "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," Fox's "Who Wants
to Marry a Multimillionaire" and the host of copycats. (Fox rushed "Greed" into
production last November. CBS has "Winning Line," and NBC added "Twenty One.")
Since the human hardwiring accelerating this popular culture phenomenon is a constant,
it's possible to predict "what's next" and "why" as in this week's University of Cincinnati
e-briefing.
Table of contents
I. Human hardwiring: voyeurism and tempting transformations
A. The ultimate programming to sate human desires
B. Fairy tales for adults
C. Everything old is "cool"again
1. We're doing as the Romans did
2. The Greeks and English too
3. Programming shows us the new "American dream"
D. Predicting a TV blockbuster: Bill Clinton, Monica Lewinsky and Barbara
Walters
II. Viewer discretion is advised
A. TV gambling may raise the stakes for society
B. Contestants: don't bet on dumb luck
III. Word inflation: when "millionaire" won't be enough
1. Human hardwiring: voyeurism and tempting transformations
A. THE ULTIMATE PROGRAMMING TO SATE HUMAN DESIRES
Brad Mudge, chair of English at the University of Colorado at Denver and teacher of
popular culture and film, says voyeurism and the basic human desire for transformation
are behind the huge success of recent game show offerings and programming like "Who
Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire" or the upcoming program that will follow a group set
down on a desert island.
"In our culture the transformative fantasies center on youth, beauty and wealth or any
combination of these. We're promised these every day in the form of advertising. Use
this product, and you'll be transformed. It's the illusion of transformation, and everyone
wants to be smarter, sexier, more powerful, wealthier. So, what's next? I guess the
ultimate programming will continue with this brilliant marketing of promising wealth
without effort, skill, education or work. It will also combine with prizes of the plastic
surgeries of your choice...and a medicinal sip from a synthetic fountain of youth."
contact: 303-556-8304
B. FAIRY TALES FOR ADULTS
University of Cincinnati psychologist Harold Fishbein agrees that the need to be
transformed is a driving force in the popularity of game shows like "Greed" and "Who
Wants to Be a Millionaire." Fishbein said it's similar to the fairy-tale wishes of young
children, dreaming of life in a golden castle and living happily ever after. "It is about
transformations and fairy tales. I guess we never outgrow them," says Fishbein. contact:
513-556-5563
C. EVERYTHING OLD IS "COOL" AGAIN
1. WE'RE DOING AS THE ROMANS DID
For those who lament that modern TV programming has sunk culture to an all-time low,
Michael Porte, UC professor of communication and an expert on mass communication
and popular culture, points to one-time public executions and Roman gladiators. "It's not
just a contemporary problem." Game shows, including "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,"
reflect the galloping greed within our society, he says, adding that as for the rest of
television programming, "If it isn't sex, it's violence, and if it isn't sex and violence, it isn't
on the air.
Television programming is unfortunately controlled by people who just want their profits
and take no responsibility for anything that happens in society." Porte voices hope that
future programming will improve. "But it won't happen unless people are really
concerned and exercise pressure on the people who are getting wealthy by running
stations." One good place to start would be enforcement of the Children's Television
Act, which supposedly requires all TV stations to show at least three hours of
educational programming per week. contact: 513-556-4473
2. THE GREEKS AND ENGLISH TOO
TV shows don't have a corner on the rags-to-riches fantasy. Western literature is filled
with stories of attaining wealth, said William Godshalk, UC professor of English.
"Obviously it's not just part of this century," he said. Charles Dickens' "Great
Expectations" is a novel about a young man who is given a fortune anonymously.
William Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" features a drunkard that is comically
turned into "a lord;" Aladdin is a poor boy who gets a magic lamp and all of sudden,
wealth. The myth of the Midas touch shows that too much gold can be disastrous; and
even in "The Odyssey," a foundation of Western literature, the central character must kill
off suitors to regain his wealth (and his wife). It's a theme as old as the concept
of wealth. "Once we're no longer hunter gatherers, to have the most wealth is to be the
most powerful person and to lead the most cushy life," he said. contact: 513-281-5927
3. PROGRAMMING SHOWS US THE NEW AMERICAN DREAM
Billie Dziech, UC language arts professor who teaches "Money, Work and the American
Dream," says, "...the American dream has been warped to mean only money and
materialism...the American dream means this number of cars, this number of television
sets, or this particular house, and when that's compared with what the media tells us,
when we can watch these TV shows that solve someone's financial problems over the
period of an hour, we have produced a culture that will not and cannot understand that
challenge is a part of our moral and mental growth." contact: 513-556-1707
D. PREDICTING A BILL CLINTON/MONICA LEWINSKY REPEAT
Marjorie Fox, UC associate professor of electronic media who teaches media ethics:
"There are no barriers of taste any more. And in popular culture, there's no thought of
social responsibility. I hear and read very little from media professionals about anything
other than positioning one's station, channel or website...In another year or two, I
wouldn't be surprised if we witness a reunion between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky,
hosted by, perhaps, Larry King or Barbara Walters. It would be a blockbuster. Many
programmers would be happy to pay...for their appearances. Given his legal bills,
Clinton may be willing...And Monica wouldn't hesitate for two seconds." contact:
513-556-9491
II. Viewer discretion is advised
A. TV GAMBLING MAY RAISE THE STAKES FOR SOCIETY
Larry Anthony, coordinator of UC's Addiction Studies Program, says the suspense of
watching a contestant win or lose a big jackpot can possibly fuel viewer fantasies. "If the
viewers are fantasizing about getting on a game show to win big money, is the excitement
also stimulating them into thinking they could win at a gambling establishment closer to
home?" Those 'outlets' are as close as that other ubiquitous screen: the home computer,
with gambling prevalent on the Internet. Also, gambling is becoming far more
acceptable in other arenas, including riverboat casino establishments. contact:
513-556-9196
B. DON'T BET ON DUMB LUCK
Larry Gilligan, professor of mathematics, says that popular culture awareness and
memory -- not just dumb luck -- are vital in winning the million-dollar prize on "Who
Wants to Be a Millionaire." "If you were an alien from another planet or had been in a
coma for decades and were just randomly guessing which of the four choices given was
the correct answer, you'd have a one in four chance of getting the first answer right, a
one in 16 chance of getting both the first and second answers right...and so on until the
tenth question. By that time, the odds are literally one in a million that you would
randomly guess ten correct answers in a row." contact: 513-556-4868
III. Word inflation
The origin of the word, "millionaire," is French. Its first use in English dates back to
1826, according to William Lasher, UC linguist and associate professor of English. The
word appears about 500 years after the word million. The root is mille (Latin), which
refers to a thousand. So a million is a thousand thousand. In this country the idea of a
millionaire caught more so than in Europe because we count on money as a means of
assigning status or rank more than titles such as lord or duke. He surmises "millionaire"
will continue to hold its cachet, but because of the number of people with wealth -- not
the TV game shows -- it is beginning to become overused. "I think we will eventually try
to start topping it," he said. For example, his son recently called an acquaintance's father
a billionaire, even though his worth is far less than $1 billion. contact: 513-556-3749
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