Viewer Vegetation

by James Spica

We have a little time and a little hope. All the same, the first of two questions remains one of beneficiaries—who can stand the Hollywood writers’ strike, and for how long? The second, more importantly, is one of intellectual effect—will the increasing lack of television writing be directly proportional to the increase of complete drivel?
The answer to the first question is that it may be the viewers that are the main brunt of the strike, depending on the length thereof. Financially, the effect upon the studios is relatively reserved in the short term. The more significant worry is that of those who rely on new programming for daily illumination—“Oh god, what will happen in the next Gray’s?”
The unfortunate side effect to this strike is the surfacing of televised feces—script-less reality TV, intellectually devoid cartoon programming, and, of course, sports. Television, the worst possible form of stimulation, is about to get much worse—and that which is worse than the worst possible is depraved beyond measure. The strike’s eventual effect will be to turn our brains to mush of an even more putrid colour. Illumination via other activities is advised for a spell.