Lauren WeinsteinAug 13, 2023

During the engineering work for the supersonic Concorde in England, "Thunderbirds" TV series creator Gerry Anderson was visiting the main facility one day. Someone asked him what he did for a living. Feeling massively outranked by all the engineering talent surrounding him there, he quietly replied that he made children's TV shows. Asked which ones, he mentioned Thunderbirds.

Within minutes he was surrounded by Concorde engineers who wanted to talk to him and shake his hand, many of whom told him it was his shows that had inspired them toward engineering careers, because they wanted to actually build the planes and rockets he had in his series. He was flabbergasted.

The original Star Trek had a similar effect on many career choices.

Now of course, TV mostly inspires people toward careers as lazy bums or crooks.

Show threadPorquerias | 1312 🏴🌵Aug 13, 2023
@lauren glad I read the whole post so I could remove my fav star, lol. You know that most of the media you get recommended is based on things you personally chose to watch in the past, right?
Show threadLauren Weinstein
@Galletasalada Don't think I understand your point. And as I've worked inside Google, I do have a pretty good understanding of how YT recommendations work at least.
Aug 13, 2023 at 8:02pmWeb
Show threadPorquerias | 1312 🏴🌵Aug 13, 2023
@lauren So you understand well that you're being recommended shows that depict "lazy bums" and "crooks" because that's what you've been watching before. I find that "lazy bums" and "crooks" are actually not useful categories and people who are labeled as such are usually some of the most upstanding members of their communities around.
Show threadLauren WeinsteinAug 13, 2023
@Galletasalada Ah, I'm not even talking about YT or recommendations in this instance. I'm talking about all the fake "reality" shows about rich bums (and I will use the word bum) living it up doing nothing but partying, and all the shows glamorizing organized crime, criminal gangs and murderous thugs, and other similar professions that get all the big ratings and that I studiously avoid watching on any channels or streaming services.
Show threadPorquerias | 1312 🏴🌵Aug 13, 2023
@lauren You do realize that the entertainment industry is an industry though, right, and that they’re selling a product that people are consuming? Most writers have faith in their audience, they believe they are adults who can see a fictional character partying or doing crime (which does not work the way in real life as how it’s depicted on TV) without wanting to engage in this behavior themselves. It sounds like you maybe haven’t done much examination of the social categories of “criminal gangs and murderous thugs” but I guess everyone has to come to that on their own. Have a nice day.