Lydia Conwell

I watched some of Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends the other night. It was one about Aliens.

Looking back at these programmes, I never realised what an ass Theroux was. I always picked up on his sarcastic, piss-taking attitude, but he really comes across like a dick.

I think younger me was more 'Ha! Yeah, these stupid people are stupid and deserve to be ridiculed on a BBC2 documentary! Stupid people for having alternative opinions about things!'

But watching it I just found myself feeling sorry for the UFO theorist and how the show's paradigm just set them up to look foolish.

Sure, you can interview these types of people who live on the fringes, but you shouldn't really make the documentary that ridicules them. Yes, the viewers will form their own opinions and probably think these people are stupid losers, but it shouldn't be the programme makers pushing that opinion.

It's just punching down, and I found it very unpleasant.

#LouisTheroux #BBC

Mar 22 at 7:23amWeb
Show threadinternetsdairyMar 22
@lydiaconwell Have you seen How To with John Wilson?
Show threadLydia ConwellMar 22
@internetsdairy No. What's that?
Show threadinternetsdairyMar 22
@lydiaconwell a guy goes round New York filming and meets random strange people. Same sort of charges could be levelled at him as Theroux maybe, though they usually end up being sympathetic (eg the Avatar support group) and Wilson himself is a strange awkward guy. Produced by Nathan Fielder. I loved it as it's one of the very rare shows where you really have no idea what's going to happen next.
Show threadLydia ConwellMar 22
@internetsdairy I'll have to give it a watch.