Amazing!

Here's what gets me with this stuff today.

These current "talent" shows aren't content with just showcasing "talent" any longer. They all have to have a "tear jerker" back story.

That may serve to gain "feel good" ratings for these shows but it doesn't do anything for a long term career for the the person / group using their talent.

This same "tear jerker" / "feel good" / "back story" drivel is the exact theme that has allowed the anti hunting crowd to gain an emotional superiority over us hunters on social media. Society has lost its connection to reality and have gone full in on the emotion angle.

BTW, it was a good trick. Fairly easy to figure out but a good trick.

For instance, the baby saying "hat". Notice Simon's reaction when he read what word was circled? He laughed because every word in the book on every page is "hat".

Share with us the other solutions you "figured out". Can we assume correctly that you have virtually no talent, and are incredibly envious of others that do?

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
Share with us the other solutions you "figured out". Can we assume correctly that you have virtually no talent, and are incredibly envious of others that do?

Do I have any talent? Hmmm. Don't know. I play guitar but my wife would probably tell you I don't have much talent for it! Maybe I just need a good sob story!! lol

Solutions to the magic trick? Pretty easy on that particular one, considering he's got someone off stage quickly selecting which video snippets to play. I've always enjoyed magic tricks but I just happen to prefer slight of hand instead of the big illusion type of acts.

Envious of those with talent? Not at all. I greatly appreciate talent, which is the point I was making all along. Talent and its development should be enough to entertain. There shouldn't be a need to have a tear jerker back story with every new act. Everyone out there has or will experience downturns in their personal life to some extent. Not everyone has what it takes to entertain their fellow man. And if it takes a sad back story to get noticed, I suggest the talent is probably weak.

Point being, it makes for good ratings on these feel good shows but for someone wanting to entertain folks over the long term, and especially those who aspire to a career as an entertainer, talent is what sustains the act. My wife watches these shows like The Voice, America's Got Talent, American Idol, etc. I've just noticed a large number of the acts these days rely on a sad back story of some type in order to hype the act. A good example is the lady, I believe from someplace in Africa, who was injured in a bad airplane crash a few years back. She bears burn scars over most of her body. Tragic for sure. But the gal can really sing. When they showcased her on one of those shows, sorry, don't remember which one, they made a big deal out of the plane crash. In fact, her ability sing is the talent and the entertaining aspect of her showmanship. So consider this, she's on the show because she wants to be discovered as a singer / performer. OK, she's introduced to the audience and they are curious about her scars. Once that bit of curiosity is satisfied, is the fact that she survived a plane crash the thing that will cause people to buy her albums and pay to see her in concert, or is it her ability to sing a song in a manner that moves people? I suggest it's the latter. And that means, appreciating the talent, not the back story.

YMMV. That said, I'm not the only one to notice the abundance of sob stories in talent shows lately. Here are a couple of links to the same topic:

https://abcnews.go.com/Enterta...es/story?id=12931446

https://www.news.com.au/entert...db260fe66fad225e6bb7

https://www.mmo-champion.com/t...-during-talent-shows

So I guess when folks go into a local store or hear a story on a local radio or TV station about a famiy needing help for medical expenses because a member of their family has cancer, we should simply ignore it.

Great to see that sympathy for those in need is dying along with so many other human beliefs.

What a country America is devolving into!

quote:

Originally posted by Crazyhorseconsulting:
So I guess when folks go into a local store or hear a story on a local radio or TV station about a famiy needing help for medical expenses because a member of their family has cancer, we should simply ignore it.

Great to see that sympathy for those in need is dying along with so many other human beliefs.

What a country America is devolving into!

Now Crazy. What in the hell does a story about someone having cancer have to do with a talent show?

Which is my point from the beginning. A talent show should be about showcasing someone's talent ... their ability to entertain. Not about how sad their story is.

Good lord!

Why does it matter to you?

In neither instance are you or anyone else under any obligation to care.

Yes, I understand what your point is and actually agree with it, but unfortunately and it is something neither of us can change, but in today's America pulling the Sympathy Card is what gets the results.

Problem is, enough folks buy into the "Sales Pitch" that it is just going to keep on going.

It is just a sign of our times, people are going to do what ever they feel is necessary to accomplish their goal, whetherv it is to influence Public Opinion or collect $$$$$.

My comments are not unrelated. It is SOP in America at this point in time, to play the Sympathy Card.

Whether it is on a show like Americas Got Talent or in a local convenience store with a Mason Jar asking for donations!

So are people supposed to ignore both?