What satisfaction do you lot get from watching soaps?!
Question: I know I'm going to get slaughtered for saying this in here but I don't care. I'm so annoyed by a comment I have just read. A lady said she has NOTHING to do when her kids are in bed but watch soaps. What does watching these mind numbing, unrealistic programs do for you soap watchers? Wasting your lives watching pepople on the telly living theirs. I don't see one iota of benefit from it. Can't you people read? Cook? Play a musical instrument? Build things? Fix things? Decorate? Tidy? Clean? Learn something? I'm POSITIVE there's way more beneficial things you could be doing. I see the IQ of the population crashing and burning...
Answers: I know I'm going to get slaughtered for saying this in here but I don't care. I'm so annoyed by a comment I have just read. A lady said she has NOTHING to do when her kids are in bed but watch soaps. What does watching these mind numbing, unrealistic programs do for you soap watchers? Wasting your lives watching pepople on the telly living theirs. I don't see one iota of benefit from it. Can't you people read? Cook? Play a musical instrument? Build things? Fix things? Decorate? Tidy? Clean? Learn something? I'm POSITIVE there's way more beneficial things you could be doing. I see the IQ of the population crashing and burning...
as a soap watcher i am fully aware that it is not reality and that is why i like it. it is just a light hearted bit of tv to watch when you are winding down. at most the soaps are on for one hour a day. this leaves plenty of time for all the other things you mentioned. some might argue that spending time on a computer talking to absolute strangers was also a mind numbing waste of lifetime with no benefits. you would obviously defend the time you spend on here as your down time. some people just spend theirs in different ways. if we all enjoyed the same interests and pursuits life would be very boring. and just for your information, my house is spotless, i can play the cello, i hire people to do my diy and my whole house was renovated during last summer so i have no interest in decorating. i also attend a computer course one afternoon a week so i think you will find that covers everything else you think i should be doing, now can i watch soaps?????
edit:: i am not offended, you are entitled to your opinion and i too like to have a healthy debate. i work during the day then collect our children, feed wash do homework with, etc. basically am on the go all day i sit and watch the soaps as a wind down. i know that is fictional but i like to observe some of the wrong decisions and parenting mistakes these characters make as a guide what not to do so in some respects you could say it was educating me too! i am interested to know what you watch on the tv?? i also like to watch documentaries wild life programmes and films. soaps are a very small part of life and most people who watch them lead very fulfilling lives.
what satisfaction to men get from watching sports, fighting on hockey and wrestling, the drugs and trouble they get into, and the role models that they are for the children today ,give me a break - i would take a good soap opera anyday, and in fact i tape about 4 a day to watch a night when it is quiet, and yes i do cook, clean, read and listen to music but i find it relaxing to sit and watch tv at night when the kids are sleeping. !!!!
i do not know the answer but the other night i sat through:
home and away
emmerdale
corrie
eastenders
corrie (second half?)
Film: Look whos talking
half hour for my time
then Film: Look whos talking too
I agree with you if I took any pleasure in "domestics" i would start one of my own ( joke ) I am retired and I don't know how I found time to go to work I cannot understand younger people who say they are bored with all the interesting things there are to do.
well aside from enjoying a fav storyline/characters/actors there is the Community of soap watchers- epecially with the internet- I have MET in person over 30 people face to face that i 'met' from soap message boards-in fact I manage a small soap board and some of those online friends are amongst my closest friends- Beyond the soap watching- we share about our jobs. familys. goodtimes/bad times and have for going on 5 yrs now. It has also taught me much about 'managing" a group and about how the computer/internet works.
And because of the soap actors appearances and wanting to actually meet some of those online friends I have Traveled to other cities- NYC, LA, and even North Carolina. I saw the statue of liberty from the deck of a soap event cruise and got to see a show on broadway not to mention seeing Manhatten
And for a couple yrs I was Writing fan fiction stories about my fav soap characters- got me back Writing and sharpening my grammer/spelling skills.
Oh and the fun of watching New/young actors make it Big later on-- Oscar winner Tommy Lee Jones started on soaps- also Meg Ryan, Sarah Michelle Geiler and many others I all watched on soaps.
Cook? Fix things? Clean? Geez, I'm a mom. Do you honestly think these thing don't always have to be done? And I mean over and over? Do you get satifsfaction from doing "chores" all the time. Soaps are just relaxtion! Soaps are just getting caught up in something else for just an hour of so--the same way some people read a torrent romance novel to escape. It's not considered high literature-does nothing to improve your mind but neither does a baseball game or basketball or football or any other televised sport. You don't get soaps and that's fine but stop speaking to us like we are some low class uneducated group of people who need to be "enlighted" by better things. I live in a small town. Sorry we have no museums, or theaters or literary society and our library is out of date but this is a poor county. What exactly do you do with your free time?
Would you please tell me how soap opera differe from any other televison prgrams or movies. It see,s lately all the plots on prime time show have come from soaps. Soap critics like to say soaps are unrealistic, well what would you call Star Trek, or Star Wars or shows about vampires and superheroes? Soaps are like anything else, they are entertainment, a fun way to relax and blow off the crappy day you had.Lighten up!
For goodness sake. We are talking about soaps!! I can't believe there has been so much comment on soaps, when there are so many real events to discuss
I haven't a clue...I have no attention span for them and never did. They seem so silly to me. It's always drama- which is I suppose, the purpose? I don't follow the addiction I guess.
To their credit- I don't watch much T.V. at all. I catch the news and things of that nature...but rarely watch T.V.'s and lately, movies are really bad as well- the story lines. I couldn't tell you who was playing in what movie- or even "who" they are. Heath Ledger passed, and I had no idea who he was and never saw a movie by him. People were stunned that I didn't know who this person was. I cannot even begin to tell you what is on at what time and for what network...not a clue.
What do I do? Play with my kids, train my dogs and play with them, read, and listen to music.
Just being swept away in someone else's life. Even if its make believe.
It is just another TV program to watch
I do learn about new hairstyles and fashion trends. They do promote social issues and awareness as well.
i'm a person with a psych degree and i love soaps. i invest alot of time into them and i come here to discuss what goes on with other fans. i grew up watching soaps and maybe if i wasnt constantly exposed to it in my early yrs i wouldnt be into it now but then again we would never kno if that would be tru. i hate when ppl try to imply that watching soaps is dumb, mind numbing and a waste of time. watching soaps can be very stimulating. i find soaps funny, entertaining and yes sometimes educational. i see things on soaps and occasionally go and research it to find out if its true. i even point out the holes in the logic of the writers. i like coming here to debate and argue with other viewers who may not share my views.
watching soaps is like watching any other tv show that a person may be addicted to and i'm addicted to quite a few shows like heroes and prison break. the only difference is soaps play everyday which is cooler than primetime shows that make u wait a whole week for the story to continue. plus there are plenty of other unrealistic mind numbing shows that are not soaps. there are plenty of hrs in the day to watch soaps, read, clean,etc. taking out soaps will leave a hole in my schedule lol. maybe its not for u to understand why ppl watch soaps. there are so many other things ppl do that psychologist are yet to explain, ppl watching soaps should be on the back of the list. dont blame soaps for the drop in the IQ of the population, blame the crappy education sys, politics, and the unfair distribution of wealth/money. soaps are entertaining for some of us and there isnt anything wrong with that. and we shouldnt have to explain or justify it to you or anyone else.
why do u assume that ppl who watch soaps are lazy and or are wasting their lives away? from all the answers i've read its easy to see that soaps viewers are educated, work, raise family and lead very fulfilling lives and watch soaps for the entertainment. why is that answer not enought for u? why do u find my responces empty? is it cause its not want u wanted to read? i believe that by posting this question and ur subsequent responses that u do want us to justify to u why we like soaps but u dont find our answers satisfactory.
i dont think u're a psychologist but u did mention psychology and an interest in how the mind works, why ppl do the things they do. i had those same interest which is y i studied psychology, it is a very interesting field by the way...u should check it out seriously. btw i do watch and love the history channel, discovery and NGC, my friends say i'm obsessed with WWII programming on those channels.my 2nd love after psychology is history.
but back to the soaps...i like a good debate too. have u ever sat down and watch full episodes of a soap? do you know how gripping the sl's and different characters can be? or are u just blindly judging soaps and those of us that watch them? also i was just wondering do u go on the reality tv forum and ask them questions jus like this or is it jus us soap viewers that u look down on?
>>LOL,, I will not slaughter you ,,,,I watch my hour and half of soaps,,,Just to get the satisfaction that my life really isn't that bad,,,,Maybe you are just mad at the wife for all her hours of mindless entertainment,,,and you just want to Vent.....I'm OK with that,,,,,,WOW,,you have however pissed some off!!!
Lighthearted discussions are good. Makes us all think.
See, you assume we have not done all those things you mentioned all day long. Then maybe in the evening (thanks to TIVO) when all the chores are done, tv/soaps is a way to relax and rejuvinate ourselves.
I might not be interested in exactly all the things you are, but I choose my own relaxation techniques. Who can really complain about that?
My biggest issue with what you wrote, is that you are reading NEW books by Plato!!! Hasn't he been gone for a lllooooooooonnnnngggggg time?
Have a great day!!!
******No, Paul, but it does make me funny. It was just a little levity to lighten the seriousness. Take a chill pill, son!
I watch soaps because it's good to see someone else that's in worse condition than you.
I also noticed that you spent considerable time on your question. How philosophical. How deep.
Personally I like to take 1hr of my day and indulge in something that I can just mind numbingly watch!! It's my guilty pleasure I do if I have time!!!
It's not reality...it's kinda like picking up a trashy novel...just quicker!
Intellectually....not really any benefit...just guilty pleasure for me..:)
As a matter of fact I have a full time Job a 4 year old son a spotless house, I am a saltwater hobbiest, my husband is demanding husband (if you know what I mean) I read on average of 4 books a month, spend about 1/2 of an hour a day on Y!A. I play many instruments being trumpet tuba trombone and piano if you can count that, I cook at meal time Decorate, no need, I love my house the way it is, Tidy, I have OCD, my life is tidy! There are lots of beneficial ways to spend my time except for my one hour away from this reality that I call my life!
to get away from my life for a while
You do your thing and let others do theirs. Balance is always needed in life and Soaps are part of the balance - to lose yourself and relax without having to think too much whilst watching. Some of the stories are as in real life so it brings a bit of knowledge too.
Paul thank you for your opinion and we are all allowed to have them but the myth that all soap watchers are as you say will be blown out of water.
I have a degree, run my own business, have a good Hobie I write, I love books and have always read at least one a week, DIY I do not touch however house is spotless and looked after well, I cook a fresh meal every night for my family oh and the broom goes up my butt at same time lol
I enjoy some soaps not all as they are light, easy on the brain and a way of relaxing for me without thinking.
I would not class a soap as bee all and end of world if I missed one but did you know you can actually get a degree at University by studying them? A lot of work goes into the scripts, body language, plot lines etc.
No my degree is not in this but have used some of the programmes in psychology to study.
Shouldn't you be painting a wall or something?
LOL!! You've spent at least four hours coming back on here to reply to peeps answers, has the paint dried yet?
All I have to say is each to their own.....you do what you like and others do what they like.......I work, pay bills, support my household with out the help of a "partner", oh....and have raised 3 kids all on my own...my choice...if I want to watch a soap, and sit back and relax for an hour so be it.....have a "productive" day.......