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cdaveor What Would Jessie Do?
Most people's moral compasses are pretty firmly set by the time they reach puberty*. So the moral tales we are told as children massively influence the adults we grow up to be. I grew up watching a whole slew of TV programs with moral messages (Captain Planet being an extreme example with a post episode epilogue, in case you hadn't already got it). I'm not talking about stuff like Grange Hill, which had moral messages, but also had plenty of shades of grey. The one that I think typifies it most, is probably Saved by the Bell.
I should make it clear here, that approximately half of my life, and thousands of units of alcohol, have passed since the last time I last saw an episode. So my recollections are hazy and pickled, and I've done no research on it. All anecdotes about episodes are entirely made up, but are the sort of thing I could see happening.
In fact it's entirely possible that I've completely failed to recall the real sentiments of the show. I'm probably assigning a whole buckful of cliches from other shows to this one. This isn't about the actual Saved by the Bell series; It's about the one that lives on inside my head.
For those of you who haven't seen it, Saved by the Bell followed the wacky adventures of group of kids going through an American high school*. They were:
The zeroth rule of Saved by the Bell is: Diversity exists, and is not a big deal.
I call it the zeroth rule because it's implicit in all that the show is. I mean look at that list of characters. There is no way you'd see a clique like that in a show which focused on gritty realism. But it was never stated explicitly. The moral of an episode was never "we must strive for equality!". Equality was part of the background.
There wasn't an episode where they all boycott the cafe, as the owners had refused to hire Lisa because of the colour of her skin, because why would anyone even think that?
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with a show discussing these issues. These are real world problems, that need combating. I think there's a case to be made for a story where these things don't exist. Not that they're ignored, and swept under the carpet, but where it's so alien to the moral universe that actually encountering then leads to confusion before outrage.
So a casual racist comment from a random barber I visited last weekend, first made me look confused, as I replayed the last few seconds to figure out what I had heard, because that sort of thing is just nonsensical. Followed by a look of disgust as I realised I heard right and he'd meant that. Conversation died down a bit after that, but I didn't storm out or say anything explicit, as I wish I had.
Corollary to zeroth rule: Friendship transcends societies boundaries.
There was never an episode where Slater's football mates** are mocking him for hanging out with Screech, because there's nothing unusual about a Jock and a Nerd being friends.
I've never been afraid of talking to anyone. I've worked in factories assembling widgets, and as a knowledge worker, and got on equally well with people in either. My flatmate watches, plays, and coaches football several times a week. He's also something of a Doctor Who fan. People are not summed up by one word summaries. They're all interesting and have tales to tell.
This entry's long enough as is, so follow ups to come.
* Not saying that people can't change. Just that they don't often.
** I am not counting College Years, or New Class in this, as they were fairly different, and fairly rubbish, respectively
*** Did we ever see the rest of the team?
Most people's moral compasses are pretty firmly set by the time they reach puberty*. So the moral tales we are told as children massively influence the adults we grow up to be. I grew up watching a whole slew of TV programs with moral messages (Captain Planet being an extreme example with a post episode epilogue, in case you hadn't already got it). I'm not talking about stuff like Grange Hill, which had moral messages, but also had plenty of shades of grey. The one that I think typifies it most, is probably Saved by the Bell.
I should make it clear here, that approximately half of my life, and thousands of units of alcohol, have passed since the last time I last saw an episode. So my recollections are hazy and pickled, and I've done no research on it. All anecdotes about episodes are entirely made up, but are the sort of thing I could see happening.
In fact it's entirely possible that I've completely failed to recall the real sentiments of the show. I'm probably assigning a whole buckful of cliches from other shows to this one. This isn't about the actual Saved by the Bell series; It's about the one that lives on inside my head.
For those of you who haven't seen it, Saved by the Bell followed the wacky adventures of group of kids going through an American high school*. They were:
- Zack: The Grifter
- Slater: The Jock
- Screech: The Nerd
- Kelly: The Cheerleader
- Jessie: The Self-Righteous one
- Lisa: The Gossip
The zeroth rule of Saved by the Bell is: Diversity exists, and is not a big deal.
I call it the zeroth rule because it's implicit in all that the show is. I mean look at that list of characters. There is no way you'd see a clique like that in a show which focused on gritty realism. But it was never stated explicitly. The moral of an episode was never "we must strive for equality!". Equality was part of the background.
There wasn't an episode where they all boycott the cafe, as the owners had refused to hire Lisa because of the colour of her skin, because why would anyone even think that?
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with a show discussing these issues. These are real world problems, that need combating. I think there's a case to be made for a story where these things don't exist. Not that they're ignored, and swept under the carpet, but where it's so alien to the moral universe that actually encountering then leads to confusion before outrage.
So a casual racist comment from a random barber I visited last weekend, first made me look confused, as I replayed the last few seconds to figure out what I had heard, because that sort of thing is just nonsensical. Followed by a look of disgust as I realised I heard right and he'd meant that. Conversation died down a bit after that, but I didn't storm out or say anything explicit, as I wish I had.
Corollary to zeroth rule: Friendship transcends societies boundaries.
There was never an episode where Slater's football mates** are mocking him for hanging out with Screech, because there's nothing unusual about a Jock and a Nerd being friends.
I've never been afraid of talking to anyone. I've worked in factories assembling widgets, and as a knowledge worker, and got on equally well with people in either. My flatmate watches, plays, and coaches football several times a week. He's also something of a Doctor Who fan. People are not summed up by one word summaries. They're all interesting and have tales to tell.
This entry's long enough as is, so follow ups to come.
* Not saying that people can't change. Just that they don't often.
** I am not counting College Years, or New Class in this, as they were fairly different, and fairly rubbish, respectively
*** Did we ever see the rest of the team?
