On Earth, the dumb keep getting dumber

If a zombie can learn...

Something I find hard to understand is people who just can't seem to learn anything new. I mean we live in a society where every child has the chance to attend school for up to twelve years and in that time you will constantly learn and develop new skills and improve on others.

I constantly get people asking stupid questions where they could have easily answered themselves with a little bit of research. Well I say research how about a Google search for a start. Nothing wrong with asking a question but don't ask something that is so easy or is very obvious that you clearly show that you have no knowledge or understanding due to being lazy and not reading or even thinking.

I work with many skilled people most have many years of learning in university. But after the 4 years or more of uni I get such stupid questions. I was once asked why the sound on the computer does not work. No speakers on the computer is the answer. Can you photocopy this black and white picture into colour? Sake!

People seem to take school and college/uni and after all that just shut down the learning area of the brain. Why? Lazy? Or just stupid, in reality many people are very stupid but can be good at school work. I really never found school that great for me. I did like some subjects but most were just so badly taught. I like history, computers and music all three are not what is really taught in school as an important subject. Maths, English and Sciences are the main ones and the ones the jobs market want.

A great film out in the 80's Day of the Dead by George A Romero tells the story of a post-apocalyptic earth where people are outnumbered by zombies and the plot is around a US military base that is in an old WW2 bunker. The mission is to assist in the research of curing the zombies. But the scientist that is present is looking into changing the zombie behaviour. He is looking into stopping the zombies from wanting to eat humans. He has to learn what makes the zombies tick and after working with them finds a zombie Bub who learns how to do certain things. If a zombie can learn does that mean much of the world is beneath a zombie?

I may just be getting old but everything is getting simpler, computers are a great example. I remember the old commodores where you had to learn a computer language to programme it. Or even use the machine for basic things. Now it is so simple, point and click, people still can't do that.

Flat pack furniture is a great example; many people struggle to use this. It has a great wee leaflet with it that shows you in pictures and simple text what to do. Take screw A (with a picture of screw a) and place in plank of wood C (Plank C has a letter 'C' on it). Fuck sake kids' stuff.

The Sun and all tabloid newspapers are guilty of dumbing down to a point they are used in schools in Africa to teach 6 and 7 year olds English. Yes if you read the Sun you have the same reading ability of an African seven year old. Ok the Sun has nice pictures and page three but I don't need a picture of a car on fire to show me what a car looks like when it is on fire. I remember the fire on the channel tunnel years ago when the sun reported it they had a graphic that shows France and England and a wee tunnel with a fire symbol in the middle. That took up a page with a small caption at the bottom on the story.

It is an old one but the exams in schools are getting easy, I have seen some of them and I am shocked. But it is not just schools. I went back to college a few years ago and done a computer aided design course. I was looking into the electronics course I done ten years previous. To my shock it was now only 14 hours a week course. Not the 36 hours I done just ten years ago, I did ask and was told it was due to money. But I really think it is due to people failing the course as I was the only person in three years to pass it in 2000.

Why is ignorance celebrated? As a former manager I was in the position of hiring (and firing) people to work in my lab. All I seemed to get was people who went out of their way to be stupid. And even to the point I could not train them in anything. Most of the work in the lab is very simple but you can go on and learn a lot, it is a technical job and requires a quick sense of problem solving. So it is no way a boring job but they just don't want to learn. I found most of the people who wanted to learn would do so and also enjoy it. The ones that don't want to learn would just stay in the same area of the lab and do the same thing. And they are happy to do so, why? I will never know. I bumped into a former workmate a few weeks ago and found he is still in the same job ten years later and doing the same task. He has not learned a thing. The job is near impossible to not learn anything, time alone would teach you something but not with this guy. But he seems happy to be daft and never learn.

I always remember a Bill Hicks show where he tells the story of a waffle waitress asking him "why do you read?" and I see this happening more and more. OK I am not a huge reader but I do read far more than most and again it is now how much you read but the quality of the text. I well written book can teach you things and without you knowing it as well. But people constantly buy the book about some idiot on Big Brother or a footballers autobiography.

Television is guilty of dumbing down as well, it is now at a point that much of what is on is a soap opera or some lame quiz show. Even back in the day looking up on the TV guide and picking out a show to watch and then going to the TV at the time it is on has been lost. Not much of a skill but it did use the power of buying a TV guide and reading it, telling the time and not missing the show. TV on demand means people can miss things due to being so fucking stupid that they can catch up on the brain numbing shows later.

I wonder if people are just turning into drummers all over the country. Great test, give people a card with P.T.O. in the corner on both sides and see what they do.

To Inform, Educate and Entertain?

The last few years have seen a huge backlash against the BBC and I really feel it is not in our best interest to dilute or remove the BBC.

The Charter was set in 2007 to show that the corporation exists to serve the public interest and to promote its public purposes. All other TV stations or TV channels in the UK are here only to make as much money as they can.

Sky, ITV and Channel 4 exist as a money making TV channel and will show adverts when and where they can to make as much money for themselves. For many years this has been done with no problems but the downturn has hit them really bad.

Back in the 80's Channel 4 was set up to give the people of this country a fourth and alternative channel for people of an age group of about 18-35. They done this very well and never seemed to get too greedy in doing so. But now with the advent of Freeview and even Sky and Cable TV they were forced to switch the way the company runs or face going bust.

Now ITV has been forced to change the way it funds the TV shows. More adverts and more repeats is the way forward for them. Also constant competitions to win money or a holiday after answering a simple question like "what channel is this" to gain entry.

The other big broadcaster is SKY TV, who exists mainly as a channel that shows Football. Also the only other company that charges for its content but unlike the BBC they are showing adverts at every possible time. Why pay for a TV service that shows adverts?

Sky generates three times as much money as the BBC but never seem to make much new TV. With far more channels they can if they wanted put the BBC out of business. They have the films, sport and the cash to get whatever star they want to front the channel. The reason why they don't is the owner. Murdock uses the channel as a money making company and will use any means to have the cash flood in. No money is spent on talent, new shows, radio or even on making new films. All they have is football and they charge a premium for this. The rest of the tv schedule is taken up with smaller channels who at times only make a few new shows themselves.

The BBC runs on a third of the budget of Sky but have 8 TV channels that all show new content. Many radio channels with no adverts and also the internet page, BBC Worldwide, Interactive, BBC Films and much more.

Every effort is made to make money in the BBC as well by selling shows to other companies. Dr Who was made in Wales once sold pays for itself. And with DVD and other tie-ins makes a profit, this goes back into the BBC. And is why the licence fee is a fraction of the cost of Sky.

 

To Inform

This is done by the BBC 24 and BBC 4 and the many documentaries and affiliation with the Open University. This does not make money and is made to a very tight budget. But for many it gives great value on the licence fee. Many TV shows would never exist without the BBC like Coast, Mapman, Battlefield Britain and all give the public a chance to learn in a way that is entertaining and factual.

The news in the UK is pretty much done by ITN (Rupert Murdock). So the News on the BBC is not against Sky or ITN but just it is an alternative and only reports news that is confirmed as factually right. The BBC has the biggest reach of any news broadcaster in the world with BBC World News having correspondents in more than 200 countries.

To Educate

BBC has two channels for children and has always had programing for kids on the corporation. One area that is important to keep adverts away from kids is on children's TV. As the adverts can pretty much brain wash a kid into wanting a product.

Commercial TV has for years been a great area to make money in the children's area as the game manufacturers will pay well to get the latest toy on the screen between the cartoons. But cartoons are not a great source of information for or teaching for kids. Cheap cartoons are not the best children's TV and the BBC again tries to make as many real shows as they can. Blue Peter is one that has survived the years and is a great way to show how none commercial children's TV can teach and inform kids of all ages. Out with the BBC it was for years a free for all with a cartoon and adverts showing just about anything that will appeal to kids. America has a better system in the commercial set up with the Children's Television Workshop a Worldwide American non-profit organization that works to make the best shows for kids. Sesame Street rings a bell?

Entertain

The one area all other channels should be able to do well in is Entertainment shows. Much like the Saturday night live shows ITV was once the best at this. But now they have a Saturday night much like the BBC was 15 years ago. Saturday Night Takeaway is just Noels House Party and when Parkinson was on ITV again a show stolen from the BBC. Again the BBC gets abuse over the shows years ago and it is now staple viewing on the other channel.

 

The BBC take the stance if it IS popular and does well in the ratings they will keep a show and have done with shows like Strictly Come Dancing. Other channels like Channel 4 have used the Fly on the Wall type of show to fill in, like Big Brother. But at the end of the day we all like to watch telly that is for us all from time to time.

The BBC is funded by us and we have a big say in the shows that are on the channels. Many people complain and something does happen. At times it is just a bit over the top. Like the Jonathan Ross incident. If it was on another channel no one would have bothered and if they did the penalties would have been nothing to what the BBC done. Again they feel they have to act on the public opinion.

Sky has a turnover of£ 5,359m for only television. The BBC total operating amount is £3237 (For TV, Radio, Internet, BBC Worldwide etc.) and a TV only spending of £1443m

So for £1443m you get the 8 channels on the BBC for £5359 with Sky you get Football and films.

The advertising is something I hate; I struggle to watch TV on commercial channels due to the number of adverts, in one hour you can now show six sections of adverts of three minutes. And each show has a sponsor and now product placement is introduced expect the writers of shows to include a story about something that uses a brand name. This is where the BBC comes into its own and leaves the rest behind. A debate about using adverts on the BBC has existed for years and rightfully the corporation refuses to let them on. The adverts just have way to much an influence on what is on TV.

Now don't get me wrong the BBC does do things wrong and I do feel many of the people working at the company get paid too much. But in all the negatives we have outweigh too much of the positives. The company is run to make shows for us in the UK and they do it with the best in the business. Many people choose to stay at the Beeb as it is a good company to work for and feel the can be more creative in doing so.

The company has over the years been at the forefront of technology, wide screen to internet. Much of what you see in TV has been invented by the BBC or they have mastered it. Even the way the shows are made can be so different, look at the Apprentice for a great well shot reality show. It is done so well it feels like a story. The interactive side is so good and it again is all included in the one price.

Many people around the world look at the BBC and wish they have it in their own country. The BBC logo is synonymous with quality and the news side is recognised as balanced and factual. Something no other production company has.

Every year a questionnaire as put out to the public and the say that they don't want to pay for the BBC. But also they say that they like the BBC and statistically it is watched by more people than the others and also people comment on the shows they want to keep.  You can't have a service like this and not pay! People of the UK are so dumb and do not know that they have it so good. 

At one point the BBC will not get the fee it deserves and when it does it is ready. They own parts of many channels around the world. Dave in the UK is 50% owned by them as an experiment on the future of the company (Will repeats on commercial TV make money?). Also many other avenues are being looked into. The BBC will exist when the government scraps the fee but it will be more on a PPV level. And I hope it will never have adverts when this happens. 

For now 8 TV channels, radio, news, interactive, online and everything else for 35p a day. Not bad.