Is Humanity Becoming Sadistic ?

This post can also be titled "The case for TV show re-runs". Historically art forms are considered a reflection of the society. They are greatly influenced by the broader culture and social outlook of their era. I only wish it does not apply to today's TV if only it can be considered an art form.

I was browsing through some recent hit TV shows here and back home in India as well (which seem to mimic the most-useless-aspects of the western world) - A commonality I was able to gleam in all of them is "Sadistic satisfaction" - a reality or talent show where in the so called celebrity-judges pass caustic, stinging comments about a contestant's performance and the viewers kind of watching it with mouth wide open - some sympathising and many hedonistic of what they are watching. Of course, one can argue that much of this is staged/orchestrated and the listeners should be a better judge of what to watch. I mean why select such a poorly talented contestant in the first place - may be the contestants do it for the money and the few moments of spotlight or its just sensational media culture. If what we watch is true and this is what is popular among people, the sad truth will be we are just become more sadistic society as a whole - drawing pleasure from someone's public stupidity or misery - OR, we are just indifferent and just want to watch some sensational stuffs just to ward off the feeling of living "monotonous mundane lives". Both are not healthy. A few moments of recent TV come to mind -

• "America's Got Talent" - Contestants who should have been filtered off in the screening stages itself making it to the stage only to make a mockery of themselves and to be boo-ed by the audience (elders, youngsters ..) The so called celebrity-judge dismissing the contestant with an audacious "NOT IN A MILLION LIGHT YEARS" - comment. Verbatim. Isnt a light-year an unit of Length and not time...umm...never mind. there are bigger issues here.
• A reality cooking show - showing a chef and his sous-chefs/assitants - in a real kitchen tackling the peak hour pressures etc - think of Apprentice and Donald Trump. The chef tasting one of the dishes and yelling at the sous-chef "Isnt the brussel sprout supposed to be soft/cooked ? What am I - an animal to eat it ?" - I dont know but for sure we are vegetating by watching this show.

You find moments such as these in a lot of other shows as well. My wife often takes me for a ride because I keep watching the re-runs of re-runs of sitcoms like "Everybody Loves Raymond, Seinfeld, Friends, Frasier etc etc". If the new shows (save it for Bill Engval though) are going to be like what I mentioned above, thank God we have re-runs. Make my spectacles more thicker and my hair oily-slick-retro-combed and call me a geek or nerd, I am happy to watch Jeopardy or PBS or C-SPAN for that matter.

Attached photo taken at San Diego Sea Port Village - some newly erected art piece against the backdrop of sunset at the bay.