Monday, February 14, 2011

The Afternoon Special

By Mario A. Dozal



One of the things that I wanted to get out of the PD class that I had originally signed up for was more knowledge of how to utilize positive deviance in media in order to inspire others to make a difference. My main reason for wanting to look into how to effectively utilize positive deviance in media was my own view on the subject. Two events led me to want to look into how I could create something that would convey a positive message more: a discussion with a screenwriting professor who told me that shock value in a production didn’t necessarily equal good quality, which changed my writing style to focus on smarter humor and hidden messages; and the first time I heard the story of how Taru changed social norms and allowed girls to celebrate birthdays in India, which caused me to think about my writing style in terms of strength: could it change a whole cultural norm? Since then I’ve wanted a career in media that entails more than just doing what is popular at the moment but I view several challenges to this goal.
            First, how does one create a scripted show that’s educational and promotes a positive message without it coming across as corny and forced? Looking back at some examples of what were called “very special episodes” and “afterschool specials” from the 70’s through the 90’s, it’s easy to see that what may have been effective back then is not as effective today. Today’s audiences have been so desensitized that they can tell when a program is pandering to them and they are extra critical if they know that they are being told what decisions to make in their lives. It’s because of this that a program like 1973’s “My Dad lives in a Downtown Hotel”, about a child who attempts to cope with his parents decision to divorce, most likely would not make it onto the air and if it did then it would not be without ridicule for being so over the top about the subject (including the title). The other challenge is how to create something where the message is not lost upon the audience due to outside circumstances. My example on the first day of class was MTV’s show about teenagers who become pregnant and have their pregnancies documented and aired on television. MTV’s justification seems to lie in that they show how hard it is for teenage mothers to deal with pregnancy, yet the network itself packages the show nicely with Juno-style graphics, professional voiceovers, a three-act story arc, and salaries for its participants of over $200,000. Take into account that this continues outside of the show when the pregnant girls are on the magazine covers at supermarket checkouts and then you see that was supposed to be a positive message about reducing teen pregnancy has since become a message about how you too can become an overnight celebrity for getting pregnant as a teen and agreeing to be part of a reality show. I think the question then becomes: How do you create and market a positive message within a controversial yet mainstream “reality” show while dealing with the threats of advertisers, corporate, and  
            This brings me to the video of Fred Rogers appearing before the U.S. Senate in an attempt to get funding for public programming. Nowadays when we see someone who is passionate about their position and wants to persuade others to follow it, we usually see them raising their voice and talking fast in an effort to overpower the others who may be arguing against them so it eventually it becomes a room full of people yelling at one another and not getting anything done other than wearing out their vocal cords. While watching Rogers in the video I couldn’t help but notice how calm he seems to be, his delivery slow with each statement given time to simmer in the listener’s mind. He doesn’t yell out something extremely negative like “if you take away funding then all kids will be doomed to illiteracy and bad social skills”, but instead states his case by explaining what his programming has to offer. Even the statement that he was able to do the show with a budget of $30 should be a message to all of us that contrary to what higher-ups may tell us creating social change doesn’t need to involve a thousand dollar budget; it only needs to involve a lot of heart, a deep commitment to your cause, and being selfless enough to do what’s best for others instead of for yourself.

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