The miserable plight of Philippine Primetime TV

It all starts around 6pm, just as the sun is getting ready to set. And the looming darkness awaits to cover the world, misery at its finest. Primetime TV.

Forget the news, for years it has always been the same crap: corruption, scandal, vehicular accidents (more often than not it involves motorcycles) showbiz news, oil price hike, some celebrity breaks up with her/his partner. Nothing new with everyday's news.

Enter a "new" primetime game show hosted by none other than the infamous Willie Revillame. He leaves the giant network who honed and nurtured his talentless antics from his MTB days to Wowowee. Comes up with practically the same show with minor enhancements and voila! The whole country is awed and wowed.

Alas! Just when you think things couldn't get any worst, along comes Willing Willie. A show that not only promises to entertain but to help those who are in need. (Deus Adiova Nos Omnes)

I don't understand what passes for entertainment in this country, It seems that we have a soft spot to see people crying on the television. If the Romans were entertained by gladiators who kill each other in front of a cheering crowd, We hunger for tears and misery. We cheer for people who are best at their worst. When they miraculously sing out of tune or gracelessly dance like ducks on drugs or an elephant on tranquilizer, the adoring crowd bemused and amused while waiting for a nonchalant punchline from the master host himself.

I don't get it. Perhaps I never will. What I understand is that while it seems entertaining for many, I find it ridiculous and distasteful. I barf at the idea that the show capitalizes on human misery in its every living form. I frown at the fact that it mirrors the taste of our predominant society: the masses, the same crowd that brought Erap to the highest office in the land. 

Can you blame them? No. It's the hand that feeds the mouth that is to blame. You can't expect a child to grow healthy and strong if you keep on feeding him milk all the time. As the months go by, you introduce new food supplements, vegetables, fish, meat and vitamins. You nurture his mind with new activities, new toys to play with. 

The truth is, Philippine TV caters to only one crowd, the masses. But what producers fail to realize is that they have the power to change what the masses want. Cheap entertainment if you think about it comes with a huge prize both literally and figuratively, yet it fails to educate.

People crave for something nice and new. Would it really hurt to experiment a bit? After all, we only have 3 major networks that most people have access to. If they all come up with shows that has substance and real learnings maybe something positive can come from it.