There's something wrong here...

Just watching Britain's got Talent with the other half. This odd young lad dressed up in a 'naked woman outfit' (Think Little Britain) on stage. He basically got abused and laughed out of it. To compound the humiliation, half-way through the performance, his mother came on stage and took out her false teeth. Cue more howls of derision from the panel and the studio audience, plus, no doubt, millions of people at home. I found it very uncomfortable viewing to be honest.

Anyway, here's my point:

Who is letting these vulnerable people onto television for our amusement?? Someone told me before that they go to auditions in front of researchers/flunkeys, who tell them how great they are, 'Simon's gonna love you' etc...So they are pumped up, only to be knocked down in front of millions. The whole thing seems really exploitative and manipulative. Or am I overanalysing it?

kneemos

He should have pulled out during rehearsals.

galwayrush

I blame the people who watch it...

kneemos

kneemos wrote: »

He should have pulled out during rehearsals.

Yeah but no one appears to want them to know that they are hopeless.

It really is Victorian era freaks-show stuff

Clandestine

Stop watching Britain's got Talent

Problem solved

flutterflye

Deleted User wrote: »

Just watching Britain's got Talent with the other half.

You had to put that in didn't you?! Couldn't have people thinking you watched it of your own volition! Admit it - You are watching it alone!!

Norwesterner

There's something wrong here....
.......your bloody cryptic thread title.

flutterflye

flutterflye wrote: »

You had to put that in didn't you?! Couldn't have people thinking you watched it of your own volition! Admit it - You are watching it alone!!

Ha ha good spot, guilty!

Nothing to hide here though, I literally hadn't seen it or any of its ilk in about two years prior to yesterday, hand on heart. Hence the shock when I saw what was being peddled as 'entertainment'

kneemos

Deleted User wrote: »

Yeah but no one appears to want them to know that they are hopeless.

It really is Victorian era freaks-show stuff

You'rd missing the point,they know their hopeless,it's their moment of glory or fifteen minutes of fame or look I was on TV.

kneemos

kneemos wrote: »

You'rd missing the point,they know their hopeless,it's their moment of glory or fifteen minutes of fame or look I was on TV.

In a lot of cases I don't think they even know where they are

Shenshen

If you feel that way, why are you watching it in the first place?

amdublin

Deleted User wrote: »

Anyway, here's my point:

Who is letting these vulnerable people onto television for our amusement?? Someone told me before that they go to auditions in front of researchers/flunkeys, who tell them how great they are, 'Simon's gonna love you' etc...So they are pumped up, only to be knocked down in front of millions. The whole thing seems really exploitative and manipulative. Or am I overanalysing it?

Cannot agree more with you. It's not right.

amdublin

Shenshen wrote: »

If you feel that way, why are you watching it in the first place?

Maybe to see talent? It is the premise of the show after all.

Ann22

Ffs don't all attack the op for watching She said she felt uncomfortable watching that particular act. Most of the show I'm sure she found thouroughly enjoyable. She just had a point to make.

Remember your man 'DJ Talent'? I would suspect him as having special needs -luckily the audience cheered him as far as I remember. No they shouldn't let vulnerable contestants through just for ratings but folk like Mr Talent are rare. There are some who don't have any mental issues but think they're deadly singers and they're crap as in the early entrants in X Factor...but surely their friends and family should've told them??? I wouldn't like to see kids on it being criticised but mostl kids that perform on it are usually very talented.

I look forward every week to BGT, I love it. Op I didn't see that bit...was it on the xtra factor? I do feel sorry for some of the acts but sadly, they risk humiliation going on the show.

Steve O

Mindless cack for the easily amused.

I only watch it for the idiots.

Shenshen

Shenshen wrote: »

If you feel that way, why are you watching it in the first place?

See above post. Not a frequent viewer, just chanced upon it yesterday

Pretzill

Norwesterner wrote: »

There's something wrong here....
.......your bloody cryptic thread title.

I was expecting something interesting

Clandestine

Clandestine wrote: »

Stop watching Britain's got Talent

Problem solved

So one person choosing not to watch it will immediately solve the perceived problem?

Senna

People watching this trash TV is the problem. They stick on acts like this to attract more people and it works.

With respect, anyone hiding behind the stock 'stop watching BGT'-type answer may get the blizzard of likes, but is not really getting the point.

Exploitation is exploitation, and it is interesting to see who else perceives it as this.

flutterflye

I don't really know where I stand on this tbh.

On one hand I think that the onus is on the people themselves who choose to stand up in front of the nation - If you can't handle the possibility of ridicule etc... then they shouldn't put themselves in that position. And their friends/family - If they encourage them, then some responsibility lies on them too.

But on the other hand, there really is something wrong with the people who put these people through for no other reason than for people to laugh at them.
And the people who do laugh at them - Something wrong there too.

People like that are being exploited by the show, but if these people are willing to go on these shows knowing full well what they are like, then I don't really think the show has anything to answer for, other than just being d1cks.
I am not sure if there is a screening process for mental illnesses, disorders etc... - If there is, then I should think that it is up to the individual to offer that information at the time, if not - then there should be.
A lot of the time, there wouldn't be an illness/disorder - some people are just a bit unconventional/delusional sometimes.

flutterflye

flutterflye wrote: »

I don't really know where I stand on this tbh.

On one hand I think that the onus is on the people themselves who choose to stand up in front of the nation - If you can't handle the possibility of ridicule etc... then they shouldn't put themselves in that position. And their friends/family - If they encourage them, then some responsibility lies on them too.

But on the other hand, there really is something wrong with the people who put these people through for no other reason than for people to laugh at them.
And the people who do laugh at them - Something wrong there too.

People like that are being exploited by the show, but if these people are willing to go on these shows knowing full well what they are like, then I don't really think the show has anything to answer for, other than just being d1cks.
I am not sure if there is a screening process for mental illnesses, disorders etc... - If there is, then I should think that it is up to the individual to offer that information at the time, if not - then there should be.
A lot of the time, there wouldn't be an illness/disorder - some people are just a bit unconventional/delusional sometimes.

I think I am in agreement almost 100% with this. There are certainly different ways of looking at this, in terms of whom the responsibility lies with.

Shenshen

Deleted User wrote: »

With respect, anyone hiding behind the stock 'stop watching BGT'-type answer may get the blizzard of likes, but is not really getting the point.

Exploitation is exploitation, and it is interesting to see who else perceives it as this.

I agree with the second part of your post, exploitation is exploitation and ridicule is ridicule.

What I disagree with is who is doing the exploiting and the ridiculing. At the end of the day, it's not the guys who put on the show. It's the people who allow them to get filthy rich with shows like that, by watching in large enough numbers to make for significant advertisement sales, and who fork out to buy the merchandise, etc.

In other words, the audience.
If the audience tells the producers that ridiculing vulnerable people will make them tune in, the producers will ridicule vulnerable people.
If you're happy with that, keep watching.

Shenshen

Shenshen wrote: »

I agree with the second part of your post, exploitation is exploitation and ridicule is ridicule.

What I disagree with is who is doing the exploiting and the ridiculing. At the end of the day, it's not the guys who put on the show. It's the people who allow them to get filthy rich with shows like that, by watching in large enough numbers to make for significant advertisement sales, and who fork out to buy the merchandise, etc.

In other words, the audience.
If the audience tells the producers that ridiculing vulnerable people will make them tune in, the producers will ridicule vulnerable people.
If you're happy with that, keep watching.

I agree that its a supply and demand issue, and that by watching it every week one is implicitly endorsing this exploitation. I am not happy with exploitation, hence I am not a regular viewer. But millions are, including people I otherwise respect, which puzzles me.

And you are correct, the exploitation is enriching a select few. It seems so blatantly wrong to me, glad to see I am not the only one who feels this.

up for anything

Steve O wrote: »

Mindless cack for the easily amused.

Do you need more oxygen up there?


These shows are set ups from beginning to end. I know a couple of people who have got though to X Factor bootcamps and they literally signed all their rights away once through the first audition. They were happy to do it for the 'chance of a lifetime'. I've always suspected that the final 12 are picked months in advance of the public auditions.

BGT is probably exactly the same. People are more than happy to make complete and total jokes of themselves in the hope that they will become a novelty act or get a presenting job off the back of televised audition. The crap ones just have to be really, really crap but in a cutesy/funny/outraged way.

Scruffles

Deleted User wrote: »

Just watching Britain's got Talent with the other half. This odd young lad dressed up in a 'naked woman outfit' (Think Little Britain) on stage. He basically got abused and laughed out of it. To compound the humiliation, half-way through the performance, his mother came on stage and took out her false teeth. Cue more howls of derision from the panel and the studio audience, plus, no doubt, millions of people at home. I found it very uncomfortable viewing to be honest.

Anyway, here's my point:

Who is letting these vulnerable people onto television for our amusement?? Someone told me before that they go to auditions in front of researchers/flunkeys, who tell them how great they are, 'Simon's gonna love you' etc...So they are pumped up, only to be knocked down in front of millions. The whole thing seems really exploitative and manipulative. Or am I overanalysing it?

the contestants are vulnerable?
the show and its competitors do not allow people from vulnerable groups to be contestants, they have to pass a pysch assessment to show they have the coping skills to deal with the situation,someone who looks/acts odd is not necesarily vulneable or weak.
take susan boyle for example;who has mild LD,she managed just about,to get on that show,then had a mental break down due to her vulnerability leaving her lacking the coping skills to deal with the situation.
if remember correctly it was her breakdown which pushed these shows into bringing in pysch testing for screening vulnerable competitors.

Morag

Deleted User wrote: »

Just watching Britain's got Talent with the other half. This odd young lad dressed up in a 'naked woman outfit' (Think Little Britain) on stage. He basically got abused and laughed out of it. To compound the humiliation, half-way through the performance, his mother came on stage and took out her false teeth. Cue more howls of derision from the panel and the studio audience, plus, no doubt, millions of people at home. I found it very uncomfortable viewing to be honest.

Anyway, here's my point:

Who is letting these vulnerable people onto television for our amusement?? Someone told me before that they go to auditions in front of researchers/flunkeys, who tell them how great they are, 'Simon's gonna love you' etc...So they are pumped up, only to be knocked down in front of millions. The whole thing seems really exploitative and manipulative. Or am I overanalysing it?

panem et circenses


It's the modern day equivalent of the games at the Colosseum in Rome, beamed into homes so you don't' even have to leave the sofa.

Scruffles

Scruffles wrote: »

the show and its competitors do not allow people from vulnerable groups to be contestants, they have to pass a pysch assessment to show they have the coping skills to deal with the situation.

I didn't know such tests were done, that is to the maker's credit I guess