Teevee for Beginners, Wednesday

[chosehumanity]

"Today, we're going to be talking about people," Mitchell said, once they'd all filled into the classroom. Anyone paying attention may have noticed the large table full of bags upon bags of crisps off to the side of the room. "People watching television, to be precise." You know, in case they'd thought he was going to talk about something a little less savoury. "Academics call television the 'electronic hearth', because where families used to gather before the fireplace, they started to gather in front of the television instead. It grew very very quickly from being a novelty to being in every household, in every family. It became a place where they met up in the evenings, after a long day at work. Back in those days, of course, everyone watched the same thing - so it was a little like sharing your hearth with everybody. In the mornings, you could go out and discuss the programme, and mostly rely on the fact everyone had seen it."

He gestured at the television. "These days, some might call it being couch potatoes," he said, wryly. "Being people who spend too much time in front of the television, until they're as heavy and big-arsed as potatoes. They have a little food, have a little drink, and let the programmes flow on past. Wasting their lives away, never looking for some meaning in life, never bothering to find out who they really are, what the world's really like." He smiled once. "The truth, as it generally does, lies somewhere in the middle. Television nowadays is a unifier, it brings people together, but it also sets them apart. Especially now that it's become possible, through satellites and cable, to stuff multiple channel signals into a TV. Thousands of channels. It's all fragmented now."

He wandered over to the table, patting it with his hands. "Now for the fun part," he said, "Snacks are a vital part of the modern television experience. Sometimes, it's entire meals, pizza and Chinese food." Mitchell was a great appreciator of the art. "But at this hour, that may be pushing it. Crisps," he picked up a bag and waved it around, "Are excellent television chow. I want you all to pick what looks like it may taste good, and if you're not sure, ask your fellow classmates about it." He set the bag down. "Today is all about people. About audiences, which we all are when we're watching the television. So go on, make yourself comfortable. Be an audience, meet people, see what the social contexts are all about. See if it works for you, if you get it."

He took a seat on his own couch. "Have fun. That's what television's all about."

His eyes searched out Chloe in the class, but he didn't say anything yet.

Comments

Sign In

[chosehumanity]

Couch potatoingly!

Re: Sign In

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

Re: Sign In

[abitlegless.livejournal.com]

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III

Re: Sign In

[awakestheghosts]

Chloe Saunders

Listen to the Lecture

[chosehumanity]

Make notes, throw notes at each other, figure out what notes are...

Re: Listen to the Lecture

[abitlegless.livejournal.com]

As Hiccup listened, he came to the conclusion that it wasn't that different from the Mead Hall back in Berk.

Only with less axes, pointed helmets, facial hair, yelling, mead, fire, throwing of axes, and him getting yelled at.

Okay, so it was nothing like the Mead Hall back home, but the principles were the same. Sort of.

Find Your Audience Position

[chosehumanity]

Stick to your own couch, lie down, move to someone else's, take a bag from the moddable selection of snacks...

Re: Find Your Audience Position

[kestrelswolf.livejournal.com]

Firekeeper arranged herself comfortably on the floor, leaning up against a couch with Blind Seer curled at her side.

And, yeah, she had some chips with her. Ones that claimed to be bacon flavored, although she found that claim somewhat dubious.

Re: Find Your Audience Position

[abitlegless.livejournal.com]

Hiccup claimed a couch of his own, flopping down to sprawl out on it. Of course, before he'd done that, he'd claimed one of every snack-related thing on offer. The only thing that would have made this better would have been if Toothless was there to share the snacks.

Re: Find Your Audience Position

[vanillajello]

Yeah, Kate would be over here, sprawled on a couch of her own like a total professional couch potato.

And idly pondering whether eating chips was considered cannibalism. Not that she cared.

Re: Find Your Audience Position

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

Rilla sat primly on the edge of the sofa, skirts carefully smoothed over her knees and tried one of the packets of crisps.

She'd seen television in the common rooms, of course, but she hadn't really understood the point of it.

She was still a little fuzzy on it.

The Television

[chosehumanity]

"This is the Noble Family," Mitchell introduced, and promptly got distracted by the television himself as he shot it a quick grin. "Ah. This series was really big back home for a while, and it chronicles the television watching habits of our time."

Or, you know, was a series about professional British couch potatoes, discussing their lives over the TV. Watch the Christmas Special, snack, or comment to others on the going-ons, or anything in between.

Re: The Television

[abitlegless.livejournal.com]

Hiccup really wasn't sure what he thought of it. Mostly, he just sort fo stared, absently snacking as he did so.

All in all, he finally decided, he preferred the man on the horse.

Talk to the TA

[chosehumanity]

When she pings in!

Re: Talk to the TA

[awakestheghosts]

Chloe was here all of the time, really.

Re: Talk to the TA

[chosehumanity]

When people started piling out of the class, Mitchell motioned towards Chloe. "Hey. Chloe?"

Re: Talk to the TA

[awakestheghosts]

Chloe looked up and smiled. "Hey."

Talk to the Teacher

[chosehumanity]

Who might be enjoying himself slightly less than last year, due to entirely circumstance-related matters.

Re: Talk to the Teacher

[vanillajello]

Weekly attack of snark, incoming.

"What an intellectually challenging class."

Re: Talk to the Teacher

[chosehumanity]

"Most of them haven't actually seen a TV before in their lives," Mitchell pointed out, "It's necessary if they want to fit in." And that was the logic he was sticking with.

Re: Talk to the Teacher

[vanillajello]

"Hey, I'm not complaining," Kate smirked, holding up her hands. "I like easy."

Especially when her first class of the day had been a little on the heavy side.

Re: Talk to the Teacher

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"Sir?" Rilla said, approaching diffidently. "I was...indisposed last class period and unable to attend."

Re: Talk to the Teacher

[chosehumanity]

Mitchell glanced up. "...Animal transformation or world-saving emergency?" he asked.

Re: Talk to the Teacher

[rilla-myrilla.livejournal.com]

"Neither?" Rilla replied, cheeks turning pink. "I was a doll."

And that was still humiliating.

OOC

[chosehumanity]

*flops* Today is Presses Day. Woo hoo, stressy.