I don't watch much in the way of shows with actors, true crime being my thing. If it's a forensic show, I'm probably watching. I have been recording NCIS, L&O:SVU, and Bull but I haven't actually been watching them which explains why I have shows dating back to March & April still on the DVR.
I'm not sure Bull is an accurate portrayal of what goes on in trials (it reminds me a lot of Perry Mason with the the many "Objection Your Honor!" and the asking of questions that the lawyer *knows* he will be retracting moments after he or she asked them). I have noticed a few lines that I'm 99% certain I've heard used by Dr. Phil on his show (if not exact, then a very close rephrase). But it's lines like that that make me question why I'm reacting on an emotional level and whether my reaction is trustworthy or rational. Although I have a compulsion to remind myself that emotions aren't rational. Thoughts can be rational but emotions just are.
I've also been watching Lee Remini's show on Scientology, which I have found extremely interesting. I minored in Religion in college (double major; Psychology and Human Sexuality), so I've been interested in Scientology since it first entered my awareness. Much of what the show reveals was not new to me but a few things did surprise me. Like the fact that the average parishioners contribute a quarter of a million dollars to the church. That's the average person, not the wealthy. And I really hate how capricious and greedy the church seems, for example claiming a more accurate church teaching has been discovered and necessitating a new version of a book which then members are then required to purchase even if the changed version is 98% identical to the previous one, or changing the rules as to how a test is administered and/or scored and requiring everyone who passed the previous one to retake the new one (at cost, of course). What I found most interesting, however, is the way tech is used to teach people to examine and control their thoughts and emotions. In theory this should be a good thing but it seems to me the lesson that believers take away is that it is a mistake to put your trust in people, even family members. All you can rely on is yourself and the teachings of the church (and not even in that order). I think taking that skill as far as it can go will inevitably lead to sociopathy.
This entry was originally posted at http://mrs-sweetpeach.dreamwidth.org/904227.html.
