Am I The Only One That Gets Pissed Off By Gender Based TV Channels?

[DistressedAmerican]

I for one hate networks like Spike, WE and Oxygen. Their programming at best reflects superficial stereotypes of both genders.

Apparently because I'm a guy I want to watch hours of car crashes and shit blowing up.

From what I've seen of the women's networks their programmers must think that all women love made for TV movies about spousal abuse and divorce.

The more they program based on these shallow stereotypes, the more ingrained they become in our society.

The funny thing to me is that my wife loves CSI and therefore watches a lot of Spike in the evenings. I guess I should let her know that Spike is "Television for Men!"

Is it just me or does that shit bug you too?:shrug:

[sasquatch]

1. You left out the Lifetime channel

That's the original gender based channel.

[DistressedAmerican]

3. Ah Thanks! I Knew I Was Forgetting Someone!

[Q3JR4]

4. It should be lifetime,

television for people who like that sort of thing.

[realisticphish]

9. at great risk

i quote family guy (remember, im JUST QUOTING): Liftime: Television for Idiots

[madinmaryland]

2. You know, I dont think that my wife or myself

have ever watched any of those channels. Though she has been known to get sucked in by the Style Channel.

[nickinSTL]

5. don't get me started...

I don't have cable/satellite, so I don't see those stations, but...

COMMERCIALS! They are so INCREDIBLY sexist!

And I'm not just talking about sexist regarding women, either.

If one judged by commercials, all men are stupid and utterly incapable of caring for their own children.

I HATE that! :mad:

[realisticphish]

8. and they are all

beaten into quivering mounds of jelly by their wives. man, why can't they present spouses as EQUALS? why does it have to be one way or the other?

[realisticphish]

6. i see your point

but, really, it DOES fit the demographic. they're just targeting the statistically significant market for each gender. I don't like everything on Spike, but i DO like a lot. and lifetime has decent stuff too. not to mention oxygen (Sue Johnson :D)

[Lerkfish]

11. yeah, its just targeted marketing..as egregious as that is already...

there's nothing more obnoxious about that than the assumption that women will watch soap operas...which they do.

However, as I can attest, demographics are not always correct. I'm a straight male who doesn't watch sports, or like gratuitious car chases, and who enjoys a well-done chickflick now and then.

[DistressedAmerican]

14. You May Be Right! There MUST Be A Market Out There That Supports It

Maybe they should all just call themselves "Television for Republicans!!!":evilgrin:

[Lerkfish]

27. just to clarify: I'm not supporting the concept, just saying that its not

limited to spike tv or lifetime television. I used Soap Operas as an example of targeted programming.
Personally, I think targeting tends to make all products mediocre. As long as the networks know women will watch a soap opera in a certain time slot, then they rush to get a soap opera in, ANY soap opera, whether its the best product they can produce or not.

if there was no targeting,then networks might try to produce the BEST product, regardless of genre. But we can't get there from here, sadly. The monkey is already on the string and he must dance.

[realisticphish]

20. right

demographics arent always right. but, they dont care about the outliers, they are trying for the largest swathe of males (or females) that they can get

[Abelman]

7. Spike

is not television for men. I have yet to see a single explosion on there, just that Real TV bullshit.

The greatest show ever would be "Slo-motion Explosions," which is a half hour of stuff getting blown up in slow motion to wicked guitar stylings. One week - Stevie Ray Vaughn. Another week, who knows?

But it's not on, because it's not really TV for men.

[DistressedAmerican]

10. They Do Have A Show I've Seen The Ads For Called CARPOCOPLYSE!

Where they apparently do nothing but blow up cars. Not sure about the music. But any show featuring exploding cars will most certainly have all the slow mo they can milk the expensive footage for!

Check your local listings!

[Dolomite]

15. I used to pirate cable (yar!)

I don't now - mostly because you can't with Digital - but that's not my point.

My point is back in the salad days - when a $100 box purchased off of eBay could get you all the pay channels and the PPV - I got free Playboy and Spice.

As digital cable technology started spreading, the evil empire of TIme Warner started removing or replacing the HBO's, the Showtimes, etc.

One day they finally got around to Spice & Playboy. Care to guess which channels they used to replace my previously free Playboy & Spice with?

Oxygen & WE.

[DistressedAmerican]

18. Speaking As A Guy, I Can Not Endorse THAT!!!

On Edit:

The channel replacement that is, not the cable piracy (which is just fine in my book).

To quote the Simpson's cable piracy book, "So You've Decided To Steal Cable":

"Myth: Stealing cable is wrong.
Fact: Cable companies are big, faceless corporations, which makes it OK."

[realisticphish]

21. that would rule

great guitar work over explosions, buildings collapsing, huge machines doing stuff... espn would have serious competition :D

[Mutley]

12. Does it mean anything that I am a woman

and that I watch Spike, and I never watch WE or Oxygen or any of those other women's channels? i really only watch it for MXC because that is some funny shit.

[DistressedAmerican]

You Clearly Have NO REPSECT For Rules!

FOR MEN!!!

DAMMIT!!!

I'll admit my wife and I both watched a lot of MXC when it first started. Got to the same old, same old after a while. But, I will admit a sick, base part of my lizard (possibly male) brain was attracted to people hurting themselves for fun and profit. And the commentary!

[Mutley]

23. the commentary is great!

but i just can't imagine how some of those people just get up and walk away after some of the things they do!

[DistressedAmerican]

25. I've Always Wondered If They Edit Out The Bad Injuries!

There has to be some. Just that log rolling thing alone has to have done more back damage than all of the bad mattresses in Japan!!!

[Mutley]

26. or the one where they run across the rocks?

I've seen people land on their faces and bend their necks! they ahve to edit that stuff out. theres just no way...

[lenidog]

13. And everytime I discover its on I get sucked into "Strong Medicine"

on Lifetime because they always seem to have some intresting medical ethics dilemma or some problem that makes you think.

[candy]

16. I'm a woman who would NEVER watch those women's channels.

I always hated women's magazines and "chick flicks" also.

Boring,insipid and irritating.

[Neoma]

17. I watch Spike TV....does that make me a guy?

:crazy:

[DistressedAmerican]

19. Call Your Local Cable Provider And Ask!

Certainly they have an 800 number for such pressing customer concerns!

[jpgray]

22. I'd read your post, but your sigline has burned away my retinas (nt)

[DistressedAmerican]

24. Just to keep with my Simpson's Related Replies...

You Need A Typing Helper Monkey!!!

I wouldn't reccommend Mojo though. He's damaged goods and I don't think he had much for office skills...