4 ms·

Every time a pastor has a personal scandal or other personal problem, especially the mega-church pastors, it becomes fodder for media exploitation. Do televisi

Every time a pastor has a personal scandal or other personal problem, especially the mega-church pastors, it becomes fodder for media exploitation. Do television writers, producers, and actors get the same public proctology exam? Rarely. But it does happen. The college admissions scandal and Harvey Weinstein come to mind. But in general the moral authority is now an industry that self monitors its moral rectitude.

crazygringo 6y ago
Well, TV writers are paid peanuts next to mega-church pastors, so there's less scope for charges of hypocrisy. Also scripts are generally developed by a room of writers, not any single one. But the reality is that it is monitored, but certainly not self-monitored -- it's monitored by advertisers. If an pilot or episode isn't acceptable, advertisers will yank their money in a heartbeat. This is why mostly all sitcoms preach a "conventional" middle-class morality, because that's specifically what advertisers find palatable. It's also why the first dark/shocking drama on TV -- The Sopranos -- was only possible on a network that was subscriber-supported instead of advertiser-supported, namely HBO.
- throw0101a 6y ago
  > Well, TV writers are paid peanuts next to mega-church pastors, so there's less scope for charges of hypocrisy. Well, how many "mega"-churches are there though? How many people congregate to them versus the local micro-/mini-church? Also, just because a pastor is a hypocrite doesn't necessarily make them wrong: * https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/tu-quoque https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/tu-quoque * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_quoque https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_quoque A doctor who smokes, but tells you smoking is bad for your health, is a hypocrite but still medically correct. :) > Also scripts are generally developed by a room of writers, not any single one. Usually in the US: in the (e.g.) the UK each series/season is often done by an individual (or 2-3).
- humanrebar 6y ago
  > ...mostly all sitcoms... Frankly sitcoms are a dying breed. They used to be middle of the road morally. To the extent they still are, it's because of reruns. And I think you overstate a bit besides. Most shows after the 80s were explorations of stepping outside of the typical atomic WASP family like the Cleavers. Even the Brady Bunch was a blended family. But Mork and Mindy and Third Rock from the Sun come to mind as examples of throwing the script right out the window. Sally from Third Rock consistently grappled with gender identity issues, for instance.
  - jacobush 6y ago
    M.A.S.H.
evgen 6y ago
You don't even have to go that far. The writer and leading creative force of one of the two shows in question (Aaron Sorkin) was forced out after getting busted for weed and shrooms at the Burbank airport. Actors (probably the closest equivalent to mega-church pastors really) get this sort of treatment all the time, and have been subjected to trials in the court of public opinion for as long as they have been the subject of public adulation.
- humanrebar 6y ago
  I think Bill Cosby is the ur-example at this point.
jskdvsksnb 6y ago
Pastors explicitly preach about morality. TV writers and producers make TV shows. Those happen to influence the boundaries of public opinion, but they don't explicitly profess to be experts on moral behaviour

crazygringo 6y ago

Well, TV writers are paid peanuts next to mega-church pastors, so there's less scope for charges of hypocrisy. Also scripts are generally developed by a room of writers, not any single one. But the reality is that it is monitored, but certainly not self-monitored -- it's monitored by advertisers. If an pilot or episode isn't acceptable, advertisers will yank their money in a heartbeat. This is why mostly all sitcoms preach a "conventional" middle-class morality, because that's specifically what advertisers find palatable. It's also why the first dark/shocking drama on TV -- The Sopranos -- was only possible on a network that was subscriber-supported instead of advertiser-supported, namely HBO.

throw0101a 6y ago
> Well, TV writers are paid peanuts next to mega-church pastors, so there's less scope for charges of hypocrisy. Well, how many "mega"-churches are there though? How many people congregate to them versus the local micro-/mini-church? Also, just because a pastor is a hypocrite doesn't necessarily make them wrong: * https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/tu-quoque https://yourlogicalfallacyis.com/tu-quoque * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_quoque https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tu_quoque A doctor who smokes, but tells you smoking is bad for your health, is a hypocrite but still medically correct. :) > Also scripts are generally developed by a room of writers, not any single one. Usually in the US: in the (e.g.) the UK each series/season is often done by an individual (or 2-3).
humanrebar 6y ago
> ...mostly all sitcoms... Frankly sitcoms are a dying breed. They used to be middle of the road morally. To the extent they still are, it's because of reruns. And I think you overstate a bit besides. Most shows after the 80s were explorations of stepping outside of the typical atomic WASP family like the Cleavers. Even the Brady Bunch was a blended family. But Mork and Mindy and Third Rock from the Sun come to mind as examples of throwing the script right out the window. Sally from Third Rock consistently grappled with gender identity issues, for instance.
- jacobush 6y ago
  M.A.S.H.

evgen 6y ago

You don't even have to go that far. The writer and leading creative force of one of the two shows in question (Aaron Sorkin) was forced out after getting busted for weed and shrooms at the Burbank airport. Actors (probably the closest equivalent to mega-church pastors really) get this sort of treatment all the time, and have been subjected to trials in the court of public opinion for as long as they have been the subject of public adulation.

humanrebar 6y ago
I think Bill Cosby is the ur-example at this point.

jskdvsksnb 6y ago

Pastors explicitly preach about morality. TV writers and producers make TV shows. Those happen to influence the boundaries of public opinion, but they don't explicitly profess to be experts on moral behaviour