Man-made Television

I just got the chance to finally watch Season 4 of the best show on television, HBO's The Wire (If you happen to disagree and you are male, I will be forced to pull out every straight black man's trump card and question your sexuality). I was waiting for it to get on dvd (you know ya homie ain't payin 25$ a month for ONE series). One of my coworkers told me that he had managed to TiVo all of season 4. To my delight, he also had put all of the episodes on disc and offered to bring it in. Of course, I accepted and after 2 damn near sleepless nights, I was able to finish Season 4. The next day I couldn't wait to get to work to talk about the show (lame, but true).

While we were discussing the greatness of the show (details of the show are withheld in case you've been in a coma or aliens snatched your tv) and also demeaning one of my male coworkers for having never watched the show (Re-runs on BET don't count), it occurred to me, we were talking like women do about soaps. What is really the difference between the way were loudly talking about who got shot, what ninja acted b$#ch-made, and whose a$$ we would beat on GP, and when females get to talking about what happened on the season finale of Girlfriends or Sex and the City? The only difference is foul language, guns, crackheads, and random molly whoppin.

BUT, there is a difference, MEN DON'T WATCH SOAPS. Soaps are predictable. You KNOW rich-a$$ Melissa is gonna take rich-a$$ Heather's man, causing Heather to come up with some stupendously stupid plan to kill Melissa, when her otherwise fine a$$ could just as easily get another man or pool boy or whatever. The only predictability in men's television is that SOMEBODY gon get they a$$ whooped. We KNOW Bubbs is gonna get the crack fumes beat out of his a$$ at least once a week. Everything else is up in the air.

Subtle difference? Maybe. Enough of a difference that I'll write about it? Clearly.