Green Room - Week 16 - Day 3

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

I came across an article this morning about what they were calling “The Green Gator Effect”.

I’d link it, but I know the site has a tendency in get hit with more DDOS attacks than Putin’s best friendenemy’s LJ. So I’ll spare you the hassle and just cover the basics.

Think of an alligator. Maybe you’ve seen one in person. Maybe you’ve only seen it in pictures and video.

(I know I see them all the time, but that’s part of being in Florida)

What color is it?

Give someone a black and white picture and a box of crayons, the vast majority of people will grab the green one.

Because alligators are green.

Except they are not. While wet, they are black. While dry, they are grey. Occasionally there is an albino.

But they aren’t green.

Somewhere that idea got out there, and accepted in the general worldview of “how things are”, and it stuck hard enough that you could probably *show* someone an alligator, right in front of them, and a few minutes later hand them a bunch of crayons, and they would still reach for the green.

I thought this was interesting for a couple of reasons, (1) because it fits with what I’m reading involving color theory in Drunk Tank Pink, and how the little details that you might not consciously register profoundly impact how you take in the world. (2) I had never really thought about it, and I see gators all the time. But if you gave me crayons, I’d probably reach for the green just like everyone else. (3) It fits in with what I’ve been thinking about “drama” lately, and how people don’t see it, until someone thinks they do and mentions it, and suddenly people come out of the woodwork to declare that they saw it the entire time!!!

On that third point, that’s why I tend to cringe when someone starts bringing it up. Because, compared to just about anywhere I’ve ever been, Idol is fairly “drama free”. Yes, there are a bunch of creative people in a space together, with all that energy and ego bundled up under pressure – and yes, sometimes it pops free. But compared to a lot of places??? Our “drama” wouldn’t register. The Yahoo comments section would pat our “drama” on the head and ask it if it would like a cookie.

But then someone brings it up and suddenly it’s green. Everyone knows it’s green, and it’s such an overwhelming shade!!

You get out of Idol what you put in. I hope that the majority of people can come in and see that it’s grey, and that most of the time it’s not going to mess with it unless you mess with it first. It’s a shame when I see people thinking that it’s a green monster that is going to attack you out of nowhere unless you put it down…

***

http://therealljidol.livejournal.com/693486.html is where the poll is, the deadline is tonight.

Comments

[ecosopher.livejournal.com]

I tend to think of it this way: unless I'm told otherwise, I will assume people are just like me. Now, I know that for the most time, they're not always completely like me. But there are so many variations on theme human that I can't possibly imagine every possibility whenever I'm reading someone's posts on the internet. So I just blunder along and then when I get more information, I adjust my perception accordingly. So sure, I assume all the alligators are green. But I'm willing to imagine other colours, if that information is forthcoming. Otherwise, I'm sticking with the green.


Drama is everywhere on the internet. It used to bother me more. Now, I just... well, I have other things to bother about. Not that I'm completely unbothered by it. I'm just bothered a whole lot less. That works better for me.

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

Drama is also tiring, too. It's like what I was saying a GR or two ago about bloggers who adopt a consistently outraged voice: It takes a lot of energy to maintain that, and sure, you'll get quite a few hits the first few times around. But as time goes on, readers are apt to tire of it, and the blogger would (or should) adapt themselves in turn if s/he wants to continue cultivating an audience.

BUT...

It's the drama that initially catches the public's interest.

SO...

How does one maintain the bridge between Too Much Drama and Just Enough?

(Mind you, I'm supposed to be showering, dressing, and going out to buy a top to match the pants I'm wearing to FIL's funeral. Instead I'm here.)

[anyonesghost.livejournal.com]

You burn that bridge. All shouting! All the time!

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

WHAT DID YOU SAY?!? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!!!!

;)

[anyonesghost.livejournal.com]

THEN I BETTER SHOUT LOUDER AND USE MORE INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE! THAT ALWAYS HELPS! RIGHT!

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

*For me*, that bridge is the difference attitude.

You can throw all kinds of stuff into the air, and as long as everyone involved comes at it more from a "Oh man, I didn't see that coming! Whoo hoo! Let's go!" instead of "This sucks more than anything has ever sucked before. I hate everyone" you are going to have less of a negative feel about it.

No one is going to like everyone else. It's just not possible. But, again, there is difference between "They are doing their thing" and "They really suck".

The people involved can really make or break that bridge of keeping things exciting and dragging the whole thing down.

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

The people involved can really make or break that bridge of keeping things exciting and dragging the whole thing down.

Exactly. Compare it to, let's say, this season's Food Truck Race on FN. Over at Chowhound people usually jump all over it because of either what the cheftestants did/didn't do, or they discuss the merits of the tasks, or how the routes they're taking play into how well they do/don't do. This season is relatively low-key in that most of the cheftestants aren't of the drama-whore-wanna-be-a-FN-personality type. They just want to run their trucks and do well enough to win so to get their businesses off the ground.

Some people at Chowhound have posted how refreshing it is not to have much drama because, after all, it's about the food.

OTOH some people have posted that they're so bored to death that they're no longer following it.

It doesn't mean that this season's cheftestants suck, but it may mean that, unless you're a diehard food truck foodie, you much less apt to keep watching.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

Exactly.

It goes for Survivor players as well. Look at some of the "boring winners". Kim Spradlin from One World comes to mind. She held her alliance together and even when hit by twists, she kept her head and ended up playing one of the best games of all time.

But she is still regarded as "boring".

People *want* to see people scrambling and having a difficult time. They just don't want it to be *them*!

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

It's because the "scrambling" gives the audience something to hang onto. How boring would it be, for someone watching, if every single [insert your favorite reality competition] contestant played the way Kim did?

She did indeed play one of the best games of all time. But because she doesn't have that "something" that grabs the public's eye, she's drifted back into relative obscurity.

Of course nobody wants it to be "them". What's the fun in that? But you just dig in your heels and persevere!

[halfshellvenus.livejournal.com]

I remember the-- was it S2?-- early season Survivor winner whose whole approach was to fly under the radar. BUT... she also pulled her weight, and didn't create or amplify drama.

People resented her 'boringness,' but she was basically a nice person who won by applying "Do your part, treat others well, don't get ugly" as her strategy. I can't really quibble with that.

People *want* to see people scrambling and having a difficult time. They just don't want it to be *them*!
Well, some people do-- especially in TV. For others of us, that kind of causes stress. Too much of it, and I've been known to stop watching a show (TV Dramas, with a new character every few seasons upon which to focus the hate because the character is an awful, unfair tyrant). People like that cause me stress, and it can get overwhelming.

But yes, I also know that isn't the usual...

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

One of the more "interesting" developments on Project Runway and Top Chef in the recent couple of seasons is that they are showing more of the people complaining about the decisions after they are eliminated.

Personally, I don't like it. It never makes the contestant look good.

I much prefer the Marquesas era Boston Rob - who went he was voted out pretty much gushed over how fun the game was and what a fantastic experience he had. He ended up being brought back 3 more times, getting a wife, a family and a multi-reality show career out of being able to keep a good attitude about it all.

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

That's because he's also a likeable guy :) And his hometown is very near mine too -- I didn't know that until after he'd won!

Cutthroat Kitchen is a very interesting show because sabotage is the mainstay of the game. So far it's been very friendly sabotage as in "Don't take this personally -- we're playing a game". Sure, some of the cheftestants evilly chuckle, and there's a lot of trash talk, but nobody harbors any bad feelings AFAIK. Plus it's a testament to their skills to be able to make a viable dish throughout all of it.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

I think it's a testament to anyone's skill in order to maintain quality throughout *any* competition. Just saying. ;)

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen Cuthroat Kitchen yet. It's one my radar, but I'm having enough trouble trying to catch up with The Mole (Australia) - my current obesssion and Top Chef Masters!

[roina-arwen.livejournal.com]

Boston Rob is one of my all time favorites. He seems like he would be fun to hang out with!

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

That was more of an "Idol-centric" answer.

In the case of the bloggers, I think they have to maintain a certain "air of cool" to be able to pull off outrage for any length of time. People want to be accepted, and if they manage to come off as knowledgable and "cool" enough in the process of talking about current events, there are definitely niches for that.

Regardless of what it is actually, they have to be doing something that people want to see, or probably more importantly, to create a demand for what they are doing! :D

[xo-kizzy-xo.livejournal.com]

People want to be accepted, and if they manage to come off as knowledgeable and "cool" enough in the process of talking about current events, there are definitely niches for that.

:nodding:

OTOH you have to be the type to discover or already know about that particular niche because niches tend not to appeal to everybody. If you desire a wider audience, you've got to somehow partially break from that niche.

[clauderainsrm.livejournal.com]

"Drama" definitely bothers me a lot less now that I'm older. On the other hand, I find that I have less patience for the games involved.