30 Days (Morgan Spurlock's new show) - Let's Discuss (1 Viewer)

[Jeff_Standley]

Well I just got back from a 10 day vacation and finally got to watch the last two episodes of "30 Days".
(I couldnt live with out Tivo)
I have to say I still like the show quite a bit, I know it is a large pill to swallow sometimes and you have to take everything with a grain of salt.
But what "documentary" doesnt need to be taken with a grain of salt.
I have debated on writing a long list of my thoughts about these past 2 shows, and actually wrote about a page and a half on the first one but deleted it after writing it due to the heated nature that the discusion might of led to. I'll leave my comments short and sweet I guess, hehe .
I like the show a lot and will continue to watch it every week. I think the second episode (fountain of youth) was definitely the weakest of the series so far but I still liked it.
The "living as a muslim" show, I thought was good but just as the first and second show, there is alot left out that I would like to see about the situation. But hey it's only an hour long, what can ya do.
All in all I think it is a good show and I hope it satys on for a while.

 

[Bill Catherall]

Well, I couldn't see where much doctoring of the outcome could have gone on in the Muslim episode. Other than the street interviews of course. I mean, those could have really represented 2% of all interviews but those where the only ones chosen to air because it helped to make the point they wanted to make (that seeming to be that most Americans live with their heads up their butts). Who knows.

For me, first thought that came to my head when I heard "Muslim" was indeed "terrorist." But only because that's what's being fed to me by the media. You hear "Muslim" followed by "terrorist" a lot. Before 9/11 the first thought that would pop into my head would probably be... well, I don't know. I didn't hear much about it before that. Maybe, "far east," or "religion."

Also, the first thing I thought of when I heard the call to prayer music was "belly dancing." Hey, I'm being honest here.

If there was a city ordinance about noise at certain hours, I would have a problem with it regardless of the source. Church bells included. Otherwise, if it was during reasonable hours I might think it was pretty cool. I'm one of those "strange" Americans that likes diversity.

I did think the explanation about the origin and some basic Muslim beliefs was cool. I knew some of that already, but I still learned a lot.

 

[Jeff_Standley]

I think this is very true for the most part.
This is why a show like 30 Days will probably not get picked up after the run of episodes this season and the Simple Life will run strong for 8 seasons, haha.

 

[John_Lee]

I'm absolutely, resolutely, not a fan of 'The Simple Life.' But if the situations are as crafted as it's starting to look, how is '30 Days' in any way superior?
If anything, I'd label it 'The Simple Life: Preachified.'

 

[Ken Chan]

I've never seen The Simple Life. But at least in this episode of 30 Days, it looked like Dave learned something. I would guess some of the audience did too. Can the same be said of The Simple Life? I'm sure the situations are chosen and edited to enhance the effect and/or entertainment value. But are they inaccurate?

I started to read the Debbie Schlussel article you linked, but not only did the first paragraph misrepresent Supersize Me, but the second one says The episode is clearly about non-radical Islam, and the fact that such a thing exists. That wrecks her credibility from the get-go.

 

[Ken Chui]

Given Schlussel's politically conservative leanings, it's hardly surprising that she wouldn't think too highly of the 'my month as a Muslim' episode.

I watched this particular episode (my first in this new series) and I thought it was both enlightening and an accurate representation of the Islam faith (as I have lived with Muslim roommates in college).

 

[Jeff_Standley]

The Simple Life is about two rich girls spitting in the face of middle america and letting everyone know that they can ruin peoples lives and we cant do anything but sit back and watch. it also has absolutly no value or message at all.
30 Days on the other hand is at least trying to have a message in its show. I dont think a show like 30 days needs to be scripted, the concept for the show is good and Im sure they can find plenty of situations and plenty of voulenteers for those situations, so they dont have to hire actors and make up stories. We also have not seen anything that might suggest that the show is scripted, other than a bitter woman writing an article. Who I might add has her own agenda as well.

But I must add that I down right loath The Simple Life and Paris and Nickole, so my rants about them might be a little rougher than need be, hehe
.

 

[WillG]

One thing I like about Spurlock is that the impression that I have of him is that he does seem to be fair and tries to keep matters relatively objective (at least in comparison to another certain documentary filmmaker). I never thought "Super Size Me" was an attack on McDonalds per se. Yes, McDonalds does come under some criticism but it was about much more than that. McDonalds was almost a McGuffin to the real message of that film which was how unhealthy we can be in regards to our diets. At least, that was the message I got from that film.

I was impressed with how Spurlock didn't shy away from the exchange of the experimentee and the muslim clothing store worker when she told about how Saddam killed, I think, two of her brothers and imprisoned one other and that she was happy to have seen him removed from power. It seems a bit more honest than footage of kids in a happy go lucky manner, flyinh kites in Bagdad before big bad American toops came in and destroyed all the happiness there. (Hopefully that was not too political, but I am just trying to make a legitamate comparison between certain documentary tactics)

 

[Jeff_Standley]

I think you said it well WillG, I too think Spurlock does a pretty good job of not being to in your face with his point. Some doc's can get that way (as mentioned above) and put a real spin on things, but spurlock comes across much safer yet still making you think about the situation.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

I've got a few problems with the show.......

Episode 1 (Living on minimum wage): I have two problems with this one. First, there are two people sharing the costs of living, hardly an obstacle. And secondly, Spurlock works the entire month at a job that pays above minimum wage. Granted its only a buck & some change over minimum, but still, why didn't he try to go it alone at $5.15/hr?

Episode 2 (Anti-Aging): This episode is entirely skewed. Why is their anti-aging subject only 33? If I were intrested in not getting older, I might want to be old first! Why didn't they get somebody 65, or 70, or 102? In addition they decide to physically "turn his life around". Thats all well and good, but he's barely even pudgy to begin with! Why didn't they pick somebody who's obese to test the weight-shedding abilities of HGH? :rolleyes

Episode 3 (Muslim-Americans): Could they have gotten anyone any less ignorant of religion (Muslims pray to God, whoda thunk it?)?

Episode 4 (Living as a Homosexual): Can average America really have this many stereotypes surrounding homosexuals? Can straight people not tell the difference between two types of cheese? Do gay people not drink beer? Why didn't the subject get a job working with homosexual automobile assembly-line people? Obviously if you're a homosexual you must become a walking/talking charicature of Gayness and be completely removed from anything remotely straight.

 

[BrianB]

I think it's pretty safe to say that most Christians are not taught that the Islamic faith prays to the same god they do.

You're in NY state, Garret, middle America is a very different place. Maybe want to swap for 30 days?

 

[Jason Walstrom]

I think this is a great show I don't understand why some people get pissed off by it.

 

[John_Lee]

It's just so effing facile. I thought there were some oblique matters that were interesting in the anti-aging episode [the wife getting huffy with the newly buff hubby and his hot trainer comes to mind]. Then I got a whiff of contrivance with the Islam episode. Then I got the full blast furnace to the face with the homosexuality episode.

First off, the guy initially came off as completely clueless about homosexuality, almost more clueless than is possible. And more importantly, he offered a poor showing of the rational and long pondered issues surrounding faith, sin, inherent imperfection of all men, the belief that judgment of others is God's exclusive domain, and the interaction between personal faith and being a citizen of the secular world.
Then, there were glimpses that he might have been beginning to offer up some rational and reasonable insights, which were repeatedly cut to another scene before the thought was completed.
Then it ends with the ever so predictible "I used to be a rube, but you good folks really opened my eyes. Thank you for making me a human" mea culpa that is required for a PC 'docu' of this nature.

I'd just as soon Morgan had tapped Mr. Mackey to tell us "mmm, faith is bad, mkay?"

 

[Ken_McAlinden]

I think the point of the "social experiment", at least in three out of four episodes, is immersion in a culture or lifestyle unfamiliar (and uncomfortable) to the subject. That's why, for instance, Dearborn, Michigan was chosen for the Islam episode. Arguably, they could have chosen other cities with large gay communities such as Provincetown, but San Francisco seems like the right place to confront the guys preconceptions head-on. The scenario is contrived by definition, but it's also interesting to watch it play out.

Maybe next year they will have the devout Muslim host from Dearborn live with the Bay-Area homosexual host (or vice versae). It seems like the fair thing to do.

Regards,

 

[Garrett Lundy]

I'd be the highest rated episode ever!

Day 3: Wife burns my Manwich. I knock three of her teeth out.

Day 5: Ride a pig to baptist church, get in fistfight with pastor.

Day 6: Fire shotgun into air at random intervals (well, us Nor-easter Scot/Irish already have gun fetish, so I'd blend right in).

Day 9: Ride a pig to Wal*Mart, buy an 'American Chopper' T-shirt and pee on a hybrid Prius in the parkinglot

Day 11: Drink american beer and masturbate to 'The Simple Life'

Day 12: Pastor of Baptist church suckerpunches me.

Day 13: While at the hospital I'm amazed at the number of middle Americans who get foreign objects accidentally stuck in their anal cavities.

Day 14: While throwing lawn-darts at the dog I get a sunburn. "White Jimmy" from the trailer park mistakes me for a Native American and throws rocks at me.

Day 20: Morgan Spurlock says I'm not being 'middle American' enough. I have to hook my DVD-player unpto my Widescreen tv with an aftermarket RF connector and only watch Fullscreen Bruckheimer movies in stretch mode.

Day 21: Insanity sets in. I ride a pig to the bar where everyone throws peanuts at someone for wearing a pink shirt. I listen to REO speedwagon on the Jukebox.

Day 24: I make signs that say "Free Cat" and ride a pig around the county. When I find a dead cat on the road I put the sign next to it.

Day 25: I take the redheaded step-kids to the pond and teach them how to fish with firecrackers.

Day 27: A month of hamburger helper, manwich, and mac&cheese (straight cheese, not the fancy gay kind) has given me scurvy. I begin chewing Skoal to counteract the effects.

Day 30: Morgan finally lets me take my car off of the concrete blocks and I finally leave the mid-west. On my way out of town I hit the Baptist pastor with a sock full of quarters.

 

[BrianB]

 

[Bill Catherall]

Off the grid

I've only had a chance to watch about half of it so far, but the half I've seen is so full of bull crap (literally) that I'm thinking this episode is the worst one so far.

For example, they first make an argument for the use of cow manure ("poop power") as a viable, renewable, natural resource for producing power. They present it as the future of alternative fuel sources. But they totally ignore the argument that growing beef is a huge strain on the environment. A point they later bring up to argue against the use of beef! Lame lame lame.

 

[Jason Walstrom]

I think they are just pointing out alternatives. I always seem to enjoy this show without getting all mad. I don't get it. I liked last nights episode but don't plan on changing the way I eat or consume huge amounts of resources either, especially for my dvds.

 

[Chris Lockwood]

So far I've only seen the minimum wage & gay episodes, but I like this show. I see it as entertainment, not education, at least not for the viewer.


> First off, the guy initially came off as completely clueless about homosexuality, almost more clueless than is possible.

To me he seemed like a lot of people I know. Notice he was never really a hater type (not the type to throw out slurs or beat up people), just didn't understand & wasn't too comfortable around those he saw as different, & even at the end, I still think he believed being gay was something they chose.

The only really dumb thing I saw was the 2 straight guys taking their shirts off in the club, then seeming upset at all the attention they got. Well, duh.


> I think it's pretty safe to say that most Christians are not taught that the Islamic faith prays to the same god they do.

And I'm pretty sure the opposite is true as well. Most people are taught that their faith is the one true one.

 

[BrianB]

Oh I agree, Chris, I didn't mean to make it sound one-sided.