SPIRITUAL POLLUTION
AND
CULTURAL MISNOMERS
American television series have become very popular with Chinese university students and some Chinese teachers of English even use them to teach English and western culture.
It is appalling to hear Chinese utter statements similar to the following:
- 1. I really like “Friends.” I have learned so much western culture.
- 2. “The Apprentice” is a good series that teaches me much about business in the US.
- 3. I am going to America next year so I am watching “Sex and the City” to learn as much western culture as possible.
- 4. I have learned so much about life in America watching “Desperate Housewives.”
“Nobody Likes Chris” and “Ugly Betty” are re-broadcast on Guangzhou television and Chinese college students are enamored with both.
The American television industry and much of Hollywood’s film industry are controlled by liberal writers and producers who are preoccupied with implementing their liberal socio/political agenda. They do not write and produce television series that reflect current life in America but rather they write and produce that which reflects how they want life in America. They are simply unabashed agents of social and Political change. They also produce a saleable product for profit. This means they constantly push the envelope to keep the audience interested so sponsors will pay higher advertising fees.
They do not reflect and promote historical family values, instead glorifying alternative lifestyles that are inconsistent with traditional American values.
A couple of decades ago there was a public service announcement on all American T.V. networks that said “There is a Smart Way to Watch T.V.” The message was clear, use your common sense and do not believe everything you see and hear on T.V. Such a warning to the Chinese would be useless because the “American common sense” and the “Chinese common sense” are worlds apart. The American reference database and the Chinese reference database are so different as to deprive the Chinese of any opportunity to distinguish between fiction and reality in American television series.
I once had the misfortune of watching “Friends” with a Chinese colleague. Due to my upbringing in America, I was able to identify and laugh at the preposterous make believe situations the show presented for my entertainment. My colleague did not see the humor but claimed to have learned a great deal about American culture.
My Chinese colleague did not know the smart way to watch T.V. nor did she have any real grounding in American culture so as to appreciate how preposterously funny the show was. It wasn’t that my colleague did not have a sense of humor; it was that she accepted everything as true and not humorous because she did not know any better. She never even laughed at what were, to me, obvious punch lines that demanded a laugh.
She treated “Friends” as if it were a documentary on American culture rather than as the comedy it is.
To be very clear, no one in America lives the lifestyle portrayed in “Friends.” This T.V. series targets an American audience that has the requisite database to understand the punch lines and preposterously funny situations. It also targets a liberal minded audience that can be rather easily led, by suggestion, innuendo, and example, into abandoning traditional family values and leading a more liberal lifestyle. That is the goal, to destroy traditional America and replace it with the new city of sin, the new Roman Empire.
“The Apprentice” is all about showmanship and making money through entertainment. There is not even the slightest resemblance of real business life in America; it is an entertaining piece for those with the requisite American background to appreciate the pure absurdity of it all. Donald Trump is a master showman but rest assured that if he ran his financial empire as he appears to run the selection process on “The Apprentice”, his empire would have collapsed years ago.
Just research how the show winners fare in the Trump organization. They are gone within a very short period.
Smoking, alcohol consumption, illegal drug use, adultery and homosexuality are all glorified, to one extent or another. The message is not always overt or direct, it is often subliminal. You see a T.V. star do it, so you think that gives you encouragement and permission to do it also.
“Sex and the City” and “Desperate Housewives” are excellent examples of subliminal messages that sexual promiscuity and adultery are acceptable standards of conduct.
It is useless to attempt to close the border to these imported examples of perverted American culture. They will find their way into China, one way or another. There is no avoiding this new spiritual pollution. The best way to deal with it is through educating the Chinese people that there is a smart way to watch American T.V. series and to discourage their use for any academic purpose.
Such shows will never be included in the Free Choice English Movie Library.
Actually, I have watched very little American television series. I didn’t get to know them until I entered the university and heard my classmates talking about it day by day. The first American drama I knew about is “Friends”. I have watched a little click of it because my friend told me that it will be useful to my speaking English. However, I don’t like the American television series, because they are too long and will cost me a lot of time to enjoy them. If I want to improve my English through, I just be will to watch the English movies.
After read this article, I remember that when I was young, I saw some of U.S series and movies, some of these are about another country. Through this series and movies, we know some of daily life about American, how do they work and fun. And what is fashion in their environment. In some bloopers, we can learn how to escape from the earthquake, eruption and flood and so on. Meantime we can know the culture of that country, some of things may not happen in China.
Just at the beginning of my university, I did have the same feeling about America as the passage referred—-putting sex and American life together. I didn’t aware of the wrongness until one years ago when one of my friends who is now studying in America correct my opinion. He told me that, in fact, American people was much more traditional and conservative in sex than foraigners thought. And this idea make a strongger place in my mind after I watched the drama “depresses wifies”.
Morever, we could tell that, from the end of American expresident Clinton’s politcal life, American people deeply hdld that it is wrong to entangle in a extramariatal affair when you are still have a wife.
Most of people are mislead by some movies, and the plot may exit, but it cannot be think as Ametican culture.
Reading this essay reminds me an old saying: Every coin has two sides. On one hand, all the foreign T.V. series and movies, not only America’s, are produced innately for their country and people, defining by their own culture. As a result, it’s not unreasonable to see misunderstandings when they are transferred into China. So, we should be aware of this and keep ourselves out of the confusion smartly. On the other hand, T.V. series and movies from Hollywood do reflect culture of US to some extent and provide us an funny way to learn oral English. As long as we don’t take those entertainment products too serious, they are not bad options for us to relax and keep updated with fresh English.
I have to thank the author for what he have pointed out in the article.Because not long ago I was planning to watch some American TV series so as to acquire some knowledge about American daily life and culture.Now I have to keep it in mind that what we will watch in the series may not be true,or may be absolutely of nonsense.All these names of American TV series I had been familiar with,but I had only watched “Prison Break”.It seemed like a very exciting political fiction.
To be a Roman is honourable in ancient Europe.”I am more an antique Roman than a Dane”,said Horatio in “Hamlet”, once Saint Paul was arrested by an officer but soon get out of prison for his identity as a Roman.When the brave soldiers of Roman Empire were replaced by aristocrats indulging themselves with women and wealth,the glory of Roman Empire was gone forever. Smart as Americans are,maybe they do not produce this kind of “pollution” to pollute their people and destroy their glory as Roman had done,but to export them to those countries which have not yet achieve their glory.And maybe it is just entertainment ,nothing else.
I have watch several American television series like “Prison Break” “Friends” “Lost” “Lie To Me” “Gossip Girl”. Initially, I just watch them for fun. Then it is said that by watching them, one can improve oral English unconsciously. Maybe it is true, but only by watching them without Chinese titles. And I know that the lifestyles in the them are far away from the reality because they are either consumed with Individualism or too luxury that beyond imagination. So I just like watching them because they are usually well produced and very absorbing.
“criminal mind”,”Prison Break”,”Lie To Me”…I like those American television series very much.Because the plots of them are so tight that easily catch my attention.By the way,I hope it could improve my listening English.Of course,because I have never to the States,I thought Americans are so cool and smart,especaily “friend”.
After reading this article,I thought a lot about my English.The American television series are very good. From them we can know more about the culture of America.They also can improve our English level.But in my opinion,I do not want to watch them.Because they will cost me too much time.If I want to improve my oral English,I prefer watch English movies.And the movies are more intersting.I like them.
For a time, I was very crazy about US TV. The first US TV play I’ve seen was Desperate Housewives. From this play, I knew so much about American’s everyday life. They all lived a richer, leisurely but complicated life. This TV shows how changeable and complex of human nature. The second TV was Ugly Betty. At first, I wasn’t interested in this. But later I was impressed and inspired by the heroin’s perseverance and braveness. So I have seen all seasons of this play. Except these two, I have seen Friends, Gossip Girl, Lie to me and so on. I didn’t realized these TV plays were plotted by Hollywood’s writers in the purpose of commerce until I’ve read Professor Marin’s mail about U.S. T.V.
In our country, we always can not watch the American channels, but many people watch American movies or TV drama programs on line by internet. American television series also have become very popular with Chinese university students and some Chinese teachers of English even use them to teach English and western culture in the class. I think when we watch American T.V the most important thing is that adhere to our normal thinking and Chinese traditional culture.As professor Martin says: use your common sense and do not believe everything you see and hear on T.V. That is a smart way to watch American television series.We will accept the right and advanced culture to raise and improve our own thought and option.
American television series have now been a popular way of entertainment of Chinese university students. When I was in high school, my English teachers asked us to watch English movies or television series, they said that these can improve our English. From that time, many of my classmates, including me, started watching American television series, for example, the famous “Friends”. But in my opinion, American television series are just entertainment in our free time, and a way of improving our English. I could learn some words and phrase from them, and knew the different perspective from them. Of course, we knew it’s not the reality.
I am a huge fan of American television series. When I watched the first movie in Martin’s movie library, I was so annoyed about those old movies. I wished Martin were putting on some modern ones, like GOSSIP GIRLS and so on. It will be much funnier. But when I think deep, those American television series are mostly superficial, not educative enough to be teaching material, it’s a great choice for entertainment, but being teaching material may misguide students to a wrong educational meaning.
When it turns to the effect of such kinds of American television series, I admit that they may lead audience to a misunderstanding of American’s culture. I guess people like us, college students, should have the ability to make a clear acknowledge of the world. Of course every movie just reflects only one side of a country. Taking a part for the whole is not the way that we college students act. Most of us are fond of American television series because it shows something different to our country, both the language and the content. Watching those television series is to meet our curious and entertainment, but not education.
So in a conclusion, I think it’s OK to have those American television series, because we have the ability to treat it as an entertainment but not education material. To those who don’t have the ability to make a distinction, should be accompanied when watching these television series, so that the misunderstanding can be corrected immediately.
More than one decade ago,there was a comedy television drama called “I love my family(wo ai wo jia)”which turned into very popular in north China.It is a drama about some funny things happened in a northern family.The family contains an old-time grandpa(a firm communist),a funny father,a mother who is smart but a little nagging,and a new-time daughter who prefers to some big star rather than school.The family has either a tradional way of life(ususlly guided by the grandpa in a funny way) or a kind of new life which came from the year of 1980 since the country has been open to the world.So there is a crash,the crash performs in a very funny and exaggerative way,it makes us laugh and resonance.But I don’t think it is a good material for foreigners who are studying Chinese culture,since the drama never reflects the real family life in China.So if we study American culture from “friends”,we commit the same mistake.
I just think that a lot of American TV series are excellent and you have great fun by watching them. But TV series are TV series, they are not reality, everyone must know about that. If a tv series is really show the real life and there is no invented thing, it must be boring and no one want to watch it. As to me, a lot of Chinese TV series are also invented, so it is not the life of china, so you must learn to distinguish.
The only American T.V series I had ever seen is Friends.And it is really very funny and attractive.I think the T.V series and movies are more or less the undertakers of its culture,although maybe many of its spots will not happen in real daily lives.The T.V series just like a shadow of real daily life.You can always find something ture in it.Even an American cartoon can cantain a lot of American culture,let alone the T.V series which reflect Americans’ daily lives.
Just as my learning English is not for the purpose of knowing much more academic knowledge, so too does my watching U.S.-T.V. and U.S. movies. I just want to do something that could relax me. But after that I get more things, such as different views to see the world and different life styles. There are some people living on the other side of the earth, they speak in one different language and do some things that may be different from what we do daily, but they have similar feelings and emotions, they have similar affliction and similar happiness. They are the same common people as we are. I think if living together, they and us will get along with each other. That’s my strongest feeling after watching U.S.-T.V.
I am not a fan of U.S. TV. I rarely watch American television series before entering the college.Until now, “Prison Break” is the only one of the American television series which I have watched frome start to finish and I think it’s so wonderful so that you can not help but be attracted.
In the past, I always think that watching American television series is a good way to create an English speaking environment for ourselves. It is not only able to practise our learning, but also make us have a understanding of American culture and life. At the same time, we can learn some native oral English. However, after reading the article above, I am confused. what the real American life is ? It is really s different from the reflection of American television series？May be we should watch them just for fun？We must have ability to distinguish good or bad.
Actually I am a super fan of the American series, especially for CSI and BL. Of course I know that neither of the series are totally based on true story, even related to a true one. As a clinical forensic specialist in my college once reminded me that most of the senarios in the CSI are fake, and real forensic doctors do not process cases like that. However, if there is no such “deceptive” series, we can never be familiar to the culture of the US. At least the series reflect some aspects of the western culture, and we should absorb the advantage with our careful attention. We refuse to be addictive to them, but use them to broaden our horizon and develope our insight. In fact, even some “boring soap drama” can relax our stress. I like the US TV, based on the rational consideration.
I don’t like watching American TV series. The only American TV series that I have ever watched is “Friends”. And I watched them just for fun. I don’t want to learn anything (such as American culture) from them. There is no doubt that American TV series are very different from the real life, as are the same to the TV series of China and Korean. Can you find in the real life six people that as funny as the characters of the “Friends”? So I think it’s not practical to learn culture from TV series. If one wants to learn something through watching TV, it can watch the series of “Discovery” instead of “Friends”.
Actually, I love the Hollywood’s films and TV shows very much. But I don’t think they show the real American live at all. Chinese TV shows don’t show the real Chinese film either. I watch them because they are exciting. They can make me laugh and enjoy a good time. People say if you know the true American live, you almost can laugh through the hold show “Friends”. I don’t know the true American live, but I also think that it’s funny. I never think I must learn the American live from it. For fun, that’s the purpose I watch the Hollywood’s produce.
Recently, I am most involved in the US TV series“Gossip Girl” and “The big bang theory”. I know they are not showing the exact way Americans work out in school and their lab. But I loves them seriously! Because they are constant with my image and hope for the American upper-middle-class life in school and the image of the smart but humorous research life in the lab. So, to some extents, I prefer to believe what the TV series reflect is true in American, and it would make sense most for an lazy audience.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
HA HA THE JOKE IS ON YOU. IT IS ALL FAKE.
HaHa ,I am a fan of the American series. I really like the “Friends”,from that I not only learned so much western culture but also the friendship along them. I really admired them can live together help each other when any of them are in trouble.After this series I became to like the live style of sharing-house.Recently I like the US series “escape from prison”.The man in the movie is so intelligent that he can think the things we never mind .And he can solve all the problems.Such series can not be made in china and that is why I like the US movies.
These TV that mentioned obove indeed very popular among chinese,especially college students.
As America TV to me, I don’t like TV such as “Friends” or “Ugly Betty”. I just don’t like to see such kind of TV.
But, I like “gossip girl” and “Sex and the City”very much!
Maybe I’m a girl, I feel like such kind of TV. Sometimes,I think what a pity that it just come out very week. I would like to see it every day when I go back to my room.
I don’t know much about the really America culture and the culture that shown in the TV, I just know that my major is URBAN PLANNING, I realy can learn a lot in it unknowingly.
First I have better chance to see the architecture in really life than purposely introduced.
I think to known it very important. Never mind the culture.
Haha!I had watched many foriegn television series such as LOST,HERO,PRISON BREAK and some series of FRIENDS. I think the series for teaching in class are different from that for pleasure and relax. One had to choose proper series for its purpose very seriously. Watching some pop television series can be a prety effect way for English acquisition. I learned a lot from television series.
Do interested things and learned from it unconsciously, that’s a happy thing.
I feel it is interesting when I read this article. I was reminded that when I learnt Chinese literature at my primary school, my Chinese teacher usually told me that the literature was created from our everyday life but often not a totally true story, so we didn’t believe too much of the literature, and if you want to know the fact, we referred to the history book or else. Ha-ha today our oral English teacher Prof. Martin tells us that English literature is the same. As we know when the stories especially historic stories are described in a perfect way we may often treat it as a true fact and missed real fact instead. I once found that when someone was asked about something about the history happened long years ago, probably he might tell us the story he watched in some movie or TV series. Sometimes you can’t help laughing when you know the real fact. In my opinion literature like moves or TV series is some kind of entrainment and consumption of time; however, it is not proper media to learn history or culture.
I have watched some American series such as ‘Prison Break’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’. The first time I watched these series, I was shocked. Take ‘Prison Break’ as example. Michael has a very detail plan to help his brother run off. The series exaggerate the personal wisdom and I admire Michael very much. However I knew this is not true. One cannot break the prison so easily and there is too much coincidence. The main reason I watched this series is for fun. I really appreciated the writer’s imagination and creativity. Besides, I practice my listening English when I watched this series. I don’t think these series reflect the American culture and lifestyle. I think it is necessary to teach students the smart way to watch American T.V.
I like to see America play very much, such as Friends, Prison Break, The Big Bang, etc. In the view of these soap operas, I do not only learned English, but also very happy.
TV is just only TV , we do not necessary to impose education of mankind, inspiring features to it. we just funny form it.
It makes me think of China’s TV review system, the Government believe television as a propaganda tool, some very interesting films, such as Lust, Caution, the Government does not allowed the people watching. Introduction in film or television, when it takes a great effort to meet the government’s intention, so that the works will be no funny.
Marx once said in his article, “You Praise the manifold movements of nature, very enjoyable and inexhaustible wealth of treasures, you are not required, and violet roses emit the same fragrance, but you are asking why the world’s most abundant things – the spirit can only have a presence the form of it? ”
China needs to learn the television system in the United States.
When I was a little boy,I didn’t like foreign movies and television series ,of course American ones included,maybe for the cultrue difference between Orient and Western,also for the language obstacle.But now that is different,much orient cultrue and life style is accepted or being accepted,At the same time many foeigners settle in China,foreige movies and television series become more and more popular ,especially American television series,such as “Prison Break”,”Hero”.Sometimes it even only has foreign titles,But it makes no difference,because more and more people can understand English!
I love American soap operas very much. I like the stories in the soap operas and I can improve my English listening. I am sorry to tell you that I have not seen those three soap operas you referred to in your article. I like “X Files”, “Lost”, “Fringe” and so on. They are all supernatural style. There are many strange even unbelievable stories in these soap operas. I just like the strange stories which are full of fantasy. I think American producers are good at those kinds of stories. In China the liberal writers always want to teach us in their works. I like American people’s attitude in their TV shows. They are just and only for fun. If you want to get knowledge just go to the libraries. They are your knowledge heaven.
Except “Prison Break”, I haven’t watched any other American T.V. series before. I don’t think we can gain much about the American culture from the T.V. series and instead there are many ways we can learn the culture, such as “Family Album, U.S.A.” Why through watching the TV programmes?
The TV programmes are mainly for entertainment and maybe you can practice your listening skill, as well. The values and word view points presented in this TV series have little influence on us because most of us can distinguish the discrepancy in reality and fiction. However, non-educated youngers are likely misled by the negative role characters. So the best way is to educate and guide our next generation properly.
Either acquiring a language or kown about a country or other , the culture is very important to understand it. It is a long progress to do that. I seldom see the US TV, not that I don’t like that but I can’t ger that . I saw part of FRIENDS . it’s interesting in my view and bring fun in your spare time. I have few opportunity to see the movie expect in the liberary though I like it.
After reading the article, my view is that American people have a better education. So I have heard that people in the USA may hope peace in each world. Although I have learned that in American every year, there are many people who are shot, my teacher told me that their country have the law which make persons have guns. So if China have the same law, we can’t image how many persons will die each year. We have to admit in our country many persons only educate several years. With the development of internet, Chinese may have wrong way to some bad sides of America. But most good sides, we know little. In short, different country have different culture. If we want to know more about America, we should also know more ways so that we can see the America the right way.
Actually, I am interesting in some of American series and movies. For example, “Friends”, “Gossip girl”, “Lie to me”,” Criminal Psychology” and so forth. I know so much about Americans’ daily life though these American series and movies, which like a shadow of real daily life. Although something in the TV don’t happen in real daily life, we could learn English from the TV series to help me to improve my English skills. Besides, I could understand about American culture because the TV series reflected Americans’ daily life.
The recent years witnessed a fever phenomenon that A increasing numble of people like American TV shows in order to practise English or learn the culture of U.S.; As one of the fans of the American TV shows, I like Friends and Desperate Housewife，which I think are most popular. I agree that American TV shows can bring us some lifestyles in USA and Western. HoweverI don’t think all relections in a TV show is the true nation culture and living environment,sometims the director exaggerating in programs. Hence, to interpret a foreignal culture, Watching TV shows is a good method, but we should bear in mind that we see this method as a complementary.
many of my freinds like American film like Prison Break and Lost and they told me it was worthy to watching them. I don’t know why these films so magic to my friends but I know they are not prisoners and won’t want to learn sth to practice.
as far as I am concerned, my friends and I, too, enjoy those films but not blinded. Maybe only for fun and learn sth good personalities or qualities from the roles such as persistence, loyalty, teamwork, etc. it’s no need to relate them with the reality world but it’s ok to learn sth different, exotic and fashion from the films whether they concerns main stream of the society or covers life of few people.
So I think when people say: “I really like Friends, I have learned so much western culture. “,this is ok, they may only mean they learn sth different knowledge which serves perhaps little part of the whole picture of western culture.
“Friends” was the first American television series I saw in English version. Although I couldn’t understood all the punch lines in it, but I did feel happy when I enjoyed the series, because some kind of humor is cross culture. Recently, I have been addicted to “Grey’s Anatomy” and ”Lie to me”. I know that they’re not completely real, however, they reflect the real life to some degree. And both of the two series are very professional. What’s more, it’s very good way to improve my English by watching American television series.
Some years earlier, I had to admitted I was having fun while watching U.S television series and quite enjoyed some of those, for instance, Friends, Prison Break, The Apprentice and something heat like that, but later on, I have limited the time spent on watching them. However, even though I appreciated the U.S television series at one period, unparalleled to what Prof. Martin says, I didn’t hold it in my mind at all that what I have seen from the series truly reflect the current or traditional culture of America. Because I knew that what was presented in the screen simply reflect how the producers and writers imagined the life would be in America which is in the hope of drawing the interest among the audiences. Thus, I watched then as entertainment and did not take it as serious one like documentaries from which I can learn a lot of the true America.
Actually, I liked watching American television series like “Prison break”, “Heroes” and so on. After reading the article above, I agree that we should not believe everything we see and hear on TV. But we can’t identify what is true and what is just for fun as we don’t have the “American common sense”. Accordingly ,we should not take the television series serious. We can learn oral English through watching them, but not the current life in America. It is ok that you watch them for entertainment. The article reminds us to watch T.V. smartly. This is the most important lesson we should learn.
Yeah,we need more views from the natives to help us know better.
Some of my American friends share similar points as this article,when we talked about T.V.shows.They know many in china, especially girls are crazy about ‘Gossip Girls’,while they’ve never watched that in the US. And they claimed the movies didn’t share values consistent with real Americans, like they’re not always as open in sex but conservative in more ways than one.
So we’d better take T.V. shows only as entertainment or a way to practice English .And be sensible with it…
Maybe I can say something about my experience~~~I used to watch “Friends” for three times! I like this show very much and had many fun about it. But on the other hand, I know it is just a show, a show which try to amuse people and make money from them. We can watch the TV shows, made fun from them and even loved them. But we should also know the purpose why The American television industry always make these and use our commen sense to judge whether it is “real” about American life.
Last but not the least, throught all these soap operas, our students also learn something about American and listen more about the oral English.
From my high school,I have fell in love with the American movies.When I got into the university,I saw some American television series,such as”prison break”、“24 hours”、“heroes”and even “American Idol”,I love them so much.When I saw an episode,I just cannot wait to see the next one.They are excellent.
But I know that the reality in the USA is not like that in the TV.That are not so open 、intelligent and sexy.And their ways of humor are different from ours.We should not believe everything we see.But most of us want to go to the dream place on our own.
Now, I watch American television to kill time. However, I had once believed the contents from the TV and looked forward to go to the United States. I tried my best to persuade my parents agree with me to the United States, because the film inside the United States is a developed, full of opportunities and open-minded place. What a pity! They don’t agree. As time goes by, I gradually came to understand the United States is not the same as TV. It does not stand for American and American culture. But, if you just want to improve your speaking and listening, it is a good choice to watch them.
I was shocked after reading this article. Those popular American TV shows such as Friends, Sex and the city, Desperate Housewives and so on, turn out to be just shows instead of realities about American culture. As to me, I used to like watching “The Apprentice” very much. And I thought that was the real business life in the American world which I believe I have learned a lot from it. However, I still believe there are something worth learning in those TV series and movies. Besides, they are a very good way for entertainment and my oral English improving.
Even though I think watch TV series is not a good habit. But some America television series is worth to be seen like “Friend”. Okay, somebody will talk that is not a true life, we all know that. Nobody will take a comedy seriously. I like “Friend” have proper time long which is just twenty minutes every part. It don’t waste you too much time, of course you don’t want watch the all at once time. I have a deeply feeling that it will make me laugh, I don’t know how many background I have. So I would see the same part many time, laugh at same point, even it look like foolish.
TV series just is entertainment. Student don’t spent much time on it, I think we should get into the actually life that is the best teacher.
I love to watch American television series like “lost”,”prison break” and “heros”. But they all fake stories. I like them because the plots of them are so tight that easily catch my attention. I can’t help to go on the next episode. It is very attractive and out of reality. hehe, best for such people like adventure lik me.
American TV series has been popular in China since recent years. Can we benefit from watching these series? I would give my opinion.
From my perspective, TV series is a rather good way for us to know more about U.S society. Sometimes it may be exaggerated, we still find it useful in learning what the Americans like, how they behave regularly,which spirit they worship most. From there, I can fully perceive American dream: they have the aspiration of “the good life”, of upward mobility and their share of material possessions.
Actually, I prefer American television rather than Chinese television. American television series are suspenseful and inviting. By watching American television, I can relax myself from the tensional study. But I have never considered that I can learn the American culture from them. That is because I know it a difference between television and real life. In order to attract more audiences, the producers add lots of elements which do not exist in our daily life. Therefore, American television series to me are only entertainment and an English environment.
I usually see some American movies and series with the purpose of improving my English, and we can learn the culture of American. I admit that I believe some plots, I think they are real. After all we Chinese students have not been to America.
My English teacher in university told me to watch more American films and series, which not only improve my oral English but also my listening ability. I deed see many movies, such as “Singing in The Rain”, “Bathing Beauty”. Some days ago one of my classmates told me to see “Friends”, she said that the actors speak English slowly, so I could understand well. Maybe I can have a try.
I saw none American television series, and a little Hollywood’s film, before I entered into college, to be a university student. During my college times, I began to see many Hollywood’s film with my classmates. In one hand, it is a kind of entertainment; and in other hand, for us, it creates an English environment. But on that times we saw only some movies, no American television series. Because in about two hours we can saw a whole movie, compared with television series, it needs a little time. Several moths ago, I went to visit a good friend. she told me she was watching “friends”, which is an American comedy television series. She suggested me to watch it too, it is filled with humorous. Then after back I saw some segment. As a matter of fact, I did not acquire a great deal about American culture. In my opinion, in television series it shows are not the real lifestyle. So if we Chinese person want to learn more American culture we should chose another ways, for example form books.
Thanks to the development of internet, the Chinese market for American television series is growing larger and larger. Now more and more Chinese people are learning English, many of them prefer to watch American television series to improve English and learn more about American culture. It is true that all these series contain a lot of American elements, American popularity, religion, society, culture and so on. However, we always ignore that the film created by some people own many subjective opinions, beyond all doubt, many films are made for commercial purpose, so something wildly unrealistic even distorted will be added to films to draw large audience. For us, culture difference between China and America makes us easily believe that all the American television series reflect the American culture. So it is important for us to distinguish among so much information, and not to simply accept them. To know American culture further, we can watch some documentaries to get a thorough acknowledge of American culture such as its tradition, faith, behavior, etc. But exposure to a culture may be the best way to learn a different culture.