What's the Most Offensive Thing You've Ever Seen on Television?
05-16-14, 10:01 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
What's the Most Offensive Thing You've Ever Seen on Television?
I flipped on the TV and caught tonight's 20/20. They were doing a segment about a mentally ill man who got into a bulldozer and rampaged through his neighborhood crashing through people's homes, knocking over power lines.
It is an interesting story, sure.
But for some reason, 20/20 presented it with "funny" music and tongue-in-cheek narration, even as they are playing footage of people running for their lives underneath falling power lines shooting electricity everywhere. The hilarity continues as the bulldozer crashes through homes (where the narrator informs us some people were sleeping), leaving the neighborhood looking like the remains of a tornado.
If that wasn't enough, the reporter then talks about how the whole incident was likely a lot of fun, and something "most people have probably wished they could do". WTF? I have a hard time imagining them covering a mall shooting in such a flippant manner, yet the two situations are very comparable: a mentally ill person indiscriminately attacking innocent people.
Bizzare to say the least, I don't watch 20/20 but I was under the impression it was a 60 Minutes type show.
The hands down worse thing I've ever seen on TV was a local news cast. The first anchor did a story about a tragedy in Quebec, where a child in a car seat was left to close to the stove while the mother went outside and seat caught on fire, killing the infant. Making the situation even more horrific was the detail of the infant's brother being there while it happened, jumping up to try and rescue his brother but was too small to reach the top of the counter.
Finished with the report, she threw it over to her co-anchor who segued with, "Speaking of tragedy, the price at the pumps went up again today..."
It is an interesting story, sure.
But for some reason, 20/20 presented it with "funny" music and tongue-in-cheek narration, even as they are playing footage of people running for their lives underneath falling power lines shooting electricity everywhere. The hilarity continues as the bulldozer crashes through homes (where the narrator informs us some people were sleeping), leaving the neighborhood looking like the remains of a tornado.
If that wasn't enough, the reporter then talks about how the whole incident was likely a lot of fun, and something "most people have probably wished they could do". WTF? I have a hard time imagining them covering a mall shooting in such a flippant manner, yet the two situations are very comparable: a mentally ill person indiscriminately attacking innocent people.
Bizzare to say the least, I don't watch 20/20 but I was under the impression it was a 60 Minutes type show.
The hands down worse thing I've ever seen on TV was a local news cast. The first anchor did a story about a tragedy in Quebec, where a child in a car seat was left to close to the stove while the mother went outside and seat caught on fire, killing the infant. Making the situation even more horrific was the detail of the infant's brother being there while it happened, jumping up to try and rescue his brother but was too small to reach the top of the counter.
Finished with the report, she threw it over to her co-anchor who segued with, "Speaking of tragedy, the price at the pumps went up again today..."
05-16-14, 11:06 PM
#8
DVD Talk Legend
Re: What's the Most Offensive Thing You've Ever Seen on Television?
I'll give a serious reply. Crocker, 20/20 used to be a decent newsmagazine show (though not on a par with 60 Minutes or Fifth Estate) back when Hugh Downs and B. Walters hosted it. Now it is close to, but not quite, lowest-common-denominator drivel, like everything else.
05-16-14, 11:14 PM
#9
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Re: What's the Most Offensive Thing You've Ever Seen on Television?
The extreme home makeover episode of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia was hilariously offensive.
05-16-14, 11:41 PM
#10
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05-17-14, 12:22 AM
#12
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Re: What's the Most Offensive Thing You've Ever Seen on Television?
I'm sure I can think of something more offensive, but the first thing I thought of was those Oprah giveaway shows, where the audience members would shriek and claw themselves to pieces in an uncontrollable orgy of naked greed
05-17-14, 12:25 AM
#13
Re: What's the Most Offensive Thing You've Ever Seen on Television?
One semi-offensive thing I remember was on "Maxxximum Exposure" (Anybody remember that?) It was like Jackass meets AFV.
This one clip they had was a funeral-taping somewhere deep in Latin America. There were candles all around the casket and a family member, when viewing the body, accidentally knocked a big candle over which immediately caused the body to start burning. The jokey VO-guy began saying stuff like "Muy caliente! It's disco inferno at the funeral parlor!" as the grievers were frantically trying to put the fire out. Thought that was F'd up.
Another thing that I saw that surely must've been offensive to certain viewers (Especially those with weak stomachs) was a Bio-channel special about Bugsy Siegel. In case you didn't know, Bugsy got most of his face blown off by a sniper and there wasn't no warning that the crime-scene photos were gonna shown in graphic detail.
This one clip they had was a funeral-taping somewhere deep in Latin America. There were candles all around the casket and a family member, when viewing the body, accidentally knocked a big candle over which immediately caused the body to start burning. The jokey VO-guy began saying stuff like "Muy caliente! It's disco inferno at the funeral parlor!" as the grievers were frantically trying to put the fire out. Thought that was F'd up.
Another thing that I saw that surely must've been offensive to certain viewers (Especially those with weak stomachs) was a Bio-channel special about Bugsy Siegel. In case you didn't know, Bugsy got most of his face blown off by a sniper and there wasn't no warning that the crime-scene photos were gonna shown in graphic detail.
05-17-14, 12:30 AM
#14
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: What's the Most Offensive Thing You've Ever Seen on Television?
Footage of Black Friday crowds going berserk. I don't understand how people can go "herd mentality" over cheap-ass crap.
I get running away from danger, not for no-name TV sets.
I get running away from danger, not for no-name TV sets.
05-17-14, 12:42 AM
#16
DVD Talk Legend
Re: What's the Most Offensive Thing You've Ever Seen on Television?
If I was there I'd probably just be like "hey that is awesome"
05-17-14, 01:49 AM
#19
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Re: What's the Most Offensive Thing You've Ever Seen on Television?
I actually was pretty shocked at what was allowed in Drawn Together (animated reality show).
Its like cartoons for were trying to one-up themselves in what they could get away with.
Simpsons had some adult stuff, then Beavis and Butthead uped the ante. Then came South Park and Family Guy. Then Drawn Together won the race (imo).
Its like cartoons for were trying to one-up themselves in what they could get away with.
Simpsons had some adult stuff, then Beavis and Butthead uped the ante. Then came South Park and Family Guy. Then Drawn Together won the race (imo).
05-17-14, 01:56 AM
#20
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Re: What's the Most Offensive Thing You've Ever Seen on Television?
Another thing that I saw that surely must've been offensive to certain viewers (Especially those with weak stomachs) was a Bio-channel special about Bugsy Siegel. In case you didn't know, Bugsy got most of his face blown off by a sniper and there wasn't no warning that the crime-scene photos were gonna shown in graphic detail.
05-17-14, 05:40 AM
#22
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: What's the Most Offensive Thing You've Ever Seen on Television?
There was an episode of "Cheaters" where there was a sting on a crew member's girlfriend. They were white and she was cheating with a black man. At one point the white guy turns to the black guy & says (I'm paraphrasing) "I'm not racist, but its bad enough that she's cheating, but to be cheating with a black guy... etc... " I can't believe they aired the quote.
05-17-14, 08:38 AM
#24
DVD Talk Limited Edition
