With Aaron Sorkin’s name appearing so very often in every magazine, newspaper and tweet I happen to read, it’s only fair that I contribute the news flow.
Let me state upfront that I am a fan of his writing. And I’m currently watching reruns of West Wing.
Moving on.
From what I gather from my media colleagues, The Newsroom is a preachy, self righteous show with no real focus. Things don’t really work the way the show claims and the politics of it is disturbing.
Whatever induced Sorkin to that think that his show will get anywhere with the very media he is so gloriously thrashing, I do not know.
What I do know and want to talk about is the politics of the show. I did watch the pilot episode and I do believe my opinion as a third-world fan of Aaron Sorkin matters.
There is not a shred of doubt that the politics of his shows are disturbing. It is no surprise either that things don’t really work the way they are portrayed on TV. Surely, we all know that? Ask Kal Penn, who was as disappointed as I am to learn that you can’t get food delivered to the White House. You don’t say…?
Let’s start with Will McAvoy’s rant. He was very articulate about why America is not the greatest country in the world. But nostalgia about “who we used to be” was loopy at best. “We stood up for what was right. And we didn’t get scared so easy.”
Huh?
Is this the same country that treated Communism as if it were a toxic, communicable disease that could eliminate humanity? We didn’t get scared so easy, which is why we fought two wars half way across the world. We stood up for what was right, which is why we screwed around with the Taliban and armed them in the first place.
What kind of nut makes bizarre claims like these? There’s nothing wrong with loving your country but the oh-so-Americanism of it all is nauseating.
I really don’t have a refreshing take on The Newsroom. It’s hard to judge the show based on one episode. But I can confidently vouch for the politics and idealism of Aaron Sorkin’s shows. When you ask for a Sorkin show, a Sorkin show is what you will get.
So, I’m confounded by the rants against his idealism in The Newsroom. Were these the same people who religiously watched West Wing and applauded it as a great show? I love that show only because I completely disregard the politics. It was great drama, with an outstanding cast and exceptional writing. But don’t for a moment think that I didn’t cringe every single time Jed Bartlet was referred to as the Leader of the Free World.
With West Wing, Sorkin never once attempted to conceal his idealism or his Liberal views. And that’s fine. If you don’t like what you get, look elsewhere. What I don’t understand is why the rant now? The media are peeved only because this time around Sorkin is telling them how to run their houses rather than telling the President of the country how to manage his. Is that it?
To someone like me, who lives half way across the world (and whom Sorkin thinks America needs to enlighten), the reviews of The Newsroom are… well, First World Problems.
Really, who cares that Jeff Daniels and Emily Mortimer think that news is so precious a commodity that only the very best and smartest people deserve to consume it?
The point of this long rant is that the moment you start dissecting a show, a book or a movie to this extent, you realize that there is no point in attempting to watch something or read in the first place.
Do I want to come home at the end of the day and spend time contemplating the larger implications of a TV show or do I want watch it because I enjoy the banter, drama and the entertainment package?
I know I want to come home and watch Josh Lyman hammer out policy details like he’s reading out English alphabets and Jed Bartlet take sarcasm and narcissism to new heights.
And that’s all there is to it.
Let me state upfront that I am a fan of his writing. And I’m currently watching reruns of West Wing.
Moving on.
From what I gather from my media colleagues, The Newsroom is a preachy, self righteous show with no real focus. Things don’t really work the way the show claims and the politics of it is disturbing.
Whatever induced Sorkin to that think that his show will get anywhere with the very media he is so gloriously thrashing, I do not know.
What I do know and want to talk about is the politics of the show. I did watch the pilot episode and I do believe my opinion as a third-world fan of Aaron Sorkin matters.
There is not a shred of doubt that the politics of his shows are disturbing. It is no surprise either that things don’t really work the way they are portrayed on TV. Surely, we all know that? Ask Kal Penn, who was as disappointed as I am to learn that you can’t get food delivered to the White House. You don’t say…?
Let’s start with Will McAvoy’s rant. He was very articulate about why America is not the greatest country in the world. But nostalgia about “who we used to be” was loopy at best. “We stood up for what was right. And we didn’t get scared so easy.”
Huh?
Is this the same country that treated Communism as if it were a toxic, communicable disease that could eliminate humanity? We didn’t get scared so easy, which is why we fought two wars half way across the world. We stood up for what was right, which is why we screwed around with the Taliban and armed them in the first place.
What kind of nut makes bizarre claims like these? There’s nothing wrong with loving your country but the oh-so-Americanism of it all is nauseating.
I really don’t have a refreshing take on The Newsroom. It’s hard to judge the show based on one episode. But I can confidently vouch for the politics and idealism of Aaron Sorkin’s shows. When you ask for a Sorkin show, a Sorkin show is what you will get.
So, I’m confounded by the rants against his idealism in The Newsroom. Were these the same people who religiously watched West Wing and applauded it as a great show? I love that show only because I completely disregard the politics. It was great drama, with an outstanding cast and exceptional writing. But don’t for a moment think that I didn’t cringe every single time Jed Bartlet was referred to as the Leader of the Free World.
With West Wing, Sorkin never once attempted to conceal his idealism or his Liberal views. And that’s fine. If you don’t like what you get, look elsewhere. What I don’t understand is why the rant now? The media are peeved only because this time around Sorkin is telling them how to run their houses rather than telling the President of the country how to manage his. Is that it?
To someone like me, who lives half way across the world (and whom Sorkin thinks America needs to enlighten), the reviews of The Newsroom are… well, First World Problems.
Really, who cares that Jeff Daniels and Emily Mortimer think that news is so precious a commodity that only the very best and smartest people deserve to consume it?
The point of this long rant is that the moment you start dissecting a show, a book or a movie to this extent, you realize that there is no point in attempting to watch something or read in the first place.
Do I want to come home at the end of the day and spend time contemplating the larger implications of a TV show or do I want watch it because I enjoy the banter, drama and the entertainment package?
I know I want to come home and watch Josh Lyman hammer out policy details like he’s reading out English alphabets and Jed Bartlet take sarcasm and narcissism to new heights.
And that’s all there is to it.
