Live data from Hacker News

It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO

nybooks.com

11–20 of 63 posts

Re: It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO

#11
> That’s character in literature: not a stooge in your reverie of fair play and sound politics, but a creature of his time.

> Take the best moment in Aaron Sorkin’s imperfect show for HBO, The Newsroom ...

This moment is a speech that contains among other things the incredible claim that the US is one-hundred-and-seventy-eighth in infant mortality, something that Sorkin had from a table he read upside down.

That's character: not a brilliant hero, but someone unable to read a table correctly.

Re: It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO

#12
post #5

I am a fan of hbo, and have been for a long time, but I do miss the adult content: sexo urbano, showgirls: glitz and angst, taxicab confessions, etc. I vote to bring that back.

Twitter and Reddit have shown that the population doesn't care if porn is mixed in with everything else. It's fine, it's fun, and it's harmless. The American WASP prudishness needs to die. We love our violence in film and drama. We should love our sexuality too. Game of Thrones was better for it.

Not everyone has made their sexual fetish their identity and wants to see porn all over the place.

edit: The parent comment originally advocated putting hardcore porn into all content, but was edited.

Re: It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO

#13
post #8
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Twitter and Reddit have shown that the population doesn't care if porn is mixed in with everything else. It's fine, it's fun, and it's harmless. The American WASP prudishness needs to die. We love our violence in film and drama. We should love our sexuality too. Game of Thrones was better for it.

You’ve also explained why it won’t come back, though: the internet. I remember taxicab confessions being compelling because it was a rare example of people talking openly about adult things. These days that’s everywhere online.

Both Netflix and HBO are showing full frontal nudity. Male and female. And the shows that do are incredibly popular.

Worrying about it is a generational thing.

Re: It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO

#14
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Twitter and Reddit have shown that the population doesn't care if porn is mixed in with everything else. It's fine, it's fun, and it's harmless. The American WASP prudishness needs to die. We love our violence in film and drama. We should love our sexuality too. Game of Thrones was better for it.

Not everyone has made their sexual fetish their identity and wants to see porn all over the place. edit: The parent comment originally advocated putting hardcore porn into all content, but was edited.

TV shows are about human life and sexuality is as much part of life as anything. A lot more than violence. I do also wish this wasn't such a taboo.

But the US is far from the only country that's so sensitive about it. Pornography in China is forbidden, in India is very iffy. In Islamic countries it can be extremely illegal.

Even in the Netherlands where I'm from movies have become a lot more prudish since the 70s/80s.

Re: It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO

#15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not everyone has made their sexual fetish their identity and wants to see porn all over the place. edit: The parent comment originally advocated putting hardcore porn into all content, but was edited.

TV shows are about human life and sexuality is as much part of life as anything. A lot more than violence. I do also wish this wasn't such a taboo. But the US is far from the only country that's so sensitive about it. Pornography in China is forbidden, in India is very iffy. In Islamic countries it can be extremely illegal. Even in the Netherlands where I'm from movies have become a lot more prudish since the 70s/80s…

In the 80s/90s, on Dutch TV we'd have daytime deodorant commercials on public channels featuring naked women applying the product.

Wasn't even considered sexual content, and in no way shielded from kids either. The context isn't sexual, and it's a perfectly normal body part.

The sexualization of the human body is nothing but a cultural invention.

Re: It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO

#16
post #4

I find interesting that HBO, a US TV network, has become a worldwide brand name in a way that CBS,[1] NBC, and ABC didn't; only BBC has also transcended its home country this way, and did so with a 50-year head start. To global audiences HBO is associated with Game of Thrones , The Sopranos , and other top-quality TV; The Last of Us seems to be on its way to adding to the list. Outside TV networks, I would count Disn…

ABC doesn’t need to be a name brand. It’s owned by Disney - which is a worldwide name brand

NBC also doesn’t need to be a name brand. It’s own by Comcast/Universal Studios which while it isn’t itself a name brand, its products have a worldwide reach.

Re: It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO

#17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not everyone has made their sexual fetish their identity and wants to see porn all over the place. edit: The parent comment originally advocated putting hardcore porn into all content, but was edited.

TV shows are about human life and sexuality is as much part of life as anything. A lot more than violence. I do also wish this wasn't such a taboo. But the US is far from the only country that's so sensitive about it. Pornography in China is forbidden, in India is very iffy. In Islamic countries it can be extremely illegal. Even in the Netherlands where I'm from movies have become a lot more prudish since the 70s/80s…

The parent comment wants to incorporate hardcore porn into all content. People watch hardcore porn to become turned on. Having hardcore porn in all content leads to either being turned on to the detriment of the rest of the movie or becoming desensitized to the detriment of their real world sex life.

You treat "It's part of human life therefore it should be on screen" as an axiom. But it's worth stepping back and considering other viewpoints.

Re: It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO

#18
post #4

I find interesting that HBO, a US TV network, has become a worldwide brand name in a way that CBS,[1] NBC, and ABC didn't; only BBC has also transcended its home country this way, and did so with a 50-year head start. To global audiences HBO is associated with Game of Thrones , The Sopranos , and other top-quality TV; The Last of Us seems to be on its way to adding to the list. Outside TV networks, I would count Disn…

The Wire, Tales from the Crypt

Re: It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO

#19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TV shows are about human life and sexuality is as much part of life as anything. A lot more than violence. I do also wish this wasn't such a taboo. But the US is far from the only country that's so sensitive about it. Pornography in China is forbidden, in India is very iffy. In Islamic countries it can be extremely illegal. Even in the Netherlands where I'm from movies have become a lot more prudish since the 70s/80s…

The parent comment wants to incorporate hardcore porn into all content. People watch hardcore porn to become turned on. Having hardcore porn in all content leads to either being turned on to the detriment of the rest of the movie or becoming desensitized to the detriment of their real world sex life. You treat "It's part of human life therefore it should be on screen" as an axiom. But it's worth stepping back and con…

I don't think the parent was suggesting putting hardcore porn in general content. They were just referring to a time with less strict morals and mentioned some mainstream entertainment titles of the era.

I was just using pornography to illustrate the even stricter morals outside the western world. But like the parent comment I'd also wish we'd loosen up a bit.

Re: It’s Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO

#20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The parent comment wants to incorporate hardcore porn into all content. People watch hardcore porn to become turned on. Having hardcore porn in all content leads to either being turned on to the detriment of the rest of the movie or becoming desensitized to the detriment of their real world sex life. You treat "It's part of human life therefore it should be on screen" as an axiom. But it's worth stepping back and con…

I don't think the parent was suggesting putting hardcore porn in general content. They were just referring to a time with less strict morals and mentioned some mainstream entertainment titles of the era. I was just using pornography to illustrate the even stricter morals outside the western world. But like the parent comment I'd also wish we'd loosen up a bit.

The parent comment originally advocated putting hardcore porn into all content, but was edited.
Post reply on HN