Two Aspirins and a Comedy
Two Aspirins and a Comedy
How Television Can Enhance Health and Society
Metta Spencer
First published 2006 by Paradigm Publishers
Published 2016 by Routledge
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Copyright 2006, Taylor & Francis.
Excerpts from The Power of Film Propaganda: Myth or Reality by Nicholas Reeves copyright 1999 by Nicholas Reeves. Reprinted by permission of the Continuum International Publishing Group. Excerpts from Robert Warshow: Life and Works by David Denby in The Immediate Experience: Movies, Comics, Theatre, and Other Aspects of Popular Culture by Robert Warshow, p. ix, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, copyright 2001 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Excerpts from Love and Limerence by Dorothy Tennov copyright 1999 by Scarborough House. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Excerpts from The Triumph of the Prime-Time Novel, by Charles McGrath from New York Times Magazine (October 22, 1995) copyright 1995 by the New York Times Company. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Excerpts from How Things Come Together by Hanna Newcombe copyright 1998 by Hanna Newcombe. Reprinted by permission of the author. Two stills from Street Time copyright Sony Pictures Television. Reprinted by permission of Sony Pictures Television. Still from Northern Exposure copyright 1990 Universal Television Enterprises, Inc. Reprinted courtesy of Universal Studios Licensing LLLP. Photograph of Richard Stratton by Wayne Maser. Reprinted by permission.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Spencer, Metta, 1931
Two aspirins and a comedy : how television can enhance health and society / by Metta Spencer.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-59451-154-3 (hardcover : alk. paper) ISBN 1-59451-155-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. TelevisionPsychological aspects. 2. Television broadcastingSocial aspects. I. Title.
PN1992.6.S662 2006
302.23'45dc22
2005030750
ISBN-13: 978-1-59451-154-7 (hc)-ISBN 978-1-59451-155-4 (pbk.)
Designed and Typeset by Straight Creek Bookmakers.
ISBN 13 : 978-1-59451-154-7 (hbk)
ISBN 13 : 978-1-59451-155-4 (pbk)
With gratitude for the virtual worlds created by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Mikhail Gorbachev, Garrison Keillor, and Rob Morrow
Contents
Nobody writes a book single-handedly. In one way or another, hundreds of people are involved in the creation, though the numbers vary from one book to another. In this case, I owe thanks to a huge number, including television producers, writers, and actors; interviewees and participants in several e-mail lists; friends who came to my home every week to watch and discuss two television shows; two medical students who fact-checked my physiological reports; friends who read my work critically; and several wonderfully helpful assistants over a period of seven years. Youve given me enough material for five or six books! Thanks especially to Erika Alexander, David Assael, John Bacher, Elizabeth Barger, Simon Baron-Cohen, Aaron Bates, Rosanna Bencoach, Liliana Bezjak, Christopher Bolton, Sara Boyles, Joshua Brand, Michelle Bylow, Richard Cefola, Matthew Cloner, Scott Cohen, Silvia Colomines, Barry Corbin, Lee Creal, Rose Dyson, Paul Ekman, Lisa Ferguson, Robert Ferguson, Sonny Fox, Michael Fresco, Joseph Gonda, Patricia Hluchy, Walter Hammontree, Louise Harlow, Jason Hartley, Miro Harven, Greg Hillegas, Jennifer Jewell, Niliema Karkhanis, Diane Katz, Joe Lazarov, Marc Levin, Alexander Likhotal, Jamie Marie Lynaugh, Jeffrey Marcon, Graeme MacQueen, Jeff Melvoin, Kelly McDowell, Amber McNair, Rob Morrow, Michelle Nolden, Aimee Parrott, Wilson Perkowski, Julie Berg Raymond, Rheta Rosen, Bill Ryerson, Joanna Santa Barbara, Morgan Savage, Thomas Scheff, Len Schlichting, Edward Silva, Ken Simons, Ann Sorenson, Roselyn Stone, Richard Stratton, Aparna Swaminathan, Ann Swidler, Jeff Vlaming, John Vreeke, David Wahl, Eric Walberg, Dinesh Xavier, and Dolf Zillmann.
Im particularly grateful for the good ideas contributed by Arlie Hochschild and Jonathan Spencer, for the helpful support of Melissa Weiner, and the superb, intelligent support at Paradigm Publishers from Beth Davis, Dianne Ewing, Julie Kirsch, and Alison Sullenberger. It has been fun! Dean Birkenkamp helped me through the difficult but necessary process of trimming the book down to a manageable size. Readers who want more information can visit the books Web site, www.twoaspirinsandacomedy.com.
Suppose you seek professional advice about a problem, and this is what youre told:
By your family physician: Say, Ah. Well, its just a nasty coldwhich isnt surprising. Your immunoglobulin A count is far too low. Take these two aspirins. And we need to boost your immune system. I want you to watch Ferris Buellers Day Off and Annie Hall tonight. And after your colds gone, consider making more time for lovemaking. A little romance every day or two will improve your health. If your wife isnt in the mood often enough, try writing poetry for her. If that fails, just improvise on your own.
By your career counselor: I dont think you should quit nursing school just yet. Yes, the training is stressful, but nursing fits your personality. Besides, your school has a program in recreational music. You play keyboards, so join the group. Making music is one of the best cures for stress. But dont watch ER or any crime or suspense shows for a while. Seinfeld would be okay oreven betterinspiring films such as Its a Wonderful Life.
By your marriage counselor: Clearly, you two still love each other and you dont fight. Your problem is existential. Youre bored. Your life together lacks meaning. Both of you are thrill-seeking idealists, but youre stuck in hum-drum jobs that you dont dare quit. You need a joint project bigger than yourselves. I recommend two new TV shows: Civilian Peacekeepers and A Green Cross Team. Theyre funny and adventurous, but not violent. The characters are preventing a war and saving the environment. Then check out their Web sites for groups you can join and work together on such issues. Joseph Campbell advised, Follow your bliss. Your bliss will come from doing something valuable for the world.
If these proposals seem wacky, just stay with me. By the end of the book, youll consider them quite reasonable. Were going to explore the potential of entertainment to enhance the quality of your lifeyour emotions, your physical health, your moral and spiritual worldview, and the significance of your contributions to society. And among all the forms of entertainment, well find that television drama offers the greatest potential value.
