I couldn't stand Veep because a) it hit too close to home and had no real lesson on how to make it not suck b) staffers actively watched the show for pointers making it a reinforcing doom loop of hell.
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this explains so much
jul 3, 2025, 2:07 am • 3 0 • view
When I worked on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Canada, The West Wing was all the rage. I didn’t even know the show existed, though. And it wasn’t until I started to watch the show in 2008 that I understood just how much of my colleagues behaviour was explained by what they had seen on TV.
jul 3, 2025, 2:41 pm • 2 0 • view
Gave me PTSD. Couldnt watch it.
jul 3, 2025, 1:46 pm • 1 0 • view
I would think over 200 years would help with the trauma but I guess not.
jul 3, 2025, 1:49 pm • 0 0 • view
Instead of useful cognitive tools it gave them easy cognitive tools. It's the trap of learning discourse from soap operas or wrestling - when cheap narratives become popularized they cheapen the discourse. Monetization enshittifies everything.
jul 3, 2025, 3:11 am • 5 0 • view
I never got through more than half a season watching it but I would occasionally skip around and watch some clips which is how I caught the mass shooting references.
jul 3, 2025, 2:04 am • 22 0 • view
I thought the Wire was the show that most prepared me for Washington. West Wing I couldn't stand because I thought it was a bunch of navel gazing by self important blowhards. House of Cards I found annoying because it made it seem like some knucklehead like Frank could engineer his way to power.
jul 3, 2025, 2:08 am • 40 1 • view
Not the same level of experience obvi but I do agree with the assessment of those shows.
jul 3, 2025, 2:11 am • 2 0 • view
I'm not going to watch it anytime soon but I might give that last show another go because I used to find it implausible that a member of congress would push someone onto the metro to die and now its not looking so ridiculous.
jul 3, 2025, 2:08 am • 30 0 • view
House of Cards is deliciously improbable.
jul 3, 2025, 2:47 am • 2 0 • view
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington I watched afterwards because I assumed it was going to suck because everyone in Washington raved about it and I was pleasantly surprised that it appropriately showed the Senate's ecosystem as corrupt beyond belief. Def recommended minus some silly side plots.
jul 3, 2025, 2:15 am • 30 0 • view
Don't Look Up I watched while I was in the Senate which was hilarious. I remember watching overeager Leonard DiCaprio eagerly warning the politicians that there was a crisis and being made to wait for hours. I worked with a bunch of science fellows and remember thinking they got our number.
jul 3, 2025, 2:15 am • 27 0 • view
Ok anyway, that's enough show and tell for the night lol.
jul 3, 2025, 2:17 am • 14 0 • view
The fact that people use FICTIONAL ENTERTAINMENT TELEVISION to base public policy, governance, and crisis management off of makes me irrationally angry and find them unqualified for their jobs. Fuck that, these people need real world experience.
jul 3, 2025, 2:24 am • 6 0 • view
The Wire is the best show ever made.
jul 3, 2025, 2:11 am • 4 0 • view
When I went to the ER recently I raved about The Pitt to a Dr. He said, “I’m not going to watch something that reminds me of work. It’s like when I raved about The Bear to my friend who was a chef. He said the same thing.” Veep was funny as all hell. Sorry it hit too close to home for you.
jul 3, 2025, 2:10 am • 4 0 • view