What Were They Thinking?

Before I say anything more, there is a lot of talent involved in HBO's "Boardwalk Empire" and NBC's "Outsourced". With that said, I can't see what the creators were thinking when these shows were put together. I can't see how the creators thought these shows would be relevant or popular or successful.

I will start with "Outsourced". Every joke told in that show is attached to a thousand American job applications someone sent out because a job was shipped overseas. Not all shows compliment the intelligence of their audience. Honestly, there are very few shows that discover the intelligence level of their audience. With that being said, "Outsourced" wants Americans to laugh at their job loss situation and on a lesser note a lot of their customer service frustrations.

America was never supposed to be about loss and gain. America was always supposed to be about gain. For NBC to see that America has loss jobs and now they want to gain a laugh based on a tragic situation is insane.

America's stance on immigration is a great example of how we are always expecting a valuable import when we open our borders or in this case television set. Instead of getting a valuable import, NBC is highlighting the fact that greed and bad policy are making jobs America's number one export.

"Boardwalk Empire" is everything "Outsourced" is not. HBO's latest venture is based on a time America cannot identify with at all. White musicians playing the trombone in black face, cars without radios, and women fighting for the right to vote seems like it happened the day after Adam bit the apple. I watched the first two episodes of the show and both times I questioned, "was alcohol ever illegal?". Am I wrong for asking that question when marijuana, prostitution, and guns are legal in various parts of America? I think not.

On top of being boring, "Boardwalk Empire" reminds us that often times politicians misappropriate funds and live lavish lifestyles while snickering at the fact we believed any of their campaign promises. Prohibition may have marked the second chapter in this country's book on greed (the first chapter being the Transatlantic Slave Trade), but greed has evolved to the point where what we see now isn't a reflection of what HBO is showing us. The difference is as drastic as an egg and chicken. I'm not sure about you, but I'm not watching an egg waiting for a chicken to hatch.

If I had to give an answer on the goal of the shows, I would say "Outsourced" is hoping we relate to Indians the same way we would relate to friends whenever we come in contact with them over the phone. I cannot give an answer for "Boardwalk Empire"
and while I try to figure it out, I will wear the same blank stare I wear Sunday at 9pm.

Instead of watching "Boardwalk Empire" I will spend my HBO hour with "Eastbound and Down" and "Bored to Death".