When is Enough Enough?

Gay-haters. Pedophiles. Elderly-abusers. Peeping toms. PDAs. Reckless children, sans parents.

Just turn on your television news magazine program any night of the week, and these are some of the things you'll see. Last night, ABC's PRIMETIME aired a special "Basic Instincts" program. Their goal was to show us, using actors, what the normal, average person's reaction is to these sorts of people.

In the first few moments, they showed a handful of people riding in Vegas taxis and talking smack about homosexuals. This is getting ridiculous. Sure, they claim to have our best interests at heart, but with their programming, I have two gripes.

One. If this is a major problem, why add fuel to the fire by showing it to us and making us watch it even more? I am tired of this incessant bashing of people. Why do we have to keep watching it? Isn't it enough to have Katie tell us about it on the "official" nightly news or read about it in the Times? Let's use these television news magazines for something else!

Two. "They have no idea..." Don't these regular people, the subjects of the news magazines value their privacy? I would be OUTRAGED to be "caught by hidden cameras" and made a pawn in this hogwash. Not only are the subjects videotaped for their candid reactions, but AUDIOTAPED as well.

In the elderly-abuse segment, one man watched the abuse for nineteen minutes and then rode away on his bicycle. Well, if I were him, I'd sue. Primetime said the man never came back. So, they had his face on tape, showed it on network television, all without his permission it sounds like... since he never came back.

One segment did pixel out the faces of some subjects, but even so.

I'm appalled when ABC decides "enough is enough" and walks in to break the news. This is a terrible version of CANDID CAMERA and I don't think it's right. It's a HUGE violation of privacy, even if it's not aired on television. It's absolutely not their place--the networks have no right to video- or audio-record our lives. Our private lives.

Worse, a group of red hat ladies starts screaming and laughing when John Quiñones walks in saying, "I'm from PRIMETIME."

Even back when they were barging in on pedophiles in their homes. Of course they were in the wrong, no one is debating that. Well, maybe they are, but not here at EA(t) A(t) (j)OE'S. However, where's the warrant? This is why we have police, courts, judges, checks and balances. This civilian's arrest, or TV Anchor Arrest, is not right.

But... one funny moment from last night: this conversation between two diners watching what they were led to believe was an extra-marital affair:
HER: "If that ever happens to us, I'll kill you."
HIM: (chuckling) "OK"
HER: "No. Seriously. I will kill you. I'll kill you."