The HD Horror Show
Peter Suderman on why HD will make TV even dumber:
And if shallower is what you want, then you’re in luck, because along with sparkling image quality, that’s what you’re going to get. Why? Because the physical flaws that standard definition used to hide are even more apparent. Larry King, for example, looks like he just stepped off the set of a Night of the Living Dead sequel. Ever wanted to see the pores on Wolf Blizter’s cheeks? CNNHD is your channel! Meanwhile, good-looking people take on a creepy, hyper-real quality: Anderson Cooper, for example, appears to be some sort of talking android-mannequin hybrid. Do they have to return him to Bloomingdale’s every night?
It’s already happening, of course, but the upshot of this is that it will accelerate the trend toward hiring analysts and guests on the basis of looks rather than political acumen. It’s not just that good looking people are more pleasing to look at; it’s that imperfect specimens, meaning most normal people (certainly yours truly), are, well… terrifying.
Suderman also includes a YouTube of Reihan Salam that is also terrifying yet low-res.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
I’m generally not in favor of government intervention, but Salam should never be allowed in front of a camera again.
My respect for his book, which started out at zero, dropped even lower.
September 12th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Should I sue him for taking up 52 seconds of my life with this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mvfoa68ridI&feature=related
September 12th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Let’s make it a class action!
I like Salam and Douthat for not being partisan hacks, and for not being preoccupied with expelling heretics from the conservative movement, and for their genuine interest in the problems of the middle class.. but I still can’t abide “big-government conservatism.”