soap opera teaches people to be unrealistically romantic and dramatic

Im not sure if people take them that seriously. I know I never did when I watched as a young girl. But Im with you on the history channel, CNN, National Geographic are three channels my tv stays on. oh..one more..the science channel..LOVE IT!

I agree with you actually. My sister and I watch one show that shows unrealistic romance. It does mess with our minds sometimes. At times we get carried away and start expecting our husband's to be this way too... Then we become disappointed because it doesn't happen I absolutely believe fairy tales and shows that portray unrealistic things affects our daily life, sometimes without even realizinng its happening. Now lately I have been working on having less expectations in life. I'm sick of being disappointed...

I don't agree with you that soap operas teach a person to be unrealistically romantic in life. I think instead the soap operas are so unlike real life. I mean I know that there are some really messy things that go on in real life but when you look at a soap opera, it is always a lot of drama and I don't think that there is anyone that has a life that is nearly as dramatic as the lives that are exposed in soap operas. Now I'm not a fan of soap operas, but I don't think that they really give people unrealistic expectations for life.

I've lived and worked in Asia in the past, and I have seen some cultures who are so deep into their soap operas. Although I don't think it affects the educated sector of the population, I think it proves to be detrimental to those people who don't know otherwise. I do think that it makes people think unrealistic. And worse, I think it teaches people to be accepting of their fates. Instead of going out and making their own destiny.

Seriously, This is too much! I admit, I am a tv junkie, I love to watch movies, dramas and most of all Korean Dramas. I like the line "What we watch often is what we will become or define who we are too." It seems like I had been wasting my time watching Korean dramas, but just so you know this is my only way in escaping reality. I value your point of view, but I'd like you to know that I am very choosy when it comes to dramas that I'm going to watch. There's always a lesson learned in every movie I watched. :)

OMG! Sorry to soap opera fans but to me this is like brainwashing. I see so many persons who go crazy if they don't get at home right on time for their episode! I know kids who were named after soap opera characters. I know crazy women who do all kind crazy things because of the overly dramatic influence of these serials. I remember that when I was 8 years old "the young and the restless" was on TV. It is still on air producing new episodes(now I'm 26). My mom laughed one day and said that probably the actors are going for aesthetic surgery each years or they are embalmed like mummies

I don't watch soap operas these days. My mum does watch them and she always did from what I remember. She likes British ones called Coronation Street and East Enders. I know that she used to watch Brook Side which was filmed in Liverpool. In my teenage years and early twenties I watched two Australian soup operas called Neighbors plus Home and Away. I visited Australia the first time in 1993 when in Palm Beach I saw them filming in Home and Away. I was able two of the soap opera's characters. They are now famous people know across the world. They are Melissa George who played as Angel Parrish and Ray Meager that plays as Alf Stewart. He is still in Home and Away. He is the only original character left in it. Yes, soup operas are unrealistic because normal life would make boring viewing. They have to be silly and way too dramatic to keep people's interest.

All shows and movies do that to some extent. Even the history channel is just some group of people's view and opinion on what took place in history. It is not always an accurate depiction of the facts. I'm in the U.S. and I know that many of the broadcast channels, ABC and NBC and CBS, present a very biased view of much of the news. This mostly true when they are reporting on political figures but also on laws, etc. The are very biased toward the liberal side. So their reports are always more favorable toward Democrats than Republicans for example. At least with soap operas and other fictional shows you know that you are watching fiction and that real life is not like that. Adults should have no problem separating the two. Of course for children it is different and that is why parents should be careful about what their children watch. Even something like Winny the Pooh can have harmful things if a child is watching it. One example was were they showed a balloon being blown up just with the kid's or Winny's breath and then being able to float by means of the balloon like would happen if there were many more balloons than just one and they had helium in them and not just breathed out air as shown in the cartoon. A child might not, probably would not, know the difference and could jump out a window or off of something high with a balloon they blown up and expect to float and not fall. All shows should be watched with the knowledge that what they are showing is fiction and like real life and even supposedly factual shows like those on the history channel must be watched with caution.

i know watching soaps is a fantasy world but i also believe they teach us about relationships and also help make us more romantic.its only bad when we decide your ideal lady or man should look that good,thats what i agree creates bad illusions otherwise i love the soaps they always cheer me up ,make me feel that love is worth it at the end of the day.

I couldn't agree more. Romance and dramas made us believe the most unrealistic thought of a happy ending. Happy endings as seen in movies and series can't be seen always in real life. These things made us forget the fact that reality isn't always as good, as romantic and as happy as what we've seen in dramas. Most of the things in movies are cliches and made lots of people become hopeless romantic which is not good since the world realistically speaking does not always favors us. This world where we live in, where we meet vast of people we know and people we don't know can be really cruel and unfair. I support your suggestion about watching history channel, national geographic, cnn, news and current events because we need to be aware of what is going on in the real world instead of daydreaming and living in the fantasy land. History will teach us about the mistakes those people ahead of us have committed and preventing ourselves from repeating the same actions.