Bad impartation from GAME SHOWS...You like game shows?

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I feel for those who need money, we all need it. But I do not like the fact that there are institutions/personalities in the media industry who impart a not-so-good thing to the young, that money is just a gamble or a plead away. Let me refer you to Behn Cervantes' article in Philippine Daily Inquirer. ---------------------------------------------------------------- TV cultivates culture of mendicancy By Behn Cervantes Inquirer Last updated 00:03am (Mla time) 11/25/2006 Published on page H3 of the November 25, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer I GRIMACED in disgust as an old woman on a very popular but controversial game show wept loudly for the whole nation to hear. She had been moved by the generosity of the studio audience after the program’s host had prodded her to plead for help from whomever. Indeed, that’s what the desperate woman did. This familiar spectacle is sickening to watch because shows like this brazenly develop the culture of mendicancy among the poor. The desperate “have nots” are taught to believe that they are dependent on the generosity of the “haves.” Problems Instead of giving them fishing rods and teaching them how to fish, these shows simplistically solve problems with veritable doleouts. Thus, the young get the wrong signal that, instead of sweat, alms from the rich and powerful can solve their problems. In fact, these shows even make mendicancy appear glamorous! The “haves” practice the culture of patronage, and thus wield power over the poor. That politicians are the source of largesse is drummed into their consciousness by posters that announce that roads are asphalted through the kindness of a certain congressman -- you’d think the taxpayers’ money was his, as if it weren’t his duty to provide public services to his constituents, to begin with! Malpractice This malpractice has been going on for far too long. Reactions are consistently negative, but brazen politicians play deaf to complaints since their self-serving claims are deemed important come election time. Since times are hard and the minimum wage not enough to allow economically-challenged families to lead decent lives, people turn to games of chance and “get-rich-quick” schemes conceived by the wise and odious. What better legitimacy than to hide behind charitable intentions, and be seen by millions of viewers in the process? Naturally, popular acceptance gives these game shows legitimacy, and their hosts attain a semblance of respectability. In fact, the host comes across smelling like roses. Wrong signals Thus, game shows cultivate the “biglang yaman” mentality in a desperate public. Either in the guise of charity or luck, they send wrong signals to the young. Given the country’s current economic problems, it’s understandable why poeple take chances. Instead of planning their lives and focusing on honest labor, they pin their hopes on the lotto or sweepstakes. Moreover, the masa relies on the illegal numbers game, jueteng. People believe that these games of chance can alter their dire prospects. If all else fails, they head for Saudi and other foreign shores for greener pastures. Life is a gamble, after all! From: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view_article.php?article_id=34624