Zeitgeist TV

[DanaC]

Videos that reflect or express something of the now.

First up, a 'Bushtucker Trial' from this year's 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here'.

If you're unaware of IACGMOOH the basic premise is that a bunch of (mainly minor, but an occasional 'national treasure' or US star) celebrities are taken off to a controlled patch of jungle in Australia, where they live in a makeshift camp, sleeping in sleepingbags, getting bitten by insects and crawled on by rats, for three weeks. During that time, they are expected to compete in trials to gain food and treats, without which they subsist on basic rations of rice and beans. They are also subjected to various other indignities (at one point this year they were chained together in pairs for 24 hours).

At the start they were two separate camps, competing against each other for the extra food.

In this clip, a minor soapstar and a serving member of parliament go head to head to win food for their respective camps.




For me this seems to sum up something of modern British culture. There's just something about that pairing that rings like some low-rent, near-future, sci-fi parable from the 1980s. Except that it's real and it's now.

I'll bob back in with more at some point. But in the meantime: what seems to capture something of the zeitgeist in your world?

[Sundae]

Dean Gaffney's trial is still my favourite.

That clip rates alongside Ron Pickering being amazed by record breaking long jump by Bob Beamon and saying, "Oh it's an enormous one! My goodness me it's an enormous one!" which made me laugh so hard I fell off the kitchen table. 1968 Mexico Games so I only saw it retrospectively.

Zeitgeist TV?
Torville and Dean dancing the Bolero of course.

And meeting Papa Lazarou for the first time.

[ZenGum]

taken off to a controlled patch of jungle in Australia, where they live in a makeshift camp, sleeping in sleepingbags, getting bitten by insects and crawled on by rats, for three weeks. During that time, they are expected to compete in trials to gain food and treats, without which they subsist on basic rations of rice and beans. They are also subjected to various other indignities

This seems spookily familiar to my life!

[DanaC]

Another Zeitgeist moment, again from Brit tv.

The Thick of It is a political satire which has been running for a few years. Recently, after a gap in series (though with a movie in that gap) it returned with a final series. As with previous stories, this one was set in todays Britain with a fictional, but representative government. A coalition government, and a battered and slightly lost opposition.

One of the central characters in The Thck of It, is Malcolm Tucker. A political spin doctor. During the first twoseries he was Director of Communications for the Prime Minister, now his party is in opposition.

There's been a scandal. A man has comitted suicide. Part of the reason for his suicide appears to have been the leaking of his confidential medical records in a political attack. As with any big scandal in Britain these days it led to a massive inquiry with witnesses giving evidence and all streaming live on BBC News.

Malcolm Tucker speaking at the enquiry, having realised his political career is over, an amazing performance.