Media Matters

     There isn't anything or anyone that Donald Trump won't criticize. Recently, this included the way Beto O'Rourke uses his hands. Such gesturing is just too much, according to the President. O'Rourke responded with examples of Trump's employment of his own gesturing. Those instances weren't great, either.      Observing the 2020 Presidential candidates, there isn't one person among them who doesn't use a myriad of gestures and other non-verbal behavior to convey his/her messages. If there are criticisms aimed at these communication codes, it probably is because they call attention to themselves. That's when people get in trouble.      Yet, often, these non-verbal markers can help make communication more effective. Why? Because they enhance meaning, increasing the ability to interpret what someone is really saying.  Let's take two kinds of gestures as  examples. Emblems stand as substitutes for words/phrases as i...

     While GAME OF THRONES ( G. of T. ) is immensely popular and has been since its inception in 2011, May 19 will be the last episode. Can you imagine that this critic was waiting until just a few weeks before its demise to watch it? Can you imagine that  it will not be an upsetting event to do so, at least for this viewer who is not sorry missing it all these years. Why? Because the reasons for its popularity  are not new, exciting or challenging. Unless you're a teenager or a fan of fantasy literature. Sex and Violence is old hat, and that's what the program is basically about. Period.      Yet there are other causes for its popularity which seem more interesting. One of these stems from the existence of multiple sources: a combination of genres, so to speak. Horror immediately comes to mind (although its roots in fantasy are obvious ): the conflict between good and evil, often juxtaposing the use of opposing symbols  (children ...

     This blog's recent homage to TV's SHERLOCK HOLMES ( with  Benedict Cumberbatch  ) might make us believe that there are no other current mystery programs that are as good. Depending on one's taste, that could be true. Yet there are some programs  that appeal to other tastes; ones where plots are easy to follow, actors are not ambiguous, and environments are attractive, leaving us with the notion that we wished we lived there. (After all, the episodes are shot on location, mostly in England, giving the setting a welcomed reality.)       MIDSOMER MURDERS is one such example which has been on PBS since 1997, a homey, entertaining series about English village life. It's a place where, if given the chance, we would move to immediately. And why not? Consider the rolling hills, market towns and thatched cottages. A real celebration of the past. The people are friendly as well, with the community pub offering a comfortable place t...