Law on emotional distress in TV soaps? (Page 3)

RJ2 -Thats the whole issue, not we but production houses should ensure to be confined within the that so called thin line when acknowledging and respecting sentiments of audiences who are, so called faithfull lot. For Example (disclaimer TOM and Jerry Fan..avoid reading further) we all love Tom and Jerry...age no bar, this shows has special place in our hearts...all love Jerry kicking Tom's ...  but fact is cat eat mouse... if some new creative story writer joins the team and plans brutal killing of Jerry, that is propoganded with pans to finally bring Jerry's twin bro to beat Tom...a fictional story..but would it hurt feelings to see or learn Jerry was sliced and eatened in yummy Tom's sandwiches...if not anyone personally atleast I and few of people I know won;t like it... bottom line is cater your audiences and do not cross limits...

RTH- 3Tom and Jerry is a very incorrect analogy in this case as Tom and Jerry is aimed for children.

RJ3 - Well Jerry holds a very soft spot in my heart too..how can you say it's aimed for kiddos I just intended to provide what extremity can go to with that example... not a one to one comparisons...examples you gave below if causes immense emotional distressed they are come into same grade of soaps then... BTW did Harry Potter finally die..wonder why?

RTH 4 - I too watch Tom and Jerry and a whole load of cartoons. But I consider myself a three year old. Cannot ignore the target market. Most people take character deaths in a good stride. A small percent of population is always emotionally distressed over some negative aspect. There were people saddened that Dumbledore died although more people were upset when he turned gay. People who take fiction personally need help. Period.

There is a large population who is dissapointed Harry Potter did not die either.

RJ5 - Agreed, need help if they themselves are solely responsible to take it personally but if driven into that stage without realizing where to hit the brakes, responsibility of show makers, again am talking about unacceptable extremities causing needless stress.
Read views of ppl wanting HP's death, majority of folks are uninterested or don't like HP for them it's matter of idc attitude!!

RTH 2- Xena and Gabrielle were crucified by the Romans at the end of the fourth season. Also at the end of the series Xena dies. Prue was killed of at the end of the third season of Charmed.

The Harry Potter series had so many deaths of popular characters. Sirius Black was killed of at the end of book five. Me and a lot of my friends were disappointed, we loved the character of Sirius and were hoping that there would be a lot more of the series. We wore T-Shirts that said "Book 5 never happened. Siriusly!" to the Prisoner of Azkaban midnight showing. Killing him of left us quite saddened. Did that mean we took it personally? Did it mean Rowling did not respect our sentiments? Not at all - it is a fictional story - sometimes characters die or horrible things happen to them as part of the story. It is not disrespectful to the characters fan. It is a plot element.

In 'The Two Towers' movie they brought in Haldir and killed him at Helmsdeep.. A sequence not in the book at all. In the book it is insinuated that he traveled west with all the other elves. Should this non contextual killing of a character be taken personally?

RTH1 - There are lot more graphic and disturbing shows out there. There are shows that portray graphic sex and violence. There are reality based shows that recount stories of rape victims, prisoners of war, abused children and a whole lot more that is sick and hard hitting. The news itself is graphic. During the months after 9/11 several people had Post traumatic stress disorder from merely watching the news.

RJ2 - Yes there are for which choice of watching them or not is easy.... but here we are talking about soaps..who build and get audiences involved for period of years and have a tragic turn...so unfair to them

RTH 2 - Soaps have been notorious for decades for having such tragic twists and turns. The TV show Friends poked a lot of fun at outrageous deceptions and tragedies portrayed in Days of Our Lives through Dr. Drake Ramoray.

RJ3 - Notorious yes ofcourse reason it's bought up IS THERE A limit when it's not more amusing but causing human stress... okay for few folks...but they aren't physically or mentally sick...it's this whole cycle of enchantment of the way soaps are written these days... which is causing this unwanted agony in the name of entertainment...yeah it's personal choice so it's fair. First start with small potions of likeable sodas to people..slowly increase it...then start adding alcohol in it... without knowledge of whats coming next...sure it's the problem of people who started of with small potions of sodas

RTH 4 - It causes stress in a select few. A few stressed people cannot be used to represent the entire soap watching population.

RTH2 - Grieving after a soap's tragic turn and calling it unfair is like saying 300 is so unfair - they killed all Spartans at the end, or getting pissed of at the Bible because they killed of Jesus in the end. It is like hitting your head on a brick wall and accusing the wall of causing your bleeding.

 RJ 3 - Thoses are well known facts and very well presented in holy books and acceptable, no one looses sleep reading it as it happened. Don't wanna take any religious example here... but what about Super Hero one is actually following up with and thanks for some gross imagination of FICTIONAL writer brings that super hero to brutalist death when least expect...am sure it's time to appauld the twist and turn of the writer, isn't it?

RTH4 - Soaps rely on tragic deaths and twists - thats a fact. It is a fact known from decades of soap broadcast. From Days of our lLves to Emmerdale soaps have relied on shock value. You enter viewership aware of this. Claiming distress later is akin to knowing the outcome and still complaining about it.

Superheroes do die - 
1993 Superman vol.2 #75 Superman was killed at the hands of Dr. Doomsday and died in Lois Lanes arms.
Several superheroes including Supergirl and The Flash died during the DC Comic series 'Crisis of the infinite earths'
Dr. Jean Grey dies at the end of the Dark Phoenix Saga.

Death is but a natural outcome and the creator may choose to kill the character at anytime for whatsoever reason or cause terrible harm - deal with it.  

RJ5 - Am not advocating everything should be rosy rosy, focus here is extreme, here and there is fine, should not go unbound in the name of trps costing stress, by undigestable tragedy and twist.
 

RTH1 - I am sorry, but when there is so much in the world that could be affecting us that deserves our attention - I can have no sympathy for people who are troubled by a mere soap. When there are some teenagers out there who can stomach real crime shows with maturity - these people who let soaps effect them like this are pathetic excuses for human beings.

RJ2 - Thats another issue altogether..which family living a day to day life bothers whats going around...sad but true... they believe in work..coming hom ..eating dinner over some TV Show... yeah human beings expect the unexpected... if people start thinking like some individuals on DM life will change, if that is gona happen

RTH1 - A soap is entertainment. It is meant to be enjoyed and then forgotten. There maybe characters we love and feel for, but obsession over them is ridiculous. If someone is getting involved in a soap so much that it mentally affects them then it is NOT the soaps fault. It is the fault of people who are immature and cannot control themselves. Maybe it is difficult for people to control themselves, maybe it is an impulse that is hard to fight - but that is what psychiatrists are there for.

RJ2 - No it's not obsession...its just one starts living with routine... if the doorstep bhajiwala of 10 years, suddenly is not comming at 9:00Am ..then there is unrest...becomes a routine... Obviously difficult for people to control... if everyone could control themselves..world would have have a totally different place to live... but for uncontrollable actions there are reasons...and thats we are trying to address and understand I guess..

RTH2 - If you have a habit that you cannot break out of then it is no longer a habit it has turned into obsession or addiction. Would you accept an alcoholic claiming routine, oh drinking has been a routine for past ten years I cannot break out of it. Yes not everyone can control themselves that is why there is alcoholics anonymous, drug rehab, psychiatric support, prison facilities. If a soap is causing withdrawal unrest in people it is no longer a show, it is an addiction and people need help.

RJ3 -and am saying no need of help when there is an alternative by setting standards on the level of exploitation of human emotions. Like there are restrictions on selling alcohol/cig to <18....

RTH4 - You cannot start putting restrictions on everything idiots get addicted to. We should have the ability to put our own restrictions. If my gaming or internet usage affects my life then that is something I have to deal with or get help with. 'I' should be putting restriction not having 'someone' restrict it for 'everybody'. Same things with soaps, people need to deal with their issues or seek help if they cannot.

RTH2 -Now do not run the argument that it is addictive so it must be banned. Coffee is addictive, so is soda, music and movies are addictive - any object that brings pleasure, fun and excitement has addictive potential. Just because 1% abuse and addict does not mean you punish the 99% sane remainder.

So again I reiterate someone was upset with a person dying on a soap. S**t happens deal with it. Get help if you cannot. If you cannot handle the heat then get out.

RJ3 -  Don't ban it but restrict it, thinking humanely no one deserves unwanted stress when least called for. Dose these soaps give a disclaimer saying watching this episode u might be mentally s*ed... People are unaware / unknown and unable to get really handle such fictionous situation...but they are normal beings...as per yoiur suggestion half of India at present upset about some soap charater dying should seek mental rehab

RTH4 - There is a difference between being upset and obsessively upset. A lot of people get upset. People can be upset and move on. The only reasonable restriction for television is the TV ratings. Since most Indian soaps do not have sex or violence it would be mostly PG-13 or at the worst NC-17. However, considering that the people who need help are full grown adults I do not see any fruit coming from it.

RJ5 - Either ways upset, purposeful overdose of something in either case, to intentionally make people upset, to gain trps..way to go!!  

My reccomended cure for the issue is to submerge oneself into reading the result of the fertile imagination of twelve year old kids in the multiverse of fanfiction out there till you find that your entire childhood is a demented blur of disturbing visions of Acid!Fic. Then nothing in this world will ever effect you.

RJ5 - Good one! Even then it is subjected to each individuals perception how well they can mold thier mental receptors, to face anything. Not possible for all in question here, reason to look for other alternatives.

Dead, what do you mean dead. There was no blood or organs.

RTH1 - Start censoring the soaps right to broadcast, promote and advertise. What next........public litigation against roadrunner for mental trauma and physical damage to Wily Coyote?

RJ2 -  Why not? Any harm being cause to individuals, majority of them even becuase of weakness... that can be corrected easily without the healthy few objects, whats the harm? After all we all should look after each other...no one is perfect...if one is strong in some aspects and compromises...there are others strong in one's weakness, ready to compromise for betterment...LOLSS not necessarily but what is wrong in doing what one expects...

Whats the limit of emotional torture on soaps? any idea how ethical is it from the stand point on script writers, i understand the trp factor but still.

Learned after a call to folks tonite that one of relative had health issues due to over stress, stress becuase her favourite couple got killed in Zee's Dulhan serial..initially was in splits later realized it not funny.

Had seen few episodes of that (all well till dat in US, in India running few episodes ahead, I guess) and kasam sey out of choice and really felt these guys pushing hard on emotions. First target housewives and make them relate to serials then twist them to play hard, how unfair is it..even though people understand but sometimes gets to emotional side of it.

Wish there were laws against it, to save typical soap followers from distress...should there be any laws?? heard few weeks back that there was a morcha near Ekta's office to quit these sagas...aren't people fed up with channels playing with innocent emotions?

Whats the limit of emotional torture on soaps? any idea how ethical is it from the stand point on script writers, i understand the trp factor but still.

Learned after a call to folks tonite that one of relative had health issues due to over stress, stress becuase her favourite couple got killed in Zee's Dulhan serial..initially was in splits later realized it not funny.

Had seen few episodes of that (all well till dat in US, in India running few episodes ahead, I guess) and kasam sey out of choice and really felt these guys pushing hard on emotions. First target housewives and make them relate to serials then twist them to play hard, how unfair is it..even though people understand but sometimes gets to emotional side of it.

Wish there were laws against it, to save typical soap followers from distress...should there be any laws?? heard few weeks back that there was a morcha near Ekta's office to quit these sagas...aren't people fed up with channels playing with innocent emotions?

Now how can you take away freedom of thought and expression......moreover its fiction ....any crap can happen any time in a story, you always have a choice to watch or not to, i don't understand why people take it to heights.....

like what I do is. out of the serials i follow,  i don't watch serials which take a left on the nonsense road....and all the time they are there i don't switch to it.....and when the trailors show that there is going to be a right turn, i quickly take it from there....so that it is...depends on an individual, what quality serials he wants to see and how well he wants to enjoy, don't people have better things to brood , than on fake character deaths....

ya, but when they change the actor then that is depressing, i think they should have a law for that....