Interestingly crossword draw method varies from one country to another. Italian tradition is very different from the French, for example, which has a key-shaped puzzle. The semiotician Algirdas J. Greimas carries a famous example in which the key “the friend of the simple” should be resolved as “herbalist”. In this case, the crossword solver must know that, in the pharmacy, are simple plants with medicinal properties, used by doctors long ago. Instead, the Italian crosswords key concern widespread and accepted opinions. Thus, for example, the key “based on pasta and vegetables” should be understood as “Mediterranean diet” and “American snake” and “boa”.
I recently stumbled upon the key to “encourage talk shows” input and I thought maybe it related to a famous television personality or current events. Not at all: the answer was “fighting”. The creator of the crossword was referring to the popular opinion that what makes it interesting program has little to do with the fact that the presenter is very popular, your guests are famous or exorcists transvestites or addressing issues as pedophilia and dramatic events like plane crashes. Those elements are certainly important accessories. After all, it would be rather boring to watch a program in which a Byzantine scholar to interview Trappist monks mourn in silence volunteer or to sit down to talk about ancient scrolls. One way or another, the viewer is expecting to see a good fight.
Once I happened to see an episode of a talk by an elderly lady who, whenever any program participant to another loudly silent, exclaimed: “Why interrupt each other? You can not understand what they are saying! Could not they taking turns? “.
As if all television programs were like that memorable French program, Apostrophes, which looked like the host, Bernard Pivot, just had to lift the little finger to let him know who was talking it was time that another take the floor.
The problem is that viewers have come to expect dramatic discussions among the guests at the talk shows. It matters less what they say (which is usually assumed to be irrelevant, anyway) that the way you say screaming “Let me finish! I did not interrupt him when you were talking about! “Or insulting each other. As in the meetings of struggles, not even matter that participants are faking everything. As it does not matter that the cakes are thrown to the face comedians are not really buffs. The important thing is that the public thinks that everything is real.
All this would be perfectly fine if the talk shows are presented as mere entertainment, as so-called reality shows. But, at least in Italy, some talk shows have political clout who are called the “third chamber of Parliament” and compared to the threshold of a court. What topics will be discussed in Parliament or trial if the suspect actually strangled the girl, that’s the pasture of the talk shows, to the extent that such programs become irrelevant parliamentary session or the jury’s verdict.
If, in the end, what matters is not the content but the form of confrontation, no wonder people increasingly purchased less what happens in Parliament or what the courts have to say about the scandal of the day. Why bother trying to be informed citizens, or even to vote on election day, if we can just stay home and watch how it all unfolds on television?
Italian novelist and semiotician© 2013 Umberto Eco / L’Espresso
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