Thread: The Dream Facotry of Factor X

Staying at home and watching TV has for a long time been an alternative in Britain to going down to the pub on the corner of the street. When in 1959 Prime Minister McMillan had the temerity to declare that: “the British had never had it so good” he was not talking about the poor majority.

Today in the UK some of the rich are incredibly rich, whereas some of the poor do not even have the money to keep a roof over their heads. Amidst these two extremes stand the impoverished youth of today. They face a dilemma. Either they knuckle down and find for themselves a role in society or they will certainly find themselves at the bottom of the heap with barely enough income to survive. If they fall into the trap of reproducing children, then they will be weighted down by unavoidable costs which they can never meet without long term aid from the State. For each youth to work his or her way up the ladder and out of this miserable scenario appears for many to be an insurmountable obstacle. Many give up before they even start As a result despair proliferates and they seek comfort in dreams of what might yet come true.

Currently feeding off this disgruntled multitude are the TV producers who project dreams. The X Factor is but one such program through which instant stardom achievable.

The X Factor actually can be good entertainment for the viewer. Around the country crowds of budding stars queue up to audition and from amongst the masses of applicants one aspirant showing some natural musical talent will emerge almost as a mathematical certainty. When finally a budding star is spotted, the entertainment machine takes over. The performer will be reshaped from the tip to toe by the image consultants, the dressmakers, the make up artists, the hair dressers and the cosmetic surgeons. The voice will be tuned and the final performance of voice and sound will be passed through the computers of the music makers for tweaking. Then eventually the polished video and the human ’star’ will be marketed to a gullible public. The first edition will always sell, but whether a follow up will ever make the grade is problematical. There is no doubt that an urchin off the street can be made into a star by the very sophisticated showbiz marketing machine. It helps for the young man to be handsome and for the young woman to be beautiful; the voice can always be dubbed on if necessary

Time after time at the moment of introduction it becomes apparent that so many individuals aspire to being pop stars. The music business is perceived to be the route to fame, fortune and celebrity. The audition is the realisation of a lifelong dream to be given a chance. To be selected merely for the first level of boot camp will change a life indefinitely. The real problem for many of the auditioners is that they simply can’t sing harmoniously. They have nothing unique to offer and upon rejection they will cry in despair. They will visibly crumble and some even revert to directing abuse towards the judges. Occasionally one of the discarded will plumb the depths of despair and will manages to extract pity from the onlookers. In that way they will be remembered for a short period for their distress if not for their voice.

Presiding over the ceremonies are the judges. They become almost demi -gods. Four Yeses brings hope whereas four Nos brings despair. The poor rejected souls slink away, even their dream of what might have been has been shattered once and for all.

It is a matter of thumbs up or thumbs down all over again. Nero would have understood.

Well done and well said, Divus. The last line is fabulous!

nerot

Interestingly, a couple of days later, after I had posted this thread, the X Factor have been accused of allowing a competitor to make a fool of herself.

There was no doubt the lady could not sing harmoniously but did the directors of the programme allow the cameras to dwell on her
performance for too long?

The ultimate refection was undoubtedly a distressing experience - no question- but should that humiliation have been broadcasted?

This issue should be debated publicly. Perhaps the programme directors should think twice before exposing competitors to ridicule.

Hi Divus,
I side with you : there is a line that should not be crossed by the programme directors.
You raised a good question in your original posting : youth and their aspirations (or lack of it). I remember when I was younger (am only 35) we wanted to be pilots or doctors or vets or mechanics....something real, a real job. It pains me to see those kiddies only wanting to be pop stars. Don't get me wrong, a talent should not be left to go to waste. But it should be nurtured in conjunction with studies and all the rest; not above studies and all the rest.
About the public debate, I am sure that if you contact the "Daily Mail" (or similar) they might take you up on that idea.
night night,
C

Hi Divus,

Quite a few missing "faces" since I was last here. Hope everyone is well and prospering.

Thanks for the read although I had to rely mostly on your astute descriptions of events and happenings. You see, I know only enough about the show to know it's not something I care to watch.

Indeed Divus, lately I watch almost no television and feel much better for it.

Thanks again and take care,

Ian

PS: You are right about the "talent" industry, it is little different from any other industry yet so many wanna-be-stars seem to think it offers an easy route to fame and fortune. Mostly it takes years of hard work developing skills, experience and self-promotion. I would say it's easier to become a successful accountant or lawyer than it is to become a pop star but, of course, each to their own strengths.

Ian, Where have you been?

The Ox & Garza seem to be well. Olly has had a problem or two but he is still contributing.

We must keep making a show otherwise the youngsters will claim it all.

Keep contributing your two penny worth - I thought till now you'd given us up.

Dv

PS The writing helps to stave off the Parks.