Bigfoot Captured: Abominable?

Let’s say, for a second, in a purely hypothetical scenario, that I was made the supreme overseer of Hell, the realm of eternal punishment and suffering. In Jim’s new and revised Hell dimension, there would be a level devoted entirely to television producers who conceived and aired content in the style of Bigfoot Captured. There, surrounded by the wailing voices of 10,000 History Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Channel executives, you would find the crews behind Mermaids: The Body Found, Megalodon: The New Evidence and others, sharing a cozy abode in the lake of fire. That’s my dream scenario.

Of course, in the real world, I suppose I would settle for everyone involved to simply be fired. And possibly put into a pillory and pelted with rotten vegetables, time permitting.

These shows, examples of so-called “docu-tainment” that have become commonplace (and huge ratings successes) on networks that have educational aims in their mission statements, are indicative of everything that is wrong in 21st century media. The fact that you have networks such as History Channel, Discovery and Animal Planet willfully and consciously planting falsehoods into the minds of their audience is absolutely shameful. There’s no other word for it. The people involved should be ashamed of themselves, because they are causing very real, literal harm. They’re actively performing the polemic opposite of their network’s stated function. I see no difference between this and learning that a grade school teacher is teaching your kid that we live in a Geocentric universe.

Your response to this outrage is probably to say “Oh come on, Jim, it’s entertainment. People know the sasquatch documentary they’re watching on History Channel is just entertainment. What’s the harm?”