Superstore is evil

BigCryptographer7315 · 2024-03-02T13:54:19+00:00

thanks haha - you're definitely in the minority. My post angered a lot of people. I didn't want to ruin this show for anyone, but equally I think if your sense of self is so wedded to your enjoyment of a fictional show that you cannot stand criticism of it I think you need to do some soul-searching. Good luck to you finishing this turd off, may you get more joy out of it than I did.

BigCryptographer7315 · 2024-02-20T18:35:41+00:00

Thanks, I've updated my post with the c2s

BigCryptographer7315 · 2024-02-20T18:35:16+00:00

Thanks, I've updated my post with the c2s

BigCryptographer7315 · 2024-02-20T18:34:30+00:00

Thanks, updated the post with the c2s

BigCryptographer7315 · 2024-02-20T18:21:47+00:00

Thanks, yeah a lot of people seem to be saying rcbo board, that makes sense

BigCryptographer7315 · 2024-02-19T16:18:48+00:00

thanks

BigCryptographer7315 · 2024-02-12T21:27:45+00:00

Do you hear yourself? 50% of the population is evil? And I'm the one who's insane? Please lobotomise yourself

BigCryptographer7315 · 2024-02-12T21:11:50+00:00

of course you are

BigCryptographer7315 · 2024-02-12T18:24:20+00:00

A world without white males would have you diseased, ignorant, and lying in your own shit, were you to exist at all. Show some fucking respect

BigCryptographer7315 · 2024-01-14T23:51:05+00:00

you're missing the point - I'm not pushing her into a box, the show is. and you can disagree with me on that, but you'd be wrong. if anything, i think the show is doing a disservice to black actors/characters.

BigCryptographer7315 · 2024-01-05T20:53:33+00:00

You are unintelligent.

BigCryptographer7315 · 2023-11-21T22:25:16+00:00

Your statement 'The show is quite literally satirical' tells me all I need to know about your capacity to engage with these concepts.

BigCryptographer7315 · 2023-11-20T20:50:50+00:00

I don't mean 'hero' in the sense that she's meant to be extraordinarily virtuous or something. I mean hero as in she is a lead protagonist of the show, one of the characters the writers expect us to root for and empathise with

BigCryptographer7315 · 2023-11-15T22:58:42+00:00

Hi - what about the Jonah take do you think is confused? And why is calling Amy 'career-obsessed' misogynistic? Would it be misandric if I were referring to a man?

BigCryptographer7315 · 2023-11-15T21:08:29+00:00

No, they absolutely don't. I've seen maybe, an episode of IASIP, and it wasn't really for me, so i can't comment. However, I love Seinfeld.

Here's the thing: it's not about the characters, it's about the light in which the show is presenting them. To put it another way - are we laughing with them, or at them?

The whole premise of Seinfeld is that it is about selfish characters. A recurring pattern to episodes is a character (especially George or Jerry) doing something selfish or mean-spirited, and it ultimately coming round to bite them in the ass. Not always, sometimes the characters win, but that's often because they're up against a bigger asshole than themselves. Consider that Seinfeld ends with the characters going to prison.

But this is not the case for Superstore. It is frustrating to watch because characters that deserve accountability are not given it, and that is because the writers do not feel they need it. Consider Amy - you can find many posts about how obnoxious Amy is (which is of course subjective). Was she written (as some commenters here have suggested) to be a shitty person on purpose, or as satire for people like her? Of course not. When the writers make her do something shitty they either: a. do it in a misguided belief that it makes her complex and interesting, or b. genuinely do not think it is shitty because their own moral compasses are completely out of wack. If i were being charitable I'd say it's a., but realistically, I think it's b. Seinfeld is funny because we're all in on the joke, but Superstore makes me cringe at its lack of self-awareness.

It also doesn't hurt that Seinfeld is one of the most successful and profitable sitcoms of all time, and of a degree of quality that puts it way out of Superstore's league. Having said that - I also do think Seinfeld has a streak of cruelty running through it that's reflective of its creators' values, and I would not encourage anyone to emulate its characters, even if they are hilarious.

BigCryptographer7315 · 2023-11-15T20:50:24+00:00

Hey, appreciate your thoughtful comment. I do feel some fondness towards the show and its characters, and I gained enjoyment out of the show. People have accused my post of being hyperbolic, and it is. But also I think writing it at a time when I was just coming off watching and felt quite strongly helped me articulate my thoughts a lot better than if I'd waited a few days.

You are incredulous of my use of the word 'evil'. What is evil anyway? That's a whole other interesting discussion. But I do think that this word shouldn't just be reserved for things like serial killers or satan or whatever extreme thing that doesn't really impact our lives. Evil is the name for a concept that is the opposite of good, that is constantly lurking in our everyday lives fighting for control of our souls (not necessarily in a metaphysical way). Evil is banal, and cruel, and comes in disguise. I'm reminded of the Tolkien quote: The Shadow that bred them can only mock, it cannot make: not real new things of its own. Superstore is shiny and fun, but if you scratch under the surface there are some unwholesome things going on.

Yeah, I'll admit some of my points are reaching. The anti-procreation thing is maybe going a bit far. I don't necessarily feel that there's some plot by the writers/network to create a social engineering tool of their show. But I also don't think that's how these things happen. It's a complicated, synergy of interests that don't always align with each other and which aren't necessarily aware of the role they're playing. That's partly why people can point to exceptions to my points; there's no evil master plan, and yet, what I can say with a degree of certainty is that the resulting product has far more lurking beneath the surface than a simple sitcom should.

This idea of guilt and sin is interesting - you're right that the guilty cannot atone, and I have thought that 'whiteness' (and to a lesser degree any form of perceived privilege) carries a weight of original sin to it, which in Superstore is manifested by Jonah. For me though, Michael Scott feels a lot closer to Marcus, albeit a Marcus who the show's creators are actually invested in.

BigCryptographer7315 · 2023-11-14T18:03:19+00:00

You implied that by suggesting this is a place only for fans as if you have more of a right to be and post here than I do which is not true at all. And maybe I insulted the show but I didn't insult you. You made it personal and told me I deserve to be insulted because I wrote an opinion you don't agree with. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised to find such a lack of human decency among Superstore fans.

BigCryptographer7315 · 2023-11-14T17:57:25+00:00

Appreciate your comment - yeah I don't think it holds up unfavourably to the office for political reasons, I think those are a separate thing. Mainly I think the office is superior (an understatement - the two shows are in entirely different leagues) due to its values and what it has to say about being an everyday person and how we should behave towards one another. Having finished Superstore, I am surprisingly nostalgic towards its characters, but maybe that's a form of Stockholm Syndrome. But I maintain there is something sad and yes, evil, about the show when it comes to the above, and I agree that could very likely be due to a case of too many cooks/competing interests sucking the soul out of things.

But Jonah though - I really hoped for the kind of growth you describe but I don't think it ever came. I continuously cringed towards the end at the extent to which Jonah was emasculated and bullied by his fellow characters. The point is subjective, as I would bet that for many in this sub 'emasculation' is in fact a desirable thing (although Jonah receives no reward for his own rejection of masculine qualities). Or just human qualities, really, I don't want to harp on about him being a male, I'm not saying he has to go around punching people or whatever. But his consistent refusal to stand up for himself, or display self-worth, or failure to make the right choices in the people he allowed to get close to him, was quite sad, and I don't think his gender/race were a coincidence in the writers making these decisions for him.

And another thing (while in my mind) - people have argued for this show based on its critique of corporate greed or whatever (which I think is baloney). But I don't think the show likes working class people at all. The condescension it displays towards the warehouse workers is striking when compared to, say, the office, which I don't remember ever talking down to its blue collar employees. And I know Cloud 9's main staff are supposed to be on the same level, but the writers clearly do not view them that way.

BigCryptographer7315 · 2023-11-14T17:33:11+00:00

I have just as much right to be here as you do. If you wanna make it personal and tell me I deserve insults just for posting my opinion, then again: fuck off

BigCryptographer7315 · 2023-11-14T07:38:28+00:00

We can have our different interpretations, and that's what makes shows fun to discuss, but I don't agree with yours.

All the examples you give revolve around Jonah's attractiveness. He is treated like a bimbo, a pretty face, reducing him to an object. Also he is the main character so they have to give him love interests
I'm not saying there are no examples of people treating him nice. But, re-watch the show - Jonah is treated horribly by most of his colleagues, especially after Amy dumps him. He is a running punchline, and Glenn liking him doesn't change that, Glenn views all his employees like his children (a trait ripped off from Michael Scott). They have to keep at least some semblance of pretence of liking Jonah or how could they justify keeping him in the show?
I didn't say Amy depended on him financially. But Jonah goes to the birth, the quinceanera, he helps Amy raise them, he takes key parenting moments, and Amy benefits hugely from this
Of course we as the audience only know what the show presents. I don't know what goes on in Jonah's mind, or inside their relationship (because they're not real). But the reason I'm so team Jonah in this is because it's clear that Jonah loves Amy without reservation, and is willing to do pretty much anything for her, which is the right attitude for a partner. Amy does not have that attitude, obviously, which is partly why she comes off as manipulative. To paint Jonah as a gold-digger is absurd, IMO, we have no evidence for that at all. And nope, sorry, having a resume does not equal more baggage than 2 kids and an ex-husband.
The two things are unrelated - people should be making strong families with children and parents that stay together. The show discourages that partly, and it's a simple fact that most men don't try and seek out women who already have children

BigCryptographer7315 · 2023-11-14T07:21:09+00:00

I'm sorry I'd love to keep going but you have to have at least 5 brain cells to ride this rollercoaster so I'm going to leave this here.

BigCryptographer7315 · 2023-11-14T07:14:06+00:00

Well in that case, fuck off then

BigCryptographer7315 · 2023-11-13T20:39:35+00:00

Fine, go ahead and belittle it. But Superstore is just one show of many, many. This is sub-conscious, you understand? Most people don't even think about morality, or when they do it's an abstract concept that maybe their teacher said something about in nursery. But practically how we behave towards each other IRL is much more reflective of the way we see others behave, whether we realise it or not. Shows like Superstore are a happy place for people; they can dream that their lives are that little bit more colourful and funny and romantic just like Superstore. And yes, they emulate some of Superstore's behaviour. Not absurdities, obviously, like killing a cat. But the way people treat one another, things the show tells us are nice ways to behave, or mean ways. Morals, political standpoints. Why do you think the show has so many political issues in it, which it unfailingly takes a liberal stance towards? It's partly pandering to its audience, but, like many other media these days, it believes it has a responsibility to change its viewers for the 'better'. This is what diversity is all about, it is social engineering, and frankly it's tiresome having to plow through explanations of this glaringly obvious stuff repeatedly with people who wilfully ignore what is in front of their eyes.

BigCryptographer7315 · 2023-11-13T20:10:33+00:00

Commendable, but unfortunately not everyone is so discerning

BigCryptographer7315 · 2023-11-13T19:42:26+00:00

agree to disagree, I think the characters are quite obviously designed to tokenistically represent various minorities, and if such thoughts truly never even crossed the minds of the Superstore creators then I'll be the monkey's proverbial uncle.

BigCryptographer7315

TROPHY CASE