It’s understood that actions speak louder than words. But you know what speaks louder than both? No words. Especially when it comes to television shows. When I’m judging a program with several talking heads yapping away, I emphatically hit the mute button for an objective perspective. NO closed captioning either – that’s cheating. I can’t lip read either, so it’s purely about gestures and body language. The mood of the room is captured in every grin and raised eyebrow.
Chaplin didn’t need words, neither did Keaton or Lloyd. That’s my bar. The great thing about TV, sports, or political punditry, is that you can be annoyed while the volume is at zero. Whatever else you say about it, that’s rather impressive. I don’t need to hear a word to form an intelligent opinion. I just need to watch the histrionics, the guffawing, and the ill-fitting suits.
By watching on mute, I able to come away a better understanding those who crank the sound. I can see the shows for what they are, assessing their substance. And I can see what they are not.
Which is, almost uniformly, not very good.
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