[Air-L] Are 'categories' the same as 'genres'?

Denise N. Rall denrall at yahoo.com
Sun Jan 15 15:14:39 PST 2012



As much as I can hardly disagree with a Professor, not to mention a life-time member of AoIR and a memorable past-President, my recent trip to the USA during which I (unfortunately) watched television, I have to say that in the 300 - 600 multi-channel media that tv has become, if anything,  genre is even more pronounced.

There are sci-fi channels, sports channels, lifestyle channels, history channels, and one of my country friends leaves his set tuned to the Western Country Riding channel. There is little or no cross-flow. To change channels, one can stay in the genre (sports, etc.) or at the insistence of other family members, switch to another genre (such as a movie channel).

While I agree totally that the word genre is perhaps outdated, it appears to drive selection into an increasing narrow version of reality - lifestyle vs. sports, etc. The biggest movie channels, such as HBO would have the opportunity to offer cross-cultural (sic) events such as new dramas, new comedy, and new mini-series that include more than one 'lifestyle' such as gangsters, chic flicks, history fiction (The Tudors) and so on.


I am tempted to say the word 'lifestyle' while ridiculous, offers a chance to differentiate between the goth, the nerd, the gangbanger, the preppy, the hipster, the tragic romantic, and so on, might offer a clue to the next generations after X and Y (whatever they are called) as to what genre might mean. Genre indicates multiple things (among others) appropriate beginnings, tone, rhetoric, and endings. Category seems a weak way to cover that richness of terminology.

 
Dr Denise N. Rall, Research Assistant, School of Health & Human Sciences
Upcoming exhibit: "The Bride as Banquet" The Channon Gallery, The Channon, NSW 
Denise N. Rall, Mobile +(61)(0)438 233344 Fax +(61)(0)2 6624 5380
http://www.scu.edu.au/schools/esm/staff/pages/drall/


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