So as I was watching the super bowl yesterday, I was thinking about what I could write in my blog about courtship on TV. I kept thinking, I really need to quit watching this game and do some of my own research with other shows that might be of more interest to my topic, but I decided to stay and maybe do “research” after the game. As the night progressed, I started hearing some of my friends mention something about some super bowl marriage proposal that was supposed to air during the commercials of the game. Bingo. I found the topic for my first real blog post.
At this super bowl party I was at, buzz was going around as people kept talking about this guy who was going to propose to his girlfriend. It got to the point where we weren’t even watching the game anymore and just waited for the commercials to come on so we could see if it was going to happen. Basically, it turned into a party for watching the super bowl commercials in hopes that we would get to see a perfect stranger ask another perfect stranger to marry him. (This sounds really pathetic now that I write it into words.) But, I started thinking about why we were so interested in this and these thoughts led me straight to courtship and love. Everyone wants to see a fairy tale proposal on TV, especially if you know that they paid over a million dollars to have it air during the biggest football game of the year. Other people’s relationships are just somehow extremely fascinating to bystanders, but only when the relationships are at two different extremes. People either like to see when relationships are very dysfunctional, or when they are very much in love and have the perfect life together.
The fact that this anonymous guy wanted to make the biggest life-changing decision of his life on national television, on the biggest NFL football game of the year, with the most expensive commercial slots obviously says something about how much of an impact that courtship on TV is. In order to get his commercial on the air, he needed a lot of publicity and to raise a huge amount of money, and he was determined and confident that he would be able to do this because he knew that it would be of a great deal of interest to many people. People are just undeniably interested in this sort of thing. If they weren’t, he wouldn’t have been able to raise the money necessary, or get enough of a buzz going around to land spots on several TV news shows and radio stations.
After a big letdown during the game, as it was not aired, I did a bit of research in order to find out what happened to the proposal that we were all waiting for. It turns out that the sponsor he had gotten to back him retracted the contract at the last minute and it was still up in the air whether or not it was going to be shown or not. After a while, I found this guy’s blog and started to read a little bit of it. He is now going to propose during the commercials of his girlfriend’s favorite TV show, not just because he wants to propose, but he also wants to appease the many people who have been following his story. This, to me, is something that is common on regular television shows that deal with courtship. They have to show you everything that happens in order to keep the viewer watching and satisfied. At least when I watch certain shows that have cliffhangers, I make sure to watch the next week, and so on, if I am at all emotionally invested to the show or characters. It seems to me that many people are invested into this guy’s story and need to have some closure. (Perhaps like the closure of a relationship.)
Speaking of closure, I must leave you now. But before I go, visit this site if you would like. http://www.mysuperproposal.com
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