Do Not Try This at Home.

[Liv]

I'm reminded of this.

I seem to have become quite cynical since arriving home. I'm not exactly proud of it, but I'm a bit tired of whining Americans, and their pervasive culture of fear.

I think I about lost it last night when, while flipping through Netflix, a service which allows millions of Americans to bath in endless episodes of Jersey Shore and culture-less programming while never leaving their couch, I found a Discovery channel show that sounded pretty cool. The concept, drop some snooty, rich, Americans off in the middle of nowhere and make them walk 70 miles. Out of the Wild Venezuela might as well be framed as the American version of Idiot(s) Abroad.

"This is going to be hilarious", I think to myself, my pack still laying in the corner, from my recent exploits through Europe. Of course there is no road, no path right? Of course there is, there's always animal paths, dry creek beds, etc... but these freaking idiots grab a machete and start carving their way through the middle of the brush. I'm sure I sound pretentious, but really, did they put an advert in the paper asking for people who "stupid and whine a lot?"

The first day they barely make it 5 KM, the second they can't even go another 3 km to their camp. The one tough-guy of the group, a ex-military, cuts his finger half way through the first episode and begins to rant how he might die from infection, but he will be strong and carry on. You're kidding me right? This is American adventure? It may not have been Venezuela high-country but I walked beside seventy-plus year old men and women with cancer, and a pregnant woman, through Spain and never heard one complaint from them.

Don't try this at home? America need to try more of this at home. They need to get off from their Lazy-Boy's and their Netflix. They need to stop idolizing Snookie, and stop their endless whining as their culture gets sucked into the luke-warm black-hole of dreams they never dreamt but were told to believe in, by those who wish to profit off your fear.

There's a whole world out there to live, and I find it sad that those who we choose to represent us on television are sickly, skinny, and polished when the broken, the ugly, and the humble would run circles around you and your expectations.

[SouthernFriedInfidel]

When I was a Boy Scout leader, I LOVED wilderness camping. Got me an internal frame backpack, backpack stove and cooking gear, compass (also learned at least 2 other methods of determining direction without it), learned orienteering, got me a 1-man "nylon coffin" tent that would fit in a breadbox. Had a GREAT time learning how to truly enjoy trekking through the wilderness.

Some of my favorite memories are of winter camping in NC, curling up in my sleeping bag, listening to the wind blowing through the bare branches as the temp slid well below freezing (no snarks from AP, please!)... then in the morning going out to see the wonders of the winter wilderness. Never much cared for summer camping, myself. Hate donating my blood to countless insects. Miserable vermin.

So all this is just to tell you that there are millions of Americans that ARE comfortable in the wilderness, or at the very least able to adapt and cope easily enough to not make spectacles of themselves if they ever screwed up and found themselves out of touch with the tech-dependant world we have developed for ourselves.

[Liv]

I agree that there are some, it's just I think most, including most Boyscouts (today) have a different idea of what a challenge is.

More to the point, the fact that they chose these whiners is beyond me.

[SouthernFriedInfidel]

I know that the more America's population become urban and suburban in nature, views of life and how to respond to changes in life are colored by those environments.

As to the choice of whiney-box punks to toss into a jungle... sheer entertainment value. Watching hardy, experienced Navy SEALS handle wilderness survival would be boring, because THEY know their shit and would take pretty much everything short of being ambushed by a puma in stride. Who wants to watch experts doing what they do best, when you can watch idiots trying to figure out what they can do with a compass besides make it point north?

[Liv]

I don't know, I gave up after one episode.

Going to go watch an Idiot Abroad Series 3 instead. At least they know Pinkerton is an idiot.

[A Person]

well with all respect there is a world of difference between hiking trails in the US or Spain and breaking trail in a Venezuelan jungle.

Of course there is no road, no path right? Of course there is, there's always animal paths, dry creek beds,

Not necessarily, in fact quite likely not. Creek beds - even if dry, which in a tropical rain forest is unlikely, can lead you into canyons which can be dangerous and difficult to exit, flash floods can kill you.

Movement overland can be very tiring, dense undergrowth can be near impossible to cut a path through and very exhausting. Many sharp leaved plants can cut clothing or unprotected hands and the slightest cut can quickly become infected in such humid conditions. Navigation is particularly difficult as a clear view of your surrounding is often impossible, normal techniques of compass navigation such as using handrails or taking bearing off terrain features are useless as the dense undergrowth prevents line of sight. Compass navigation is still of use if carried out in a very disciplined way, as it requires the use of pacing and the leap frog technique to keep on a bearing and accurately judge distance travelled.

I've hiked over 30 miles over established back country trails in a day - and I've struggled to do 5 breaking trail in snowshoes through forest. it doesn't surprise me that some drama queens have difficulty breaking trail through jungle and could only do a few miles a day.

Watching hardy, experienced Navy SEALS handle wilderness survival would be boring, because THEY know their shit and would take pretty much everything short of being ambushed by a puma in stride. Who wants to watch experts doing what they do best, when you can watch idiots trying to figure out what they can do with a compass besides make it point north?

Well that is the point behind programs like Bear Grylls' "Man vs. Wild" (which is pretty damn fake and also useless if you're looking for information rather than entertainment) and Les Stroud's "Survivorman" (which is much more real and useful, interesting for me but maybe not as entertaining to the masses)

I've given up on TV, I've cancelled my satellite subscription and have no plans to replace it. Shows like the Learning channel and Discovery defy their names. The miasma of low budget, low production standards, "Reality TV" of taking a bunch of social misfits and putting them in a situation so they can shout at each other, is just depressing. 'Gold Rush Alaska' being the epitome. it's a subject i'm interested in, and know something about. The concept intrigued me, but in the end it was just a bunch of American Rednecked Assholes whoring themselves and farting around praying and stepping on their pricks. No education nor entertainment there.

[SouthernFriedInfidel]

I've given up on TV, I've cancelled my satellite subscription and have no plans to replace it. Shows like the Learning channel and Discovery defy their names. The miasma of low budget, low production standards, "Reality TV" of taking a bunch of social misfits and putting them in a situation so they can shout at each other, is just depressing. 'Gold Rush Alaska' being the epitome. it's a subject i'm interested in, and know something about. The concept intrigued me, but in the end it was just a bunch of American Rednecked Assholes whoring themselves and farting around praying and stepping on their pricks. No education nor entertainment there.

Been saying this for years. I only watch one show on TV on a regular basis -- well, besides sports events that I'm interested in -- but otherthan that, it's a deeply depressing wasteland. Sitcoms are even more ridiculous than I recall from the 60's and 70's (yeah... worse than "I Dream of Genie" and "Greens Acres"!), cop dramas are so common that they are just fillers between the nearly solid wall of mindless sitcoms. As you pointed out, TLC and Discovery are insults to their audiences, even IF their audiences are almost exclusively rednecks. Thank goodness the Science Fiction Channel has completely shed its original name, because it long ago she its original purpose and appeal. If it weren't for Comedy Central's "Daily Show" and "Colbert Report" and BBC America, Cable for me would be just access to sports.

Bleah.

[A Person]

I watch the daily show a day late over the internet. Mind you I've missed several episode s while I've been in Europe

It's annoying that you can't view it out of the country

[SouthernFriedInfidel]

I thought they showed it in Great Britain. Course, you're not circulating there much, are you?

[Liv]

Mind you I've missed several episode s while I've been in Europe

It's annoying that you can't view it out of the country

A) I'm effing jealous of your European escapades.
B) There's ways around the viewing thing (which clearly you know).
C) I'm cancelling my TV too. I can't stand American TV anymore.
D) Rinse and repeat.

[A Person]

There are different sites in different countries but it's a pain. And in the last month I've been in the UK Portugal Spain and Sweden, too many languages to deal with

I tried using proxies but they seem adept at sniffing them out. At the end of the day it wasn't worth the effort, besides I had other things to do

[A Person]

Just to make you jealous

UK Hotel

Portugal

Sweden

It's amazing how stereotypical stereotypes can be

[Liv]

I'll go cry now...