You are like sands in the hourglass, all my young and restless children. Though you are bold and beautiful, be careful out there; wouldn't want to see you in the hospital, generally.
Soap operas are a global phenomenon. Check out the article by Drake Bennett that ran in last Sunday's Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/05/02/how_soap_operas_could_save_the_world/
The article makes the case that soaps operas influence social values more than you might expect. Soaps often weave important sociological issues in their story lines, issues such as health tips, women's rights, how many children a family decides to have. Bennett reports that worldwide studies reveal how these programs impact viewers' ideas and behaviors.
In Rwanda, for instance, the program "New Dawn" is a soap created and broadcast by a non-governmental organization. The show features a Romeo-and-Juliet romance between members of rival clans. A study found that "New Dawn" has not, unfortunately, changed viewers' ideas about mass violence, but it has made Rwandans more open to the idea of inter-group marriage.
From Rwanda to Pennsylvania... when I worked in a community-building project in Bucks County a few years ago, one of the neighborhood leaders was a woman I'll call M. She is a revered elder, a community den mother who gives tirelessly to help her neighbors, especially the children. M has a quiet, saintly aura about her. She will do anything for you... except between 3 and 4 pm weekdays, the time when "her stories" are on TV. Community planning meetings would get scheduled around this sacred hour... no joke.
I have to admit that I was baffled to such devotion to a soap opera. But the truth is that I'm no different. After all, sports are soap operas on a field of play. Why do I monitor the Phillies score every day with the intensity of a husband checking on his wife in labor? For that matter, why do I get hooked by "Star Trek" shows, especially the series that have a continuing story line (especially "Deep Space Nine" and "Enterprise")?
The reason, I think, is that I crave the drama. We all yearn for excitement, especially if our daily lives are full of the safe and the routine. And I'll admit, I've borrowed a few Trek quotes in my time, as the writers frequently borrow from Shakespeare and other timeless sages. Likewise, sports can spotlight virtues such as teamwork and confidence in adverse situations, just like soaps can encourage folks to get a breast exam or check themselves for testicular cancer.
The only difference is that some of us play out our info-tainment fantasies on a baseball diamond or a warp-speed starship, while others would rather turn with the world under a guiding light.
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