Controversial Opinions (For Everything Other Than DC Comics)

[babyblob]

I am told my my big brother that old fashioned TV dinners that came wrapped in foil and had to be heated in the oven were far superior to the ones we have today, despite taking a long time, is this true? And if so, how?

I liked the older tv dinners. The big problem is if Lighting struck you house the peach cobbler went out.

Im here all week

[Kirby101]

I am told my my big brother that old fashioned TV dinners that came wrapped in foil and had to be heated in the oven were far superior to the ones we have today, despite taking a long time, is this true? And if so, how?

Oh God yes! The old TV dinners had actual food, instead of over processed organic material in the shape of food. The beef and chicken were real and the sides as well. I grew up on them, sometime in the 80s they became a chemistry set.

[MajorHoy]

I am told my my big brother that old fashioned TV dinners that came wrapped in foil and had to be heated in the oven were far superior to the ones we have today, despite taking a long time, is this true? And if so, how?

Y'know, I don't remember ever having "old fashioned TV dinners" when I was younger (back in the late 1960s/1970s), though I think my Dad sometimes had them.
Then again, during the week, my Mom served dinner to us kids well before my Dad typically got home from work. She'd usually have her dinner with him when he came home, but she wouldn't always wait if he worked later than normal or if she had to be somewhere that night.

[numberthirty]

I am told my my big brother that old fashioned TV dinners that came wrapped in foil and had to be heated in the oven were far superior to the ones we have today, despite taking a long time, is this true? And if so, how?

One person's take...

This is all a matter of opinion and it can seriously be colored by how much nostalgia is in play.

Never mind that there are a lot more "This specific person has to eat a certain way to avoid consequences..." options out there that were never even thought of back in the "Tin Foil..." days.

[numberthirty]

I liked the older tv dinners. The big problem is if Lighting struck you house the peach cobbler went out.

Im here all week

"Straight Talk..." from someone with firsthand knowledge of the old "Tin Foil..." days...

If you were not pretty careful during the "Preparation..." stage?

Half(if not more...) of that cherry cobbler would wind up all over a sheet pan.

Not that it is much better now, but it's not like things were "Fail..."-proof back then.

[Agent Z]

Our culture is seen as prudish about sexuality in many ways by other nations, but we're also a lot more comfortable with violence (especially gun violence) than others. It's why you can have hundreds of gun deaths and get a PG-13 rating, but show a nipple or say the "F" word too many times and you're looking at an R.

Speaking as someone who is neither American nor Japanese, this particular criticism always struck me as irrelevant at best given how common it is to see sex in American movies and tv, not to mention how easy it is to find porn on the Internet and how violent content often gets plenty of push back (Game of Thrones, the Joker movie, Mortal Kombat, even Power Rangers was subject to this once upon a time). I also find that this particular criticism often (but not always) pops up when discussing stuff that really doesn't need sex like superhero or fighting game stories.

If people think America is exceptionally prudish when it comes to sex, they should try taking a look at my country where the Eternals movie was suspended and the released with several intimate scenes edited out, including ones between heterosexual characters.

[CSTowle]

Sure there are levels, but the roots of our (the collective "our", should go without saying but let me anyway that I don't mean every single person when using a generalization) history as a bit of an isolated religious country and you don't have to be much of a student of even recent history to find examples like the MPAA, the Comics Code Authority, or even the Clinton/Gore push for censorship of music and video games. Now that media isn't nearly as homogenized and running through a few networks and record company heads who used to pick who got airtime and who the "winners" were and entertainment is easily accessible and even the door to entry is fairly easy (though there's a whole different argument about the amount of garbage you have to wade through for gems now) people don't have to "go along with society" and can like what they like. Which, surprise surprise, often involves attractive people and sexual situations.

Because we're closer to France than Saudi Arabia (for example) in our prudishness doesn't mean we're not relatively prudish to other countries that are developed and aren't a theocracy. Not that we don't have our share of folk who'd like to see us become a christian version of the Taliban. There might be a country that is far more likely to sexualize minors than Japan, but compared to England/France/the US I'd say they're exceptional so I stand by the example, as I do our prudishness in comparison to similar nations. I'd say just because you're not the worst example of something doesn't mean it's "irrelevant" to make the comparison. There are degrees, shades of grey, not all black & white or pass/fail.

[Kirby101]

America is prudish when it comes to sex. Places like Saudi Arabia are draconian theocracies that have severe punishments for normal sexuality.
We are talking here about open societies and how they deal with sex. Not autocratic countries that are ruled by extremist religious principles.
One thing must be mentioned here. America has many places, mostly cosmopolitan areas, that are much more liberal about sexuality. But it is the deeper Christian areas, especially in the south, that push the general media to be more conservative. I have read story after story about TV shows in the 60s being censored because they would lose the stations in the South. That included both sexual and racial themes.
And here in lies an opinion...

[Kirby101]

The South has been a drag on this country since it's inception, and remains so to this day. The South has been the main impediment to progress throughout our History.

[seismic-2]

As someone who cooked many an aluminum-foil TV dinner during my college years, I recall that (1) the turkey was OK, but not great; (2) the Salisbury steak actually tasted pretty good; (3) the dressing with the turkey was basically bread crumbs; (4) the corn was adequate; (5) the apple cobbler was tasty, and I always wished there had been more of it; (6) the cranberry cobbler was - cranberries, which I don't like in any case; and (7) the English peas should have stayed in England.

[Kirby101]

As someone who cooked many an aluminum-foil TV dinner during my college years, I recall that (1) the turkey was OK, but not great; (2) the Salisbury steak actually tasted pretty good; (3) the dressing with the turkey was basically bread crumbs; (4) the corn was adequate; (5) the apple cobbler was tasty, and I always wished there had been more of it; (6) the cranberry cobbler was - cranberries, which I don't like in any case; and (7) the English peas should have stayed in England.

I would concur with that assessment. The fried chicken was also okay if you lifted the cover to crisp it.

[The Darknight Detective]

Double post.

[The Darknight Detective]

America is prudish when it comes to sex. Places like Saudi Arabia are draconian theocracies that have severe punishments for normal sexuality.
We are talking here about open societies and how they deal with sex. Not autocratic countries that are ruled by extremist religious principles.

Agreed, but the US still gets dinged much more over it than those draconian theocracies in fiction and elsewhere. You would think those other countries didn't exist sometimes.

[The Darknight Detective]

Double post.

[CaptCleghorn]

Agreed, but the US still gets dinged much more over it than those draconian theocracies in fiction and elsewhere. You would think those other countries didn't exist sometimes.

I think a lot of the criticism comes from our (USA) claims of freedom. Those other nations make no such claims of freedom and openness.