Danny Wilde wrote:

> I think that "intelligence" and "stupidity" are opposites.

Wow.

Do you believe that intelligent and educated people can at least behave or act
stupidly in their private time in their own homes?

> I'm not sure what it means to say someone is stupid for enjoying a
> particular kind of TV programme, or that a particular kind of programme is
> stupid. If I eat an orange, does it make me stupid to eat it, if you don't
> like oranges?

Is your take on popular Japanese programming that it must be intelligent (or
lacking in stupidity), if intelligent and educated people like them?

> >> TV shows in Japan are made under cutthroat competition for ratings by
> commercial television stations and the performers are very highly paid.
> >
> > They can be quite clever at achieving their goal, which is getting you to
> > watch the commercials.
>
> I suppose that is their goal, but they can only do that by entertaining you.

Surprise - people also watch TV, or keep it on out of boredom, or to occupy
such as children, without necessarily enjoying or approving of what is shown. I
used to spend about six hours a night in front of the TV in Japan while using
the Internet. There wasn't much of redeeming value after 11 pm. I kept such as
"Miniskirt Police" "Tonight 2" and "Gilgamesh Night" on precisely because they
were largely stupid. "Wonderful" did serve to inform me of recent urban or
youth trends to some degree, months before they appeared (if ever) in this
region.

> It's true that I don't understand everything that is said on Japanese TV
> programmes, and I certainly don't understand all the jokes.

Understanding the language does not make the jokes, old or new, much funnier.
Given a choice between traditional storytelling or classic acts, and more
modern manzai or slapstick, and one can understand its appeal to the young.