Well that was one of the reasons that ticked me off about that, and other shows. See, if you want to portray a social or political issue of something - make the sides *balanced*. NOT do what they often did - show both sides, but have only *idiots* defend the other opinion with stupid irrational arguments.
Every once in a while, I'll see a movie where there will be a religious character, and they will know maybe two scriptures and be an all-round wuss. And I will then find out what I already suspect - the writer really knows nothing about religion. They were trying to be "fair" and show the religious guy's view, but it was lame and unresearched and unconvincing.
It's the same way too often with the way conservative views are portrayed. The writer often has little exposure to the philosophy and reasoning behind the opposing view, and his bias shows - he supposes the reasoning is based on ignorance, greed, racism, redneck-ism. Just for giggles and laughs, I'd like to see a show where liberals are lampooned in similar straw man fashion - not based on their 'actual' reasoning, but depicted as hating conservatives, being cowardly, financially reckless and exploiting the cause of the unempowered for self-aggrandizement. Yeah, that'd be fun.
I have a friend who campaigns for Republicans, who BEGAN as a Democrat campaigning for Dukakis, in '88. He was mortified to learn that, behind closed doors, they were every bit as unscrupulous, sneaky and bigoted as the caricature they painted of their opponents. That they DID toss bones to the groups that supported them, but that they personally despised. It was this hypocrisy that drove him out.
:silly:
