rant about... something... TV perhaps?

I'm not a huge fan of television, as you know, but every so often something catches my eye that catches my attention and either makes me have a rethink about my views, or reinforces how I feel about this particular medium. And I've been rather startled, although not entirely surprised, by the appearance on Channel 4 of the show "Open House" which seems to be an anything-goes environment where members of the public go to stay with other strangers and indulge in sexual encounters with others who also just happen to be there for the same reason.
Now I have to say at this point that I haven't watched it. I can't think of any possible reason why I might. So it may be that it's a very safe space for everyone and they are highlighting all the ramifications that may manifest, including the psychological ones, and that everyone is very well-guided in the whole processes and well aware of what they're getting into; but it sounds to me like soft pornography disguised as a social experiment.
I'm not a prude, I assure you, but I do believe that when things are shown more regularly in public forums, then they become more easily acceptable, and then they become normalised, and then they begin to become expected.
And that, I think, has helped lead to the situation a friend of ours find herself in. Her new beau, whom she met about three months ago and has been really rather enamoured with, has started pressuring her to attend a swingers night. Now, I don't have a problem with anything that anyone does to themselves or others in their 'quiet time', as long as all involved are happy and consenting and comfortable, so the fact that this guy is a fan of that stuff isn't an issue. But having told our friend that it's behaviour from his past and that he is strictly a one-woman man now, he then started dropping hints about it being a fun thing for them to try together, and has now got to the stage of suggesting that if she doesn't agree, then she doesn't really like him. And she is confused about what's right and wrong and is slowly convincing herself she has no choice.
I'm not saying that a programme on Channel 4 has led to our friend being treated so disrespectfully, (in fact, I would say personally that the online world - where this is even more prevalent and even less controlled - is far more to blame), but I am saying that the recent and increasing trend with broadcasters to produce this kind of stuff has certainly contributed to the societal situation that has made her partner think he is in the right.
And I think programme makers and schedulers should take some responsibility for that.

On the other end of the TV scale, though, season 2 of 'Arcane - League of Legends' certainly hasn't seen a drop in standards.

RC 7-4-25