on 8/23/2009 8:30 PM (ET) David Nebenzahl wrote the following:
Well, I don't personally hate him. Don't even know the guy. (Certainly
no fan of his, though.)

But that's the title of the latest piece by one of my favorite
columnists in the /Berkeley Daily Planet/, Matt Cantor, local owner of a
home-inspection business who writes a weekly column on home repair and
maintenance.

Here's a sample:

I do genuinely hate these specific shows: "Hometime," "This Old House"
and "The New Yankee Workshop." I hate them for one simple reason: they
make most people feel like idiots. Even if a show only demonstrates how
to build a basic chest of drawers, it does a lousy job of preparing the
average Joe or Joan for the task. In the end, the show provides nothing
more than boutique shopping and showing off. I suppose that would be a
lot of fun if you only want to learn that you—as a homeowner or stock
broker or bank clerk—know nothing about houses or furniture or nails
and
that you’ll never stand a chance of doing more than hanging a
picture on
the wall.

On shows like these, the jobs are made to look so darned easy. All the
materials are waiting for assembly and nothing is spoiled, the wrong
type or missing. The air gun never misfires and the compressor never
needs to be drained (yes, you have to drain compressors daily because
they fill up with water and will rust out if you don’t do so). That’s
another thing I hate: in actuality, there are many small details that
fill a contractor’s day (or your day when you play contractor) but
they’re neatly edited out, just as they are in a cooking show. Just pop
the raw one in the oven and Voila, the new freshly baked one comes
right
out of the other oven.

(See article at
http://berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue.../article/33531)



It's just entertainment, and not a learning program. I suppose many of
the viewers don't have any thoughts of building anything they see on the
show, or even have the tools to build it. I put it in the same category
of shows like "How It's Made" and "American Chopper", where the viewer
is not looking for a way to make a Hockey helmet or a custom motorcycle.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
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