[2021-12-26] Conflict vs. kindness
I read an interesting article this morning about the difference between the Great British Bake Off and a similar American competition show about chocolate. The article's writer, Mark Sumner, contends:
What was wrong with the chocolate show wasn’t the food, or the skill, or even really the format. What was wrong with it was the same thing that’s wrong with every American reality show, in or out of the kitchen. It’s what’s wrong with the shows on the networks, what’s wrong with the shows on the cooking channels, and the big reason that, even as other reality shows have been fading away, the Great British Bake Off holds onto an audience around the world.
The difference between the two shows, Sumner says, is in the editing, specifically what the two shows choose to focus on. Sumner advances that while both programs edit large amounts of footage down to a short episode, the American show emphasizes conflict whereas the British show emphasizes kindness.
On this American reality show, like almost every American reality show, the situation was framed, through editing, to make it seem as if the teams of chefs were seething with hidden rivalries, disrespect, and ambition at the cost of all else.
The editors on Bake Off simply take a different approach: Everyone’s a hero.
Sumner continues:
American reality shows sift the hours of recordings and write a narrative that’s not just centered on heroes and villains, it’s mostly villains. The focus is on conflict, on the potential for treachery, blame, and betrayal.
The Great British Bake Off also creates its stories in the editing room. But the theme of those stories is kindness, hope, and cooperation.
I suspect that the American show Sumner is referring to is the School of Chocolate, which I recently watched on Netflix. If so, I would agree with Sumner that the show plays up conflict between participants way more than the Great British Bake Off. I probably wouldn't have been able to put my finger on exactly why I preferred Bake Off to Chocolate, but the American show's spotlight on conflict is no doubt part of the reason.
Perhaps it's the conflicted world in which we currently live or the challenging circumstances I am facing personally, but I find myself wanting to avoid conflict, hostility and selfishness as much as possible. When I encounter stories that fixate on the worst qualities in people, I skip over them in my news feed, change the channel on the radio, and choose something else for my entertainment.
Sumner presents a very black and white perspective, which may not be completely justified. However, in the main, I think he's right. There is something very wholesome about the Great British Bake Off and our similarly styled Great Canadian Baking Show, both of which I love. And while the School of Chocolate did present evidence of cooperation and encouragement among fellow contestants, it emphasized rivalry more than I would have liked.
Someone asked me yesterday how I keep my spirits up. Among my secrets is avoiding conflict. I'm not perfect at doing so by any means (for example, it irks me to see someone in a public place with their mask below their nose), but I try.
At a time when our mental health may be in peril, it is helpful to choose kindness over conflict whenever we can. As Sumner concludes his article, "It. Makes. You. Feel. Good."
