Mash Research Paper

Words: 450
Pages: 2

For this little experiment, I watched some episodes of MASH. MASH is a funny show and some of the jokes rely one being able to hear them. Without that, it gets boring. Trying to figure out what is going on takes some work and focus. In all, I thought it was an interesting and eye opening experiment. The first time watching it with the sound and captions off was boring to say the least. There was not much to pay attention to. I had a little idea of what was going on because I know the show and could follow the action, but it was not the same. Without knowing what they were saying I missed jokes and important plot points. I had to really pay attention to understand anything. Normally, I like to play on my phone or do something else while watching …show more content…
It was a lot of reading, which got tiring and annoying after a while, and sometimes while focusing on the captions, I missed what happened. You cannot hear how lines are delivered. There still are not any sound effects or music and you can still miss things if you are not paying attention. I was watching the show on Netflix and their subtitles, although usually accurate, sometimes different from the actual dialogue. Just captions are better than nothing, but still not the best way to watch.
Watching with both sound and captions on was definitely the best and how I usually watch TV. I usually keep subtitles on so I do not miss dialogue if I cannot hear it, but I do not have to rely on them. With the sound on I can watch while doing something else and not miss very much. I ended up watching the first two episodes again with the sound on because I missed so much. This is certainly my preferred way to watch TV.
TV shows are made to be heard as much as they are made to be seen. Sounds are a big part of TV. Hearing the actors talking, sound effects, music, even silence, have a huge impact on the show. When those things are taken away, it is not as interesting and definitely more confusing. This is usually fine because the majority of the world is hearing, but it means that Deaf people cannot enjoy television the same way. Subtitles help some, but are not the same. Maybe we should go back to making silent