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THE COUCH - TV Chat Thread

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Anyone planning on watching the SBS doco Struggle Street? Its been getting a lot of negative press, kind of reminds me of 2014 when channel 4 in the UK had their version of poverty porn, Benefits Street. That caused a lot of negative press as well. I'll probably check it out.

Just read an article that was saying that MT Druit garbage collects are going to be protesting outside of the SBS offices on Wednesday trying to get it taken off the air, so the participants can watch the whole thing before it goes to air.

I wanted to ask this question re "Struggle Street", but you have beaten me to it.

Yes I will tune in as I want to see how the show portrays these people living in Mt Druitt. Is it going to be like the show "Housos" where they just show bogans or are they going to show people who are doing it tough, but trying to make a decent living given their circumstance?

I lived in housing commission for a couple of years myself when I was in my teens, so I have a fair idea of what it was like to struggle.

Life is good for me now and I have no shame of my time back then. I have a lot of streets smarts I believe due to that experience. Saw the good, the bad and the very ugly.

I missed it - damn it! They sure did get great advertising, thru all of the backlash ....... so go on spill, what was it like?

I thought it was on Thursday :conf:
 
I watched the first ep of Reno Rumble. I think I'll stick with that.

Cooking show don't really interest me and they dragged house rules out far too long last year.
 
Sbs on demand?

Yeah I just looked it up - will have a looksee :)

I watched the first ep of Reno Rumble. I think I'll stick with that.

Cooking show don't really interest me and they dragged house rules out far too long last year.

I watched RR tonight and flicked back to HR - I think HR is being replayed, so I am going to watch RR, as well.

I can also catch up with Masterchef

That is why I didnt watch the block - they used to run a repeat the next day - but didn't seem to this last season gone.

Interesting RR are taking on HR - all good - might take a few episodes to make judgement here ;)
 
Yeah I just looked it up - will have a looksee :)



I watched RR tonight and flicked back to HR - I think HR is being replayed, so I am going to watch RR, as well.

I can also catch up with Masterchef

That is why I didnt watch the block - they used to run a repeat the next day - but didn't seem to this last season gone.

Interesting RR are taking on HR - all good - might take a few episodes to make judgement here ;)
Reno rumble is a 6 week series. The other two are such big investments lol.
 
I wanted to ask this question re "Struggle Street", but you have beaten me to it.

Yes I will tune in as I want to see how the show portrays these people living in Mt Druitt. Is it going to be like the show "Housos" where they just show bogans or are they going to show people who are doing it tough, but trying to make a decent living given their circumstance?

I lived in housing commission for a couple of years myself when I was in my teens, so I have a fair idea of what it was like to struggle.

Life is good for me now and I have no shame of my time back then. I have a lot of streets smarts I believe due to that experience. Saw the good, the bad and the very ugly.
My parents are born overseas and when they moved here had no one. Dad barely spoke much English and both had no money. I lived in housing commission up until 9/10 years of age in Macquarie fields, until my parents did have enough money to at least make a start to better living- though dad worked so hard he is paying for it now and it has aged his beautiful face- I don't hide this fact and a lot of people are surprised when I tell them too. I was still young but I remember a lot and I saw a lot
 
20 minutes in and I can say, that SBS should be grateful for the publicity .......

I grew up in the 'Shire' and lived like in 'Puberty Blues' times ...... shall report back at then end
 
Well, I think 'Struggle Street' is EVERYWHERE in OZ ........ There maybe more families living that in Mt Druitt - but blame the NSW Government for High Density Housing. Man, if you chuck everyone into one area - what is to be expected. It has been going on in the Blacktown area for over 40 years!!!!!!!!!!!

They blasted a HD Housing Unit in Lockridge in WA because of problems .......

Anyway, I didn't find it to be anything bad, it was just what happens when there are people who can't seem to help themselves are bundled up in a small place and enable the family - it happens all the time :(

The Aboriginal guy was interesting ........
 
Well, I think 'Struggle Street' is EVERYWHERE in OZ ........ There maybe more families living that in Mt Druitt - but blame the NSW Government for High Density Housing. Man, if you chuck everyone into one area - what is to be expected. It has been going on in the Blacktown area for over 40 years!!!!!!!!!!!

They blasted a HD Housing Unit in Lockridge in WA because of problems .......

Anyway, I didn't find it to be anything bad, it was just what happens when there are people who can't seem to help themselves are bundled up in a small place and enable the family - it happens all the time :(

The Aboriginal guy was interesting ........
He is very interesting.

The show is raw, it doesn't do anything g other than show you these peoples lives. It doesn't give you a character and show yiu their struggle and then aid to a happy ending, but show you human beings surviving. No glitz and glamour, no pity party, no angle other than their reality. I quite liked the show. I'm over the cooking shows, house building, model shows. I hope struggle street gets the viewing
 
He is very interesting.

The show is raw, it doesn't do anything g other than show you these peoples lives. It doesn't give you a character and show yiu their struggle and then aid to a happy ending, but show you human beings surviving. No glitz and glamour, no pity party, no angle other than their reality. I quite liked the show. I'm over the cooking shows, house building, model shows. I hope struggle street gets the viewing

Very Very RAW ........... there is no pity party, hey? It is just like it is a part of everyday life - well that is what I got!
Got any duct tape?????? Hahahaha - I can relate to that, Duct tape works when needed! My electronic car windows don't work atm, and I have to use duct tape to keep em closed until I can head to the city and pay a shitload of $$$ to get em fixed! I LOVE DUCT TAPE!!!!!

I just look at it as we are all trying to survive in this worldwindworld - and sometimes you are sucked up in it, work it out and survive and others are just chewed up and spat out.

I am SOOOOOOO interested to see how Billie? (the aboriginal guy) goes ....... I think maybe, it will end up being very interesting twist on how people cope .......
 
My parents are born overseas and when they moved here had no one. Dad barely spoke much English and both had no money. I lived in housing commission up until 9/10 years of age in Macquarie fields, until my parents did have enough money to at least make a start to better living- though dad worked so hard he is paying for it now and it has aged his beautiful face- I don't hide this fact and a lot of people are surprised when I tell them too. I was still young but I remember a lot and I saw a lot
@Sweetgeek, I lived in Ingleburn housing commission. Minto and Claymore housing commission were the worst in that area back in the day. Bless your dad and I bet that face is a reflection of his hard work.
@hooleydooley , lol I 'm a shire chick now. Oh Puberty Blues was the coolest movie back in the day and I actually have it on DVD. Cronulla looks nothing like it did in the movie, today.

I'm not sure what to make of Struggle Street (I will re-watch it). Some parts of it were raw and honest which I liked. Other parts had me cringing. I liked the drop in centre for the local youths. That made me smile to see them in the gym working out instead of running amok on the streets doing god knows what?

Hooley you got it right that this is happening everywhere in Australia what was portrayed in the show. Lord I have seen some stuff here in the Shire that would make your hair curl.
 
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I missed it - damn it! They sure did get great advertising, thru all of the backlash ....... so go on spill, what was it like?

I thought it was on Thursday :conf:
It was good informative doco, the only bad part was the voice over guy... other than that I don't understand why the blacktown mayor was getting so upset. A promo is a promo, it's not the bloody show. I think the mayor should be made to pay for the garbage truck out of his own pocket. Seriously what a bloody waste of money. The drop in centre that was featured in the program would have been a better place to spend tax payers money that sending garbage truck to protest in front of the SBS offices.

Also looks like a few people from here grew up in or around Campbelltown, well so did I Woodbine in fact, which is not housing commission, but you know growing up I did know a lot of people who came from places like Claymore, Airds and Minto. Places like these can be found all over OZ.

@GROOVER I'm pretty sure that they have knocked down most of Minto and were mean't to knock down Claymore as well, but the gov fucked that up and it's still pretty bad. A few years ago 4 corners did a doco on Claymore, might be on youtube if anyone is interested. Same kind of stuff that is in Struggle street. At the time no one kicked up a stick at the 4 corners doco... guess the problem with struggle street was the promo. I doubt that SBS knew at the time of making the promo it would have caused all the publicity, last night Stuggle street did rate 935,000 and for 8:30 that is pretty amazing.
 
It was good informative doco, the only bad part was the voice over guy... other than that I don't understand why the blacktown mayor was getting so upset. A promo is a promo, it's not the bloody show. I think the mayor should be made to pay for the garbage truck out of his own pocket. Seriously what a bloody waste of money. The drop in centre that was featured in the program would have been a better place to spend tax payers money that sending garbage truck to protest in front of the SBS offices.

Also looks like a few people from here grew up in or around Campbelltown, well so did I Woodbine in fact, which is not housing commission, but you know growing up I did know a lot of people who came from places like Claymore, Airds and Minto. Places like these can be found all over OZ.

@GROOVER I'm pretty sure that they have knocked down most of Minto and were mean't to knock down Claymore as well, but the gov fucked that up and it's still pretty bad. A few years ago 4 corners did a doco on Claymore, might be on youtube if anyone is interested. Same kind of stuff that is in Struggle street. At the time no one kicked up a stick at the 4 corners doco... guess the problem with struggle street was the promo. I doubt that SBS knew at the time of making the promo it would have caused all the publicity, last night Stuggle street did rate 935,000 and for 8:30 that is pretty amazing.
For SBS at 8:30 even more amazing.

I'm going to watch it online. I grew up in Wyoming (Central Coast) in what was described as the 'dark side' - in the middle of the housing commission estate.
 
It was good informative doco, the only bad part was the voice over guy... other than that I don't understand why the blacktown mayor was getting so upset. A promo is a promo, it's not the bloody show. I think the mayor should be made to pay for the garbage truck out of his own pocket. Seriously what a bloody waste of money. The drop in centre that was featured in the program would have been a better place to spend tax payers money that sending garbage truck to protest in front of the SBS offices.

Also looks like a few people from here grew up in or around Campbelltown, well so did I Woodbine in fact, which is not housing commission, but you know growing up I did know a lot of people who came from places like Claymore, Airds and Minto. Places like these can be found all over OZ.

@GROOVER I'm pretty sure that they have knocked down most of Minto and were mean't to knock down Claymore as well, but the gov fucked that up and it's still pretty bad. A few years ago 4 corners did a doco on Claymore, might be on youtube if anyone is interested. Same kind of stuff that is in Struggle street. At the time no one kicked up a stick at the 4 corners doco... guess the problem with struggle street was the promo. I doubt that SBS knew at the time of making the promo it would have caused all the publicity, last night Stuggle street did rate 935,000 and for 8:30 that is pretty amazing.
@Inigo Montoya, I have family that live in Woodbine. Woodbine is a nice place. It's funny my sister had a friend that lived in Airds housing commission but she would tell people she didn't know when meeting them for the first time, especially guys, that she was lived in Bradbury. Sad I know but true.

I will check out that 4 corners doco about Claymore.
 
I'm kind of bored by Reno Rumble so far, though once a few couples are removed and they don't have to dedicate so much time to letting us know what each person is doing design-wise, it could be good to watch.

For now though, I'll just enjoy drooling over Nick who has bulked up a little since House Rules and is even dreamier. :D
 
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