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Showing posts from February, 2012

Wheel of Fortune Gives Me Hives or The Myth of Autonomy

Whenever I try to watch Wheel of Fortune, I get really antsy; if I ever watch it, it's because I am waiting for Jeopardy to come on. Most Jeopardy-watchers that I know (myself included) are either obvious or closet know-it-alls. I was never good at things like sports or pretty much anything other than school, (plus I’m short) so I’ve always used sarcasm and intelligence as a defense mechanism. I guess watching Jeopardy and shouting out the answers like a jerk is my version of a pick-up game of soccer. But I think I've recently discovered that I prefer Jeopardy for a very different reason. It isn't just a game show for smart people (or people who think they are smart); it is also a game show for control freaks. Jeopardy contestants don't spin a wheel. They select a category. They have complete control over what category they can select. And even if the contestants aren't knowledgeable in a certain category, they don't have to answer a question if they don