NationStates Jolt Archive

Maybe I'm missing something, but I haven't the faintest clue how violence on TV relates to watersheds...

I think I'm being too literal, but I really just don't get it. "We don't need a watershed"?

Watersheds are areas surrounding rivers and lakes where the water from them all drains into one area. This does not relate to TV. :D

Can someone explain this one to me?

I believe the "watershed" in this case is an hour after which more "adult" programming can be shown -- it's a watershed in the sense of a threshold.

I've never heard the term applied to TV before, either, but that's how I interpreted it.

Kzagblech is completely correct: it is the hour after which more adult material can be shown on TV. Strange, I thought the term was universal.

Kzagblech is completely correct: it is the hour after which more adult material can be shown on TV. Strange, I thought the term was universal.

Hey we get to learn new words this way :D
Is this term typical for US, UK, or Australia or something?

Ballotonia

I couldn't find this term in my dictionary.

Well, I know it's at least typical in the UK. I was just reading a newspaper article this morning which read:

There were over 200 complaints after the show included a gay kiss an hour before the watershed.

In Britain, the watershed is 9 o' clock. Since NS is exaggerated, I made it midnight in the issue.

Living in the US, I'd never heard the term used like that before (although it wasn't to hard to figure out from context).

Did get the title's reference to "Watership Down" though ...

Bah, I asked on the chatroom what a watershed was and set myself up for all kinds of grief on the overly moralistic american society which somehow comes of us having no watershed... anyway, the term definitely isn't universal.

I have noticed with Siro's new industry regarding the issue pile that we're getting more and more instances where words like 'program' are spelled 'programme' ... not that I'm not eternally grateful to said moderator for getting us so many new issues ;)

yeah... it's not too hard to figure out, but could there maybe be a closer connection or definition of watershed? Because I have never heard someone use that term. The idea, yes, but not that term. Those of us from the US might be really clueless when it comes to what a watershed is.

And as a scientist... watersheds have a whole other meaning that will always pop up. :wink:

And I don't get the Watership Down reference... that movie would be allowed during the watershed period, right?

When I saw the term, I had absolutely no idea what it was meant to be. I had to dismiss it, because I didn't understand it. I'm in Australia, the term certainly isn't used here.

[broad generalization]

Damn Scots!

[/broad generalization]

But don't you see!? NS ain't just fun, it's educational too!

I did mean for 'programme' to be 'program', but I must have missed it. In Britain the only time we spell it like that is for computer programs. Everything else is 'programme'. I kept on having to fight the urge to put 'soft drinks' for the soda issue.

I was joking, I don't mind seeing "programme" around the place. It was an effect of an issue, of course I don't remember which one now. If I see it again I'll put it in the typos sticky :D

Anyway, wasn't this a nice little forray into the world of the mass ignorance of the avarage American. The context of the issue does make it clear what a 'watershed' is, even if you haven't heard the term. It's for reasons like this that I try to stay out of General....

Oh yeh before I forgot, damn all you Scots ;)

"Watershed Down" is a play on words from the book "Watership Down", a book about nasty muderous rabbits.

Anyway, wasn't this a nice little forray into the world of the mass ignorance of the avarage American. The context of the issue does make it clear what a 'watershed' is, even if you haven't heard the term. It's for reasons like this that I try to stay out of General....


Actually... I'm not sure it provides a great explanation of what watershed is. The first position doesn't provide any context, only the second position does. (To me, a "romantic-movie buff" is someone that likes sappy movies... but somehow I don't think that's what it's supposed to be)

The connection between a watershed and a period of time on television that certain shows are banned is pretty tenuous. You have to take what they talk about in position 2 and infer that they're referring to a watershed that they talk about in position 1.
Otherwise, as someone who had no clue what a watershed was, I could almost agree with both positions, as I didn't think they really had to do with the same thing.

First time I saw the issue, I though it was an environmental one from the title, and then I read it and wondered to my self what the mods were smoking. Then I remberd that NS has people from all over the world playing and submitting issues, and eventually figured out what the hell the issue was about.

Then I checked this thread to make sure I got it right.

But don't you see!? NS ain't just fun, it's educational too!

I did mean for 'programme' to be 'program', but I must have missed it. In Britain the only time we spell it like that is for computer programs. Everything else is 'programme'. I kept on having to fight the urge to put 'soft drinks' for the soda issue.

Actually, I kinda like the alternate spelling in here occasionally. Those aren't really a big deal, and they, IMO, add to the game. Sad thing is, certian terms or phrases don't quite make that transision as easily(I'm sure there's some american refrences that've made other international players wonder what the hell an issue was about for a moment, though I can't think of any offhand).

I say keep the issue as it is(mostly cuz I can't think of another term to replace "watershed" without rewriting the issue and making it all clunky and even more confusing).

Well, I guess NS is an international game - it's almost all about seeing other points of view and cultures eh? Maybe that can embrace other terminologies too.

Although I had to use 'soda' really to make sure everyone knew it was about the 'soda sales' industry.

Although I had to use 'soda' really to make sure everyone knew it was about the 'soda sales' industry.
Hehe... soda is the wrong term. The correct one is pop. Which, I have learned, can place me to certain locations in the U.S.


Although for watershed, can you add the term censorship? Or is that not appropriate? That's kinda what I think of when they say they would ban certain shows. Someone decides it's not appropriate content=censoring

I wonder how many of the issue-writers that are from english-speaking countries... Myself, I'm a swede.(I wrote the "Police want more than Shiny Badge")

Couldn't say, but all the editors certainly are. Currently there are four issue editors... Reploid Productions (America), SalusaSecondus (America), Myself (Scotland), and, I suppose, Max Barry (Australia).

Although I had to use 'soda' really to make sure everyone knew it was about the 'soda sales' industry.
Hehe... soda is the wrong term. The correct one is pop. Which, I have learned, can place me to certain locations in the U.S. Soda is actually more universal than 'pop'... I definitely don't use it in everyday life, nor do the people I know. But that could be because I'm not from those 'certain locations' of which you speak ;)

Don't mind the double post.

Speaking of this issue, its first effect is "programmes of questionable content are shown at peak-hours". Is that something you were wanting fixed?

I read the issue once and then had to go back to read it again. Read it the second time like I would read a schoolbook. (Expecting it to be confusing and contain all sorts of undefined words the writter assumes I know). I got the general gist, but dismissed it because I wanted the 'watershed' left as is. I think that would be a good solution to the other Americans who gripe about what's on tv all the time.

After the Janet Jackson superbowl booby incident all of the US media was paranoid. My favorite radio station had a disclaimer that came on every 15 minutes saying their content may be unsuitable for children..blahblah..

I live in Australia, I've travelled extensively throught NZ, the UK, and USA, as well as here in Australia, and I have NEVER heard the term "Watershed" used outside its scientific context.

OK, I was able to work out what the issue was on about from the context, but maybe a different word or phrase may have been more appropriate...

I live in Australia, I've travelled extensively throught NZ, the UK, and USA, as well as here in Australia, and I have NEVER heard the term "Watershed" used outside its scientific context.

OK, I was able to work out what the issue was on about from the context, but maybe a different word or phrase may have been more appropriate...

I'm a hydrologist by training (water quality engineer by profession).

Watershed is a defined catchment area.

But when I took the GRE, watershed was used not as the "defined area" but to talk about the event in history that broke the defined area.

I can understand how a native English speaker can think of "watershed" in two completely different (though related) contexts. The issue is does a watershed define an area or transcend it. An engineer is going to say it defines, a historian is going to say it transcends.

Bottomline: watershed *is* a poor word to use alone. If the issue is talking about "hydrologic watersheds" it should list them as such. If it is talking about "historical watersheds" it should list them as such. Especially in light of the fact that there are plenty of non-native English speakers around who might have greater difficult in picking the two opposite meanings of the same word apart.

Michael

Incidentally, I'm American, and I only knew that the term "watershed" was connected to television programming. I now know that it can also be used in place of 'tributary', but I did not know that before. Aren't I odd? :P