Traitors is a negative influence on society

[Listenup99]

The TV show Traitors is an example of society breaking down not just a bit of fun entertainment. It glorifies and rewards deceitful behaviour. I can’t actually believe so many people watch it and encourage their kids to watch it as if it is a good thing.

If anything, The Traitors is problematic because it celebrates idiocy, hunches, acting without evidence and groupthink. The murder stuff is merely cartoony and silly.

I find it hard to watch it because the legit answer to the question "Who do you think is a Traitor?" is almost always "It's impossible to say because there is nothing they have been asked to do that will reveal who they are."

Until the last rounds, if you're a Traitor, you just have to lie well when you talk about whether you're a Traitor or not. There are really no other "strategies" and it is idiotic to pretend there are.

What will you think when you find out the game originated in a soviet university psychology department 😱

Having played mafia a lot the appeal is in recognising how much your own opinions and biases affect how you see others.

I think people celebrated Alan Carr m the most recent series because he seemed so unlikely to win in that role. If Jonathan Ross had won as a traitor I expect the reaction might've been less celebratory because displayed much less appealing traits in the role.

It's not family focused at all. I was surprised Thursday's episode was on before the watershed actually. I don't let my kids (both under 10) watch it.

I love it but actually every series I do wonder if it's questionable (Mollie in S2 worried me). Then it returns and I'm always back. And in Uncloaked and after the game, they always seem relaxed and happy. I think the spell breaks when they leave. You have to be the kind of person who gets immersed to play it.

I haven't watched it so I don't know anything about it. But society is definitely breaking down, that I can agree with. It's fragmented. There is lack of community and social cohesion now compared to years ago.

I just really hope this is a joke thread because to look around the world right now & think that this TV show is actually a bad enough influence to complain about is beyond tragic!

Way, way more going on out there to be concerned about than something that gets people talking & connecting with each other through a shared experience.

It's a game! Many games involve 'deceit', secrecy and competitiveness. 'Traitors' is a fascinating talking point about human nature and how we interact with each other.

It’s a game!
There are ‘missions’ to complete to win money.
It's just for entertainment, you don’t need to analyse it…it’s not real life, it’s a game.

I understand where you are coming from, people are enjoying being bad and deceitful.

however It is just a game and it's fascinating to see how people behave. I also love Claudia.

😁

What on earth is worrying about it? It's a game.

No. That's not how the game works 😂

It's a game hun. Like when you play monopoly you don't really go bankrupt.
Murder mysteries have been a thing for generations & there's never been a case where playing in one has turned someone into an actual murderer.

Chill. If it's not for you then watch something else.

We're playing it at work, we did it last year too. It's a huge amount of fun and has created lots of positive energy in the department. Mind you, two of the traitors from last year's game fell out over it and still aren't speaking, so perhaps you're right 😂

Because of cost of living and the breakdown of real life communities in favour of curated Internet interaction and being permanently online (she said on Mumsnet, I know). Not because of a TV programme that's a tarted up version of Mafia.

I do agree with the PP who noted that there's very little actual strategy and reason (sometimes there is, though) and it's largely a guessing game for the Faithfuls. I don't see how that means it "rewards idiocy", though.

So your saying the majority of tv then soaps,films etc all glorifying violence,cheating,lying,stealing and the list goes on

It's just a glorified board game come to life!

There are umpteen board & card games out there where you need to use deceit and strategy to win.
But if I were to say I play those games with my kids rather than letting them on their phones people (like the OP no doubt) would applaud me for being a great parent!

Despite the fact those games are apparently "teaching" my kids to lie!
Hilarious! 😂😂

You’re not alone OP.

My 18 year old son sat and watched it for the first time. After about 30 mins he wandered off saying how bad it was that all these people were being encouraged to lie and cheat.

He’s never normally so righteous so it got me thinking but not enough to stop watching 😅

I’d rather my teens watch traitors then love island.

I’d rather my teens watch traitors then love island.

The lying makes me uncomfortable at times but if this is the one bit of naughtiness people have in their lives they will probably be better people.
And you can root for the faithfuls and enjoy the mystery.

Surely better than enjoying shows where people actually die?

That’s really nice :)

Op i don’t think anyone watches it and thinks ‘hey i’m going to lie to people more for fun’.

I think it’s something really fun to keep people entertained during a truly miserable month of the year.

I agree that shows like love island are far, far more damaging. If anything traitors shows you how much lying can affect you. If I was on I would be a faithful 😁

Thank the lord we here in my family can differentiate between real life and a game for entertainment.

Relax OP.

A million percent. I feel like it’s one of the few nicer shows!

I beg to differ.

Anyone who (wrongly or rightly) tries to persuade others someone’s a Traitor is invariably ‘murdered’ or banished.

The people who get to the final are the ones who either are (or play) clueless and trusting of the Traitors, either because they aren’t perceived as a threat (to the Traitors) or a potential Traitor manipulating others (to the Faithful).

Like poker, those who win hold their cards v close to their chest.

Like chess, the Traitors have to be strategic and think several steps ahead to anticipate how people will respond to their moves, e.g. assume some murders will be blamed on others.

Like life, the people who ‘get away with murder’ and fool everyone are those who are personable, appeal across demographics and don’t appear to take themselves too seriously. That does contain a lesson for society: Farage and Johnson.