The Bob Ross Challenge
There is a great youtube channel called: The Bob Ross Challenge in which 13 comedians, in each season, try to paint alongside Bob Ross on a recorded episode of The Joy of Painting.
Almost all of them say, “He goes really fast.” Hilarity ensues.
So what was Bob Ross actually for? Was he on TV to actually teach people like you and me to paint? If we consider the speed at which he was going, you would have to record his show and pause it to paint at your own speed.
When the Joy of Painting started in 1983, the VCR was still not a common household device. Given most people watching the Joy of Painting in 1983 would not have been able to record it, what was the Joy of Painting for? It certainly was not to teach you how to paint. In fact, there were three paintings involved in every show: One completed one that was off-stage so that Bob could see what he was painting, one that he painted on the show in 30 minutes, and one, more detailed one that was featured in his instructional products. The illusion was that Bob painted spontaneously on his show.
The Joy of Painting was basically entertainment which also helped him sell his line of paint tools and paint instructions.
So what does this have to do with health research?
With enough training and practice, you could probably follow Bob Ross’ painting speed. But as demonstrated by 13 comedians, to keep up to speed AND maintain the quality of the painting would best be described as overwhelming.
When research is presented to you as complicated, and “too fast”, you have to ask, “What is it really for?” because chances are, they’re trying to sell you something — something that you pay for in money, or in time or attention. The research is actually secondary. The Joy of Painting was for entertainment, and then for selling things. Instruction/learning was not the goal.
The next time you feel overwhelmed by what you’re reading, ask yourself the question, “What is this really for?” Chances are, it’s not to make you better at what you do.
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