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Area Women (And Man) Protest The Death Of Soap Operas
By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 27, 2011
Modified Apr 27, 2011
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Apr 27, 2011
Modified Apr 27, 2011
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While everyone else was working at a job, soap opera fans gathered outside of ABC studios in midtown yesterday afternoon to protest the cancellation of their stories: All My Children and One Life to Live. Soap Opera Digest has a rather depressing photo of the protesters, who were allegedly about 30 strong, held protest signs, and wore shirts saying "Save Our Soaps." Most depressing of all, however, are the quotes in this Daily News article.
A 25-year-old child care provider told the paper, "These Soap Operas are our lives. I grew up watching these soaps. These characters are like family. When they marry we celebrate. When they die, we mourn. They help us deal with difficult issues." Another soap fan, age 35, says, "I'm here for many of those who can't even get out of bed. I can't imagine my mornings without my stories. They want to put more cooking shows. We got plenty of those."
While the protest drew mostly women, there was one man on hand as well, who claimed his friends work on the shows. They'll all be back to protest on Monday at 10 a.m., including one 51-year-old woman who told the paper, "This is very tragic for us. It's like they are taking our loved ones from us." And while soap operas are notorious for raising the dead, even Oprah said she can't save the stories at this point.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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