Underrated social issue stories

[DRW50]

GH got a great deal of acclaim for their handling of AIDS, Monica's breast cancer, BJ's heart going to Maxie. AMC and OLTL for their stories involving homosexuality. And many other stories on soaps which have gotten awards and attention.

Are there any social issue stories on soaps you felt did not get enough praise? Or which you feel have been forgotten and people now don't remember how good the stories were?

[Sylph]

I think social issues need to be banned from daytime. It's either patronising, preachy or under-researched. Mimi Torchin said it nicely when criticising Latham's epilepsy, deafness, meningitis, what else did she serve? and illness-of-the-weak stories: this is the 21st century, people are going to find much more information, and much more accurate, elsewhere. "Raising awareness" is a pathetic excuse for these soaps to serve undercooked stories.

[DRW50]

I kind of think that the "they can find it elsewhere" almost makes these stories more important, because the thought of someone going on a random Internet site for major medical advice can sometimes be a bit frightening. I'd rather they get it from a well-researched soap story than from Suzanne Sommers. But I agree most soap social issue stories in recent years have not been good.

What were your underrated social issue stories on past soaps?

[Sylph]

Latham is who I'm looking at. That was just... Awful.

Here's the excerpt from Torchin's SoapNet column, I had to dig through a pile of documents:

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Well, look at Lily's breast cancer story on Y&R currently from the hacks Maria Arena Bell, Hogan Sheffer, and Scott Hamner to see how horribly it is being done...

[DRW50]

I agree, but were there any decent social issue stories on soaps you don't think got enough credit?

[Sylph]

But I think this is a good thread.

I am really interested to read the pros of why social issues need to be done even today.

[DRW50]

For me it's more about people talking about past social issue stories on soaps which they liked. I don't disagree with you about the current soaps and their way of telling social issues. Whether they need to be done, who knows. I think there's a way to tell a good social issue story which also entertains, but these days that's too much to ask for.

[Sindacco]

Because people can relate to them. But most of us can't relate to baby switchs, serial killers, mobsters, supercouples, etc.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

The Australian soaps used to do the best job at balancing realistic social issues with outrageous soap stories. Shame no one has been able to do that balance effectively in years.

The British soaps were often seen as too gritty and depressing, and the American soaps were seen as outrageous camp. The Aussie soaps seemed like something in the middle, though not anymore, of course.

[DRW50]

I know there was a rule on Australian soaps, wasn't there, that you could not use the word "rape"? Is that true?

I agree that sometimes the British soaps were too depressing. Other times they just went too much for shock value. Corrie, back with a sensationalist producer in 2000-2001, told a story about how a woman learned she had advanced, terminal cervical cancer because her pap smears had come back with inaccurate results. This was criticized by doctors, and by the actress herself.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I know Home And Away has done a ton of rape stories, and yes, they often shy away from using the word "rape" and use "forced upon" or "sexually violated" instead.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I remember reading that the only time Home And Away used the word "rape" was during a "date rape" story. It involved Tammin Sursok's character Dani.

What's funny is that her rapist, or date rapist, ended up marrying Dani's sister.

[DRW50]

Neighbours did a decent story over the past few years about Susan Kennedy having MS.

[marceline]

I personally like a good social issue story but now it's kind of a catch-22. Being on daily, soaps are uniquely positioned to tell detailed stories and show the type of slow build and that a lot of these stories need, especially the health-related ones, and they can show the fallout and they effect on multiple people. The problem IMO is that soaps no longer do slow build or fallout. Plus its impossible to take a story about breast cancer or AIDS seriously in the same genre where you have numerous people in town who have returned from the dead multiple times and people who forget giving birth.