Grey's Anatomy: Revision of The Series and Its Impact on The Recipient

What we watch matters. People are influenced by the television, it aids in shaping who we are as individuals. Each Persons reaction to this television series will vary. If you enjoy television series that relate to actual life-like events, you may be intrigued, especially if you are someone who familiarizes yourself to the healthcare industry. This series teaches many life lessons regarding what is right, what is wrong, and the different cultural values.

My personal perspective will likely vary from other individuals. According to an online resource, “Your perspective is the way you see something; the appearance of things relative to one another as determined by their distance from the viewer.” (n.d.) Personally, I find the Television, Grey’s Anatomy very intriguing. I like the heart throbbing moments, the heartaches, the medical discoveries, and how it displays how different people are from one another. It is an added bonus that every episode within the series puts me on the edge of my seat, making it hard to not continue watching. The most important lesson I learned from watching the show is that you will never learn, if you don’t try. A quote Meredith from the television drama stated, “The early bird catches the worm; a stitch in time saves nine. He who hesitates is lost. We can’t pretend we haven’t been told. We’ve all heard the proverbs, heard the philosophers, heard our grandparents warning us about wasted time, heard the damn poets urging us to seize the day. Sometimes, we have to see for ourselves. We have to sweep today’s possibility under tomorrow’s rug until we can’t anymore, until we finally understand for ourselves … that knowing is better than wondering, that waking is better than sleeping, and that even the biggest failure, even the worst most intractable mistake, beats the hell out of never trying.” (Rhimes, 2007)

Not only is this one of my favorite quotes, but it should be a quote that everyone lives by and should really take into consideration. It is a very inspirational quote.

A little history about the television series, Grey’s Anatomy, is that it’s a series of many episodes and seasons that revolve around a medical drama. It was premiered on the television network, ABC, on March 27, 2005. This show primarily takes place in Seattle but is mainly filmed in Los Angeles, California. The show is portrayed in the fictional hospital, Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital. Other than the hospital, other scenes can be seen in the character’s homes. From a technical standpoint, Grey’s Anatomy was produced by Shonda Rhimes. Others who helped create this tv drama, also known as the executive producers, are Betsy Beers, Mark Gordon, Tony Phelan, Joan Rater and Rob Corn. Overall the film quality was very good, offering multiple different picturesque views.

When viewing from an ethical standpoint, there are both ethical and unethical behaviors involved with the television series, Grey’s Anatomy. According to our text, “Ethics is the study of how persons, other sentient beings (those that can feel pain), and systems (such as governmental agencies and the environment) behave (known as descriptive ethics) and how they should behave (known as normative ethics.” (Rhimes, ). The needs of the impressive number of viewers are met by displaying love, hate, happy, sad and a mix of many other emotions that draws the viewers in. The producers try to show that the characters are relatable to the audience, thus making this series one that people can’t stop watching. Viewers also find it more interesting due to the fact that much of the dialogue is expressed through sexual topics. The show itself I don’t think is unethical, do to the fact that the visual message the producers are trying to express does not cause unjustified harm, to the viewer, but some of the behaviors within the series can be perceived unethical. A couple of examples of unethical behavior from an episode on Grey’s Anatomy was when one of the interns forged an attending physician’s signature and the other example is when an intern performed a medical care while under the influence of alcohol.

From a cultural perspective, the series really shows how each individual is different from one another, not only in the way they look but also in the way they believe in certain things. According to our text,

“Cultural analysis of a picture involves identifying the symbols and metaphors used In an image and determining their meaning for the society as a whole. Symbolism may be analyzed through the picture’s use of heroes and villains, by the form of its narrative structure by the style of the artwork, by the use of words that accompany the image, and by the attitudes about the subjects and the culture communicated by the visual artist.” (Lester,2014)

This television series targeted individuals of many cultures. One example from the series, is when an individual was brought into the hospital due to a trauma. As the physicians attempted to start their medical care on the patient they realized the male was a part of the Jehovah’s witnesses. For those that don’t know Jehovah’s Witnesses are people who believe in a certain way, different than most. According to The Gospel Coalition, “JWs have a number of beliefs that are peculiar to their sect: While they accept medical treatments and do not practice faith healing, they don’t accept blood transfusions because they believe the “Bible commands that we not ingest blood.”” (Carter, 2016). This is just one of the many examples of cultural differences in the series Grey’s Anatomy. We may not necessarily agree with others cultural beliefs, but we should respect them as we would wish our beliefs to be.

From a critical standpoint, I think many could agree, after watching Grey’s Anatomy, my perspective has changed completely. According to our text,

“When applying a critical perspective you should attempt to transcend a particular image and draw general conclusions about the medium, the culture from which it is produced and the viewer. A critical perspective allows the viewer to use the information learned about a medium, its practitioner, and the image produced to make more general comments about the society that accepts or rejects the images.” (Lester,2014).

Health care has a brand-new meaning in my mind. After watching I realized the struggles that come with working in the health care field. On the other hand, I realized that there is a sense of reward working in the field as well. I realized that working in the health care industry can be overwhelming, stressful, sad, interesting, diverse, gratifying, and many other emotions. I think most people within the field just hope that they can make some sort of difference in somebody’s life. Even if it would be in the smallest way.

I surprisingly learned a lot from watching this series. I have learned after watching to not be so guarded, that I will never learn if I don’t try, growing up is inevitable, life can be hard at times, always expect the unexpected, people may surprise you if given the chance, everyone deserves the truth, it’s okay to be afraid, never stop dreaming, and nobody is perfect. Each Persons reaction and reflection to this television series will vary because we all interpret things differently. If you enjoy television series that relate to actual life-like events, you may be intrigued, especially if you are someone who familiarizes yourself to the healthcare industry. This series teaches many life lessons regarding what is right, what is wrong, and the different cultural values.