Byers Article, Dobson Article---CSI

So tonight I read the final two article of the week for class.  Both were about CSI--- the Byers article was really hard to read, probably because it was probably the first article that we've read that I have found boring, unfortunately.  In this article. Byers talks about CSI as being neoliberal... well, what the hell does that even mean exactly?  I mean, when I see that they say that in the article, it makes me think of the CSI effect that was talked about in our earlier article on CSI.  I got a sense of the author feeling like people love to watch CSI because it was only starting season two around the time that 9/11 happened.  They also talked about in the article about how the series is a cliche with 9/11... the audience likes the "real-ness" of watching CSI figure everything out and solve the mysteries while the audience doesn't have to deal with the real situations going on in our country?  I don't know, I feel like CSI is just like any other crime scene drama... the only thing that is different about it is their special affects vs. other shows' special affects, or lack there-of.  Which is a good time to talk about the better of the two articles, in my opinion. 

In the Dobson article, the author compares CSI and other crime scene drama, and argues on whether or not the series is considered just a generic crime scene drama.  I would have to say that CSI is just like any other crime scene show that I know of, just with better special affects.  To be honest, I don't really watch or have seen a lot of CSI, but I really enjoy watching Criminal Minds, which also happens to air on CBS.  Criminal Minds and CSI to be are both really similar.  I feel like in todays world, many crime scene drama focus more on the crime solving and science behind it, more than the actual criminal justice system.  If you compare Criminal Minds and CSI, they both focus more on the crime scene.  With CSI, its more science based on finding evidence and putting all the pieces together.  It's pretty much the same thing with Criminal Minds, expect they tend to view it more psychologically.  Either way, both shows are paying more attention to the clues and putting pieces together to solve the mystery more so than anything else.  Even in Dobsons article, the author says that "The gathering of clues and examination of evidence provides the basis of most of the CSI narrative" (Dobson 82).  The right there tells you that its just like any other crime scene drama.  Maybe back in the day, it was more about the criminal justice system, but people like this type of drama better, so that is what the networks have started opening up too.