I am not a big fan of reality. Oh, I know it’s something we put up with on a daily basis but the part of reality that I have come to loathe is reality TV.
When I look at the TV listings I see nothing that requires any kind of a script. Every program is a contrived reality show from Survivor, The Amazing Race, and the Bachelor / Bachelorette; to Fear Factor, The Biggest Loser, and my favorite, Hillbilly Handfishin’.
Because of all of these “reality based” shows, real professional script writers are out of work. Perhaps they should do a reality show about script writers. It would be like the old Dick Van Dyke show except they’d all be sitting around cursing reality.
If the bigwigs that run the media think that we love anything based on reality, why not make the jump to Big Brotherhood right now and put a camera in every house and on every street corner. just like a Twitter account, you would gather “followers” who like to watch your everyday movements. Likewise, you can “follow” others.”
If that idea seems too grandiose, what about a REAL reality show holiday special. Imagine grandma’s house (your grandma, my grandma, it makes no difference) on Thanksgiving. Now, imagine hidden cameras all over the house. They would see Uncle Birdie getting drunk; the cousins in the back yard smoking pot; and the inevitable argument that leads to the fistfight. It would be a real Walton’s Thanksgiving. Should be great fun for the viewers.
In the mean time, we will continue to be force fed the fodder of fools in the form of COPS, The Apprentice, Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance, America’s Next Top Model, etc. etc, ad nauseum.
It’s enough to make a person give up TV watching forever, or at least commercial TV. The folks at Netflicks must be downright giddy.
Watch what you want my friends, or don’t watch at all if you prefer. All I ask is that if you ever get the least bit tempted to watch a little reality – open the door and go outside. It’s right there.
Follow
Dale,
I’m right with you. My solution: I don’t watch TV, not ever — except for Comedy Central, however, I watch that On-Demand or on Hulu. The downside to not watching TV is if I’m talking with someone who does, I have no clue what they are talking about.
Is Reality TV what people really want? Or, do people watch Reality TV because that is all there is to watch? What comes first – the chicken or the egg?
My real concern: Media influences culture and the social development of youth. What type of culture are we shaping?