After our class discussion on TV shows, good and bad, it got me thinking about a related issue. Reality TV Shows. I will admit to the fact that I am totally against the majority of them. I feel like TV entertainment has gone too far. American culture has let its morals slip. The question most often on my mind is how did we degenerate to such low standards? I am horrified beyond words at the loose morals and backstabbing that is shown by the characters in some of these shows. What kind of impression does this give viewers outside our borders? Not a very good one in my opinion.
These characters know cameras are on them 24/7. Is it all just a bid to become famous? This has allowed such bad behavior to let the so-called “stars” of these shows become the media attention grabbers they are. Ask any actor with real talent how much they loathe these “stars”. These people become famous for being famous, with no talent at all to show for it. Look at the likes of Paris Hilton, Tila Tequila (really… is that even a real name?), and my least favorite, Snooki, The Situation and the other equally lame cast members of Jersey Shore. I am actually proud to say I have NEVER even watched a single episode of that junk they call entertainment! Despite my best efforts to avoid watching such drivel, I still know who the cast members are. Because of the media attention they get, these slovenly characters have been forced into my world. I don’t want my children growing up thinking this sort of behavior is entertainment. Drunkenness, debauchery and partying are what the cast of Jersey Shore are famous for. How do I know this? I already admitted to not watching them on principal, but their most famous, eye catching and newsworthy antics are recorded for posterity. These are broadcast on the internet channels, and documented in magazines, which I do watch and read.
Two lines in the song “1985” sung by Bowling for Soup, struck a chord with me. The lyrics talk about Ozzy Osbourne who is famed for his heavy metal band “Black Sabbath”. The lines go something like this: “When did reality become TV? And when did Ozzy become an actor?” I too would like to know when Ozzy became an actor! Does fame mean so much to him that he pimped out his family for the sake of the reality show “The Osbournes“? Why could he not stay with what he’s most famous for, singing in a well known and highly successful band?
Video from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K38xNqZvBJI
The Amazing Race and Survivor are other shows I started watching. That was until I discovered the ugly backstabbing that goes on between contestants. It just put me off. There are more disappointments I can add to my ever growing list: Fear Factor (not just the gross factor but the competitiveness seems to bring out the worst in people), The Bachelor (why would a woman with any self respect let herself be pitted against conniving rivals?), my list could go on.
The reason why I am so set against these types of shows is engrained forever in far recesses of my mind. I would prefer to keep it there, but will bring it out for the sake of my blog. Many years ago, (the details have been blocked out due to the trauma I suffered); I watched a reality TV show. The setup portrayed a house full of young people living together. They showed the usual bad behavior of getting drunk, sleeping around and generally behaving like they never would in front of their parents. Cut to a night shot of one of the cast members being so drunk they were unaware of what they were doing. It all boiled down to this person defecating on the lawn, in full view of the camera. Of course, to get the FULL entertainment value, the shot was replayed over and over! It was enough to put me off Reality TV shows for the rest of my life. I do not EVER wish my children to see that sort of behavior, let alone act out that way and think it’s acceptable.
That in itself is the reason why I am so against the degeneration of standards and the way today’s reality shows have turned out. How can we be proud of a nation that allows such shocking behavior to become the norm, all for the sake of entertainment? Personally I prefer to look at the morality and the context of the show before I commit to watching it. There are far better shows out there for me to watch, ones that don’t offend my sensibilities. I will stick to watching gentler subjects portrayed, like those in Secret Millionaire, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and even the touching “Teach” starring Tony Danza.
The Wikipedia definition of this subject explains it all: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded.[1] The genre has existed in some form or another since the early years of television, began in earnest as a television formula in the 1990s, and exploded as a global phenomenon around 1999-2000, via series such as Big Brother and Survivor.[1] Programs in the reality television genre are commonly called reality shows and often are produced in series. Documentaries and nonfictional programming such as news and sports shows are usually not classified as reality shows.
The genre covers a wide range of programming formats, from game or quiz shows which resemble the frantic, often demeaning shows produced in Japan in the 1980s and 1990s (such as Gaki no tsukai), to surveillance- or voyeurism-focused productions such as Big Brother.[1]
Reality television frequently portrays a modified and highly influenced form of reality, utilizing sensationalism to attract viewers and so to generate advertising profits.[2][3][4] Participants are often placed in exotic locations or abnormal situations,[1] and are sometimes coached to act in specific scripted ways by off-screen "story editors" or "segment producers," with the portrayal of events and speech manipulated and contrived to create an illusion of reality through editing and other post-production techniques.[2][3][4]
No comments:
Post a Comment