Okay, I am a bit of a reality TV junkie. I watch everything from the now in syndication Fear Factor to America's Next Top Model to my favorite, MTV's 'The Hills.' I also love House Hunters, Man vs. Wild, Solitary (really cool show about how humans react when isolated and under stress), Survivor Man, Caught on Tape, Busted on the Job, Cops, Speeders, Myth Busters, Man vs. Food, etc. I know that some aspects of 'reality TV' are obviously not so real. Sometimes things are staged, pre-written, pre-determined, pre-tested, scripted, etc. However, for the most part, a good portion of it is actually live and real.
I was watching Cops on the boob tube last night when I began to wonder what our elders must make of all this so-called 'reality' TV nonsense. Isn't the whole point of television (besides keeping you informed via news stations) to escape reality for a few hours. For example, if you were say a cop, when you come home after a long, hard day on the job, do you really want to see on your television what you were just out battling less than an hour ago? The answer is probably no. The same thing is probably true if you're an educator like a teacher or principle. After a long day at school do you really want to come home and see 'The Principle's Office ( This is a relatively new reality show that with each episode, follows different school principles to see how they govern their school and deal with various issues that arise within their school. The show also follows various disciplinary issues at each school so viewers can see how they unfold)?
Back in our grand parents and great grandparents' time, when all people had to listen to was the radio with their little commercials, story lines, news, and special broad castings, there was no such thing as reality radio (except maybe the news), where some person came on the radio and told listeners about people being in simulated real situations. When the television appeared on the scene, people would come home and relax on the couch to watch fun and family oriented shows like Leave it to Beaver, I Love Lucy, The Andy Griffith Show, and so on. Shows where your mind could rest and relax and just enjoy....not where you were constantly wondering things like: "What was he thinking?" "Why did she say that?" "OMG!?" "Did they really just eat a mouth full of slugs?!" "This guy must be crazy to do this even for money."
I have to wonder sometimes, are really missing the point of the television and it's purpose?
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