I still don't know why this whole "Reality TV" thing has gotten so popular. There is little if anything "real" about it.
Let's take the bachelor/bachelorette. They take one man/woman, and then hire a bunch of starving actresses/actors trying to get their break in Hollywood to compete for that person's affection. That's right, I said hire. Hopefully you aren't so naive to think that they're actually doing that for FREE? Of course not. Each of them is getting paid, probably according to how long they are able to stay on the show. Most of them probably have little or no interest in the actual bachelor/bachelorette. Now tell me, where can I find such a scenario that naturally occurs in the REAL world? Nowhere.
To subtract even further from the reality of these shows, you've got cameras everywhere. Do people behave exactly how they would naturally when they're being filmed? What if there were cameras all around your house and office? Would you do anything different?
The only reality TV that ever came close to being real was shows like "Punk'd" and "Boiling Point." These shows relied on hidden cameras, and the "actors" didn't know they were being filmed. Furthermore, any compensation that the actors received was only offered after they were informed that it was a setup.
You know, some of these shows do occasionally have glimmers of reality. Take that ridiculous "Kendra" show, for example. It's all about the life of air-headed Kendra, former girlfriend of Hugh Heifner. I was at a friend's house a while back and she and her sister sat in rapt attention as this bland and boring show went on and on. At one point, it was Kendra, her fiance, and her friend sitting around the table having a really uninteresting conversation about their dog or something. I looked at my friend and her sister, perplexed that they were deriving entertainment from what was on the television. (From a male perspective, the only part of all this I found even remotely interesting was the fact that Kendra got a huge boob job and wasn't wearing a bra.) I thought to myself "I could probably have a more interesting conversation about the federal rules of civil procedure." You know it's bad television when law students (who have a very high tolerance for boring subjects) are bored stiff. So yes, THAT is reality. People sitting around a dinner table discussing topics in which you, an already disinterested third-party, have absolutely no interest. It also makes for horrible television. Which is why I think reality TV sucks.
Another problem with reality TV is that the cattle-like audience that finds a way to be entertained by such drivel might also be misled into thinking that it actually depicts reality. Then you'll get brides-to-be going absolutely crazy because they think that's okay and normal after watching "Bridezilla." Perhaps they don't realize that the producers are paying for the extraordinary antics. I had a roommate who told me that he had a really good relationship with a girl one time, and after a few months, she remarked that they never fought about anything, and wanted to know what was wrong. Seems like she was under the false impression that a normal relationship requires fighting, and if there hasn't been any, then it's not normal. It's false messages like these that reality TV sends to us. I just feel sorry for the people who actually believe them.
Not convinced? See here.
And here.
This too.
(Google is a wonderful thing.)
10 comments:
I disagree a little bit. :) But I do it with a BIG SMILE!!! I recently wrote a post where I said I feel like I was on the show the Bachelorette and the Bachelor at the same time!! But not just because of online social networking sites but even in real life. If you're the "fresh meat" at the new party - it's completely a competition and sometimes it really sucks because there is no written agreement stating that you get to say no to a bunch of people with no guilt. So I guess in that sense ... the show is unrealistic. In real life it's difficult to juggle multiple suitors and turning them down is a lot harder than giving them a rose or whatever - especially since most of them refuse to go away quietly!!!
But all in all - I'm with you on the reality television thing. I can't stand it to be honest. Except for "The Farmer Wants A Wife" - that is the only exception to the rule. :) I luvvvvv that show.
Still Daisy, one thing you can kind of count on with all those guys at the party is that they are really interested in you. They're not getting paid to pursue you (in fact chances are they'll end up paying in the process) so there aren't ulterior motives (at least, in that sense). But yeah, I see the similarities.
Here's an article from The Atlantic, "The Case for Reality TV": http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200705/reality-tv
Interesting article. Pretty sure that guy was an english major by the way that thing reads. (My eyes...)
Anyway, I think this is his main argument: "Creative endeavors—written, scripted, or produced—should be measured not by how literally they replicate actual life but by how effectively they render emotional truths."
I don't really agree with this qualitative measure for television programs. I don't put much stock in an emotional response that has been elicited in a contrived, artificial context, where the players might even be instructed on how they should act. Even if the emotional response is legitimate ("true" I guess), there are plenty of other factors through which I will judge the quality of what I'm watching.
I just think reality T.V. should stop associating itself with "reality." In most cases, it's highly misleading.
Not all, but I think most people realize reality TV is wholly contrived. People are pretty sophisticated about media today, at least compared to the past.
I think people realize it's contrived and simply don't care. They like seeing emotion whether it's "genuinely" evoked or not.
>>I don't put much stock in an emotional response that has been elicited in a contrived, artificial context, where the players might even be instructed on how they should act.
You don't? You laugh at The Office, right? Is there anything more contrived or artificial than your average TV show or movie? It's the product of dozens/hundreds of people laboring for thousands of hours to make something look natural when it's anything but.
I guess the difference is that a TV show or movie is not trying to pass itself off as "real" while reality TV is. But, again, I think most people realize this distinction and don't care. It's all entertainment and they'll take it however they can get it.
I guess I've been exposed to way too many reality TV viewers who loudly bemoan the choices made by the bachelor/bachelorette. Unfortunately, I think you give the American public far too much credit. I have little doubt that the people you hang around are of above average intelligence.
As for the office--like I said, the emotional response is only one of many factors through which you can gauge the quality of the show. I think the emotional responses of the characters in the office are usually pretty true to the personalities they're portraying. I know it's all acting, but it never tried to pass itself off as "reality."
On the other hand, you've got Kendra jumping into her pool to "save" her dog from drowning, faking shock and terror that the poor little thing was going to drown. It couldn't have been more fake. In the little I've seen of other reality shows, stuff like this is far too common. Maybe it just boils down to bad acting.
I realize now that I got sucked into "Is it good or bad?" debate when the more interesting question is -- "Why now?"
That is, what about the entertainment landscape draws so many people to reality TV as opposed to the more traditional dramas and sitcoms? Why did the reality TV boom happen (relatively) recently and not, say, 20 or 30 years ago?
(And the answer can't be "people are stupid" b/c, well, there have always been stupid people.)
I don't know the answer to that question, but I also don't find it more interesting. Why didn't someone think up the snuggie 20 years ago? I'm not saying reality tv is nearly as good an idea as the snuggie, oh no. But new ideas--good and bad--pop up all the time for any number of reasons. So I think the question is unanswerable.
As for why reality tv is so popular...I'm stumped. Like I said in the beginning I really don't know why it has become so, because I find it highly unentertaining. But I'm pretty picky about my television.
The great thing about the current TV is that for every ridiculous reality show, there's a first-rate show to balance it out: The Office, Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, Modern Family, Curb Your Enthusiasm, South Park, Sons of Anarchy.
And then there are shows that are almost like visual novels, that put most movies and printed fiction to shame: the aforementioned Mad Men, The Sopranos and -- the greatest of all -- The Wire.
It's a good time for complex adult drama, I tell you what.
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