Reality Shows

Reality Shows

At what point did we get so bored with our own lives that we had to tune into other people’s lives for entertainment? I don’t know when they started, but reality shows seem to occupy about half of the modern day TV slots. Although they offer no productive value, they still manage to attract hoards of clueless viewers.

Hey maybe, I’m being a little unfair here. After all, I watched Survivor when it first came to the networks. It seemed like an original enough idea. And I thought it might be interesting to see how the contestants survived the trials and tribulations of being in a remote spot with fifteen other people. Kind of a “Lord Of The Flies” type setting. But it didn’t take long for the typical drama bullshit to unfold and I soon lost interest. I always thought that it would be interesting to see how sixteen yuppies might survive if you dropped them off in West Baltimore in the middle of the night. I pitched it to the producers, but never heard back them.

Lately, all you hear about is this “Jon & Kate Plus Eight”. OK, they have eight young children (six are sextuplets). Seems challenging, but why would anyone want to peer into their lives every day? Is it really more interesting (or important!) than your own life? If it is, I really feel sorry for you. And now that Jon & Kate are getting divorced, the show is being hyped more than ever. It’s all over the morning news shows, tabloids, late night shows, etc. It’s totally ridiculous if you ask me. I personally couldn’t care less.

And don’t even get me started on MTV. Anyone with an IQ over 10 shouldn’t be allowed to watch this channel anymore. I can remember when MTV (by the way, MTV is an acronym for Music Television) actually played music videos and concerts. Back in the 80’s, it was catalyst for the careers of many huge stars such as Madonna and Michael Jackson (who can forget the premier of the Thriller video?). Today, MTV is a nothing but a series of dumbass reality shows that couldn’t send a worse message to today’s youngsters. I don’t think they even show anything remotely related to music anymore. They’re a total joke!

I guess what pisses me off the most about reality shows is that they’re not real! It seems pretty obvious to me that most of them are scripted. It’s kind of like watching WWF wresting. I know there are tons of fans, but I don’t understand it. If you’re calling it a reality show, shouldn’t it be real??

I guess Cops would be considered a reality show. This is one that I don’t think is scripted. Mainly, because the white trash “contestants” are generally too stupid to even read a script! However, I have to admit that there’s something somewhat compelling watching the cops manhandle a loser in a wife beater!

There are too many dumbass reality shows to list here. I just can’t understand why someone would waste time in their own life to tune into this useless bullshit. It really bothers me the way today’s kids follow this crap. It reinforces all the wrong messages (especially MTV!).

I guess it’s the new American way of taking the easy way out. With reality shows, no need for any imagination, high quality actors or intelligent writers. Just gather up some boneheads and let the cameras roll!



KW