I turned on the television with the intention of watching regular broadcast television for the first time in a very long time. Since moving back to the hill we have been without cable, a choice we made because we were watching way too much television and not living enough. So, I have no idea what the network lineup looks like any more and since we only get two maybe three channels, I didn’t bother to check a TV Guide.
When I turned on the television, I sat and watched about 10 minutes of some reality television show that involved some woman telling these two people how to raise their children. I watched up until the point where the woman told the parents that they needed therapy because they were emotionally endangering their children. I am not sure what exactly had happened to cause this woman to come to this conclusion, but I must say that she was quite adamant about it.
After her I can’t do anything for you speech the couple sat down to discuss their marital and familial problems. It was during this discussion that it hit me. I should not be watching this. Understand not me personally, but anyone. These two people were arguing and airing their families dirty laundry on National Television. All I could think of was, why would they do this?
I don’t want to believe that we live in a society where anyone’s private life can become fodder for television. I don’t think that it is appropriate for these people to participate in this incredibly public airing of a private matter. I have never been a big fan of “reality television.” I think that the only reality based television should be the news, which ironically is not all that reality based.
The line between real and imaginary is getting thinner and thinner each day. With tabloid news coverage making its way into mainstream media, we have endless coverage of the Michael Jackson trial, Terry Schaivo’s death and the relentless fear mongering sex-offender hourly update on who is living where and what they had for breakfast. I am just waiting for the day when the headlines on Fox News are no different than the ones on the National Enquirer. Hell maybe Bill Oreilly can finally get that alien that has been helping all the presidents to go on national television, that I would pay for cable to see.
Monday, April 18, 2005
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1 comment:
I firmly believe that most reality tv, especially the stuff you are talking about where someone tells the family they need therapy is just another way to tell people the right way to live their lives.
Which is why I think it is so popular, you get not only to feel bad about yourself, but you get to feel superior to those around you, and then you get to feel better when you vote because it looks so much better because you are voting for an ideal which is so radically different than what one sees daily on television so you must be voting for change, right?
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