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Considering the
Reality of Reality Television
(The Daily Corinthian, 4 June 2005) |
I'm
a little tired of reality television.
I don't care to know who will be
the next person Donald Trump hires to work for him. Or who will
design fashion clothing under Tommy Hilfiger's label. Or who
will be the next of 20 strangers stranded on an island to walk
away with a million in cash.
And, frankly, enough crime scene
investigation shows and courtroom dramas abound on TV that it
ought to make us never want to hear another forensic or legal
term uttered again.
Too often, these shows are little
more than over-hyped, unrealistic dramas that tout stories "ripped
from the headlines."
I wonder sometimes, in the midst
of the proliferation of this genre of "real" programming,
whether any writers with "original" ideas remain to
devise new, incisive, surprising storylines. Television seems
to wax more insipid over time.
Having had my say, though, I will
admit-with a little reservation-that I, too, have been drawn
to a few "reality" programs this last season.
Although I didn't watch the show
every week, I found myself intrigued by pondering who would become
the next "American Idol." I was pulling for Bo because
he performed with such a unique, soulful voice and possessed
more of a "star-quality" than most of the other contestants.
It helped that he was from Alabama. Us folks from the Deep South
take up for each other.
However, he lost to Carrie, an Okie, with a less unique voice
and style. Further, she was a bit stiff, I thought.
Uh-oh. I just realized I'm starting
to sound like those reality television buffs who can speak with
ease about the programs that suck them in and turn them into
little more than couch kudzu each week.
But, to my merit, I will argue
that there are a few programs that are worth a watch every now
and then.
Shows like the aforementioned "American
Idol" or some of the makeover shows, such as "Extreme
Makeover: Home Edition" or even-dare I admit I have watched
this one-"Nanny 911" either showcase someone's talent
or actually help people make their lives better.
Other shows-such as "My Big
Fat Obnoxious Fiancé"-and a whole host of others
focus on humiliating people and pitting them against each other
for depraved reasons. Greed, namely. Put 20 little humans in
the rat wheel with a million dollars at the end of the maze and
see who gets there first. See who chews up others in the process.
Part of the problem, though, comes
in the labeling. None of these shows-even the "good"
ones I watch occasionally-really mirror "reality."
How many times does the average
person get to compete with 19 other people for a sum of money
that could change his or her life? How many times does the average
family get an all-expense paid vacation to Disney World while
build them a new home or completely remodel their current home?
And not too many 20-somethings get the chance to sing their hearts
out, all the way to a record deal, on national television.
Therefore, I think-if they really
want to stay true to the "reality" genre-producers
ought to make some "REALity" programs.
Let the cameras stay focused on
an elderly person a month or two and see just how hard it is
to live on Social Security and pay medical bills and buy prescription
drugs. Or put hidden cameras in nursing homes to record abuse
and broadcast the results on TV.
They might create a show called
"A Week in the Life of a Homeless Man." See how hard
it is for a homeless person who lives with a mental disability
to survive on the streets of an urban setting like, say, New
York.
Another show idea might come from
the inadequacies in our nation's schools. The cameras could even
zoom in at a special angle to catch the drops of sweat on a third
grader's face in an impoverished school district where there
is no money to repair air conditioners or install new ones.
In fact, TV execs might create
an entire series: "The Reality of Living in America for
Those Who Have Been Failed by the American Dream."
But such programming likely would
not go over too well with the American viewing public. The ratings
would plummet. Somehow we want our "reality" TV, but
we just don't want it to be too real.
(Stacy Jones, a Southerner,
is a Master of Fine Arts student in fiction writing at The University
of Memphis. She is a native of Guys, Tenn., and her columns,
which appear on Saturdays, are archived at Southern-Drawl.com.) |
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