The Standard of Reality
Every time I start to write this rant, I delete it because I think I fall short. The other posts on mental-enema are amazingly good and I never think my writing can even come close in comparison. I feel like there is a standard that I have to achieve before I post my work.This got me thinking about my rant, on reality television and the melo-dramatic bullshit that everyone seems to love. There is so obviously not a standard when it comes to what we watch. This is evident when we look at television shows like Big Brother and Survivor which are on their 100th cycle. I watched the first season of both Big Brother and Survivor, they were masterpieces… putting people in that kind of physical and emotional turmoil then turning on a cam recorder, was simply genius. However like a good joke told too many times, its gone sour.
Mark Burnett has been dubbed the father of reality television, personally I think he gave the devil sexual favors to advance his career. His original reality series were good he introduced the world to Survivor, Eco-Challenge and The Apprentice. Again these original reality shows were good, but have been over done too many times. I don’t know about you, but watching people stranded on an Island, slowly going mad and picking each other off (sorry “Lost” fans) just gets old. However since becoming a huge success and making millions, his standard of programming has fallen short… recently he has looked to the bowels of television and came up with “Are You Smarter Then a 5th Grader?” American stupidity and Jeff Foxworthy… like stripes on a candy cane! And soon to be on television “My Dad is Better Then Your Dad,” a fear factor remake with a child’s endearing love for his father twist.
Moving on to more emotionally tasking reality series like Big Brother or Paradise Hotel. I think its interesting that all the contestants on any reality show are beautiful, but none are more beautiful then the people on Big Brother. Of course there is always the odd “mature” looking contestant, usually a man… I mean let us not forget Chicken George from Big Brother 1. I think if Big Brother or Paradise Hotel wanted to boost their ratings they should get a fat chick in there. Not only are we entertaining but it would add a certain sense of “realness” seeing as how the majority of North Americans are over weight. Nothing is more funny then a fat chick amongst skinny beautiful people. Reality television again lowers their standard by contributing to the worlds body image crisis.
Now when all is said and done the main goal of any reality series is money. The people who envision reality television are in it to make money. The contestants perform god awful stunts, the likes of which they would never perform in their daily lives to make a couple grand … if anything at all. And of course the there is always the looming awareness of possible celebrity.
Posted in Everything Else |
March 8th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I can’t wait until “My mom could beat up your dad” premiers this fall.
gold baby, gold