what unreal world?

I feel as though Jennifer Pozner is stereotyping reality TV as she is discussing the flaws in this form of entertainment thus making her article a very hypocritical statement. Now I am not saying in anyway that reality TV as a whole is quality television, but not all of it is degrading women and creating this “unreal world” she speaks of. There are those cases in which we see the evil in our society; however, this is not true for all reality TV. The idea of a reality show is to be entertaining and in most ways they succeed in that. The amount of women that watch these reality shows would not be there if they felt as though they were being bashed. The fact is that our society loves to see chaos and people in trouble. Show such as the ones she speaks is exactly what people want to watch and like I said they definitely entertain most of the viewers that watch them.

Cruel Reality Shows Don't Play Fair (is a weak article title)

Regardless, the article itself makes some interesting points even if it doesn't pose them with the clarity and coherence of a scholarly journal. In fact, the most insightful part of the article is the last sentence ("unless it's really funny"). When it comes down to it, anything can be passed off as long as it's funny enough. And it's the goal of the creators of these shows to put out the most funny with the least effort: enter reality tv. What cheaper way to gather ratings than blatant exploitation. It's been happening for years; old grindhouse theaters pandered to the mass' need for sex, violence and monsters while keeping the budget low. Really, reality tv is just the evolution of this cheap (economically and morally) entertainment. The problem is that the creators and participants in these shows seem to have forgotten the limits of common humanity and are willing to go beyond the ordinary in order to earn a buck. But then again, they wouldn't make that buck if people were watching. The blame for reality exploitation lies in the culture that cultivates and supports it.

reality tv and moral lines

I thought the msnbc commentary on reality tv shows presented an interesting deliniation of the two major "groups" of reality tv shows there are - those on which all the participants are volunteers, and those on which some of the participants have no idea they are on tv. I never before considered this - probably partially because I am not a heavy tv watcher, and even less a follower of reality tv shows (though I am at least familiar with my fair share). I definitely agree with the opinion presented in this article. People who willingly sign the contract binding them onto a reality tv show should be well aware of what they potentially are getting themselves into. However, it is wrong to subject unwilling and unknowing people to the same antics.

I think reality tv in general displays a degradation of culture in America. Since the "domestication" of television - when it found its way into the majority of American homes - culture has always been modeled after what people see on television. From stereotypical commercials in the 50s portraying "modern" home conveniences and the housewives who wield them, to the family oriented and other comedy sitcoms of the 90s. But now, with the onset of reality tv, the people themselves are the stars - and in a sense we see the cultural disaster television has created by instilling traditional stereotypes, etc.

Blog

Hey guys here is a link to my blog. I would really appreciate comments and feedback. Please let me know what you think :)

http://finalaccessory.blogspot.com/