2008 Woodie Awards
I
Julia Eckhardt
Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: A&E
The seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride.
And where better to witness all seven capital vices than the freak show that we know as reality television? Hey, too bad it's not really reality.
It's sad to think about it, but the truth is that the day we embraced reality television as an acceptable form of entertainment is the day we also collectively decided to accept that networks think we have the mental capacities of a small rock.
Cheap shows with cheap production. It's the equivalent of a 'Made In China' Faberge egg or a cubic zirconium wedding ring. It's still television, and it's still entertainment, and that's what you want, right?
And though even the cheesiest of reality shows, like Brett Michaels "Rock of Love," get millions of viewers, most would agree the satisfaction quickly fades away, leaving you wondering, "What the hell did I just do for the last six hours?" And then it hits you; the 'America's Next Top Model: Cycle Three' marathon just stole one fourth of your day, and you're not getting that back.
Yet it's the kind of television that networks love to produce. Use poorly compensated fame - grubbers instead of professional actors, and cut out the writers and you've got a hit show. And more than anything, there's the age-old excuse that if people want it, who are producers and networks to deny the people what they want? And they're right. Viewers are just as much to blame.
But it's not unlike tossing a cold one to the uncle who always gets drunk at family reunions - you know he wants it, and you know he'll drink it, but you're not so sure he should have it.
Like a rum salesman at an A.A. meeting, reality television presents a number of problems.
First, there's the main problem: Reality television is the opposite of reality. Viewers seem to ignore this little fact, but as Peter Weir pointed out when he directed "The Truman Show", people will eventually want something real.
Furthermore, what do reality shows do for our actual reality? When every possible situation is engineered towards the most dramatic and unlikely human interactions, real life begins to pale in comparison. We begin to compare ourselves to the "characters" in these shows.
Which brings its next sin. These people aren't people at all, they're characters. It would be easy to believe that Omarosa really was a angry black woman on Trump's show "The Apprentice", but the truth is shows are edited around situations that stereotype their participants to show them as 'the drunk girl', 'the jock', 'the angry black woman', and so forth.
But still, if there's one good thing to be said about reality television, it's that it certainly gets people's attention. In a way it's reminiscent of the good old days when people gathered for witch burning and hangings. And hey, at least those were real.
And where better to witness all seven capital vices than the freak show that we know as reality television? Hey, too bad it's not really reality.
It's sad to think about it, but the truth is that the day we embraced reality television as an acceptable form of entertainment is the day we also collectively decided to accept that networks think we have the mental capacities of a small rock.
Cheap shows with cheap production. It's the equivalent of a 'Made In China' Faberge egg or a cubic zirconium wedding ring. It's still television, and it's still entertainment, and that's what you want, right?
And though even the cheesiest of reality shows, like Brett Michaels "Rock of Love," get millions of viewers, most would agree the satisfaction quickly fades away, leaving you wondering, "What the hell did I just do for the last six hours?" And then it hits you; the 'America's Next Top Model: Cycle Three' marathon just stole one fourth of your day, and you're not getting that back.
Yet it's the kind of television that networks love to produce. Use poorly compensated fame - grubbers instead of professional actors, and cut out the writers and you've got a hit show. And more than anything, there's the age-old excuse that if people want it, who are producers and networks to deny the people what they want? And they're right. Viewers are just as much to blame.
But it's not unlike tossing a cold one to the uncle who always gets drunk at family reunions - you know he wants it, and you know he'll drink it, but you're not so sure he should have it.
Like a rum salesman at an A.A. meeting, reality television presents a number of problems.
First, there's the main problem: Reality television is the opposite of reality. Viewers seem to ignore this little fact, but as Peter Weir pointed out when he directed "The Truman Show", people will eventually want something real.
Furthermore, what do reality shows do for our actual reality? When every possible situation is engineered towards the most dramatic and unlikely human interactions, real life begins to pale in comparison. We begin to compare ourselves to the "characters" in these shows.
Which brings its next sin. These people aren't people at all, they're characters. It would be easy to believe that Omarosa really was a angry black woman on Trump's show "The Apprentice", but the truth is shows are edited around situations that stereotype their participants to show them as 'the drunk girl', 'the jock', 'the angry black woman', and so forth.
But still, if there's one good thing to be said about reality television, it's that it certainly gets people's attention. In a way it's reminiscent of the good old days when people gathered for witch burning and hangings. And hey, at least those were real.
Be the first to comment on this story