Reality television is bunk.
For one thing, the phrase "reality TV" is greatly misleading -- whoever came up with this phrase has a dangerously distorted view of reality.
Who, in the course of their natural life, will take daredevil challenges for the chance to win $50,000, compete with 20 other women for the love of a millionaire (who is really a construction worker) or allow their parents alone to decide with which member of the opposite sex she will get to take an all-expenses-paid vacation?
Does the television-viewing public look like a mob of money-worshipping, dim-witted, drooling buffoons? Wait -- forget I asked.
But I do pity the poor sap who thinks the way to true love is to get yourself on a TV show and do everything in your power to (literally) charm the pants off some attractive or wealthy bachelor or bachelorette.
Television is an escape from reality. If I want to see people act like fools, I prefer it to be in cartoon format or in the text of a scripted sitcom played out by people who can presumably act (or I can go to house parties).
Even the dumbest of sitcoms incorporate some wit or halfway intelligent dialogue. The only thing funny about reality TV is the desperation of the participants. But let's look at the mother of reality TV, the show that created a nation-wide mania, inspired other shows and holds claim to millions of religiously devout viewers: "Survivor."
Granted, I refuse to watch based on my already incredibly low standards of what constitutes good television, but as if we couldn't get enough of people stranded on islands distrusting each other and eating rats and such, the networks gave us "Fear Factor" and "Temptation Island."
To satisfy our taste for punishment, we have the half-dozen shows based on the concept of one 20-something single, or his or her parental units, picking a mate out of a group of other 20-something singles that clearly have no self respect.
Then there's "Celebrity Mole," another competition-based show for washed-up celebrities who try to figure out who is working against their efforts to make money for the prize pot. Even those who have already had their chance for fame and fortune want in on the act.
But backing up, we've not even touched the real creator of reality TV, MTV, who brought us "The Real World" and "Road Rules." "Road Rules" I more or less ignore because a show about people on a road trip having preplanned adventures and missions seems relatively harmless.
"The Real World," however, annoys me to no end. Maybe it's that strange work ethic ground into my brain since birth (or maybe it's jealousy), but it bothers me to see a show about a group of people who live in a house with no jobs, who don't attend school and who more or less sit around all day and complain about people not getting along.
This is as far off base as reality TV gets.
Reality TV is like some kind of plague, taking time away from decent programming and putting screenwriters out of jobs. For the love of humanity and the preservation of our ability to perceive reality, we must stop watching this rubbish.
Hey look, "The Osbornes" is on...
Write to Kelly at knhacker@bsu.edu
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