Topic: The State of T.V: Reality Edition

[Ian Sane]

Reality shows are a good example of why it's worth bitching when something incredibly stupid becomes popular.  The common defense is "if you don't like it, don't watch it".  But that doesn't work.  When something becomes popular it starts a trend and more and more of that crap gets made.  You can't ignore it if you don't like it because it creeps into everything.  There are less scripted shows on TV because reality shows take up the timeslots.

Usually quality and cost go hand in hand.  **** is cheaper to make.  So if you put up with **** that's what you get.  Why would they spend money on better when the public will put up with less?

I don't mind something like Dirty Jobs because I don't see it as a reality show.  It's more like a documentary.  It's the stupid shows where a bunch of idiots are filmed doing contrived bullshit that I don't like.  The most annoying thing is I don't like anyone on these shows.  They intentionally hire jerks and idiots because it adds to the trainwreck appeal.  It also kind of exposes the fakeness of the whole thing.  In real life people usually don't act like these people act.  So either it's all an act like pro wrestling or they really worked hard to cherrypick the most immature self-absorbed lunatics they could.

The worst thing about it is that it has emphasized fame more and more.  Young people that have grown up in the age of reality shows are becoming obsessed with being famous.  That's a rather sick thing to want.  Fame is a byproduct of success.  You're a successful musician or actor or athlete and that brings with it a certain notoriety.  Fame itself should not be the goal, the success that brings fame should be.  Desperate pathetic sick people are obsessed specifically with fame itself and all this reality stuff just feeds into that.

[MaryJane]

Sci-Fi has made mistakes in the past with originals and conversions, but in line with what Ian said, they no longer feel the need to try because trying and failing with a scripted show is expensive, but reality shows are cheap and almost guaranteed to attract a large enough audience to offset its marginal cost.

Though I agree with Ian on that, I do think that people do act like they do on reality shows in real life. They film these people twenty-four seven and then take 22mins or 44mins of film to make a show. For the other 10,058 or 10,036mins in the week, they're just like everyone else, and then the producers put them in situations that make good TV. Speaking of situations, I've never watched the Jersey Shore (because I live in NJ and think shows like this give us a bad (ok... worse) name and I refuse to support them) but from what I've seen on commercials and clips on CNN, what happens to them is typical of what does happen at the Jersey Shore; people get drunk, stupid, and violent. Yes, I am sure that people get on these shows and 'act' the entire time, but even then, they're characters are based on themselves or other people (if I wasn't lazy, I would find examples of both of these things taking place on Real World, and another show that I can't remember but could probably find on Google).

I've seen (and I can only imagine the perceived politeness of Canadians as the reason you have not...) women display exactly the same amount or even more catiness and/or bitchiness that the women on reality shows display. That stuff I always see as authentic, because let's face it, women are crazy. They can be great, but there's always that little bit of craziness waiting to pop out, and some women don't bother ever holding that back... lol

I do also agree with Ian's point on reality shows causing fame to be the aspirations of our children. When someone mentioned MegaMind in the new movies thread, I mentioned how I hoped that movie would be a message to kids that being smart was still something worthwhile. Not to get political, but with money being cut from the Art and Music departments at school, and the influx of reality TV, our children are stuck between conformity and fame, and I can hardly blame them for choosing fame. Creativity and intelligence need to be rewarded and seen as goals rather than what being successful with either attribute can bring.

[Morari]

Not to get political, but with money being cut from the Art and Music departments at school, and the influx of reality TV, our children are stuck between conformity and fame, and I can hardly blame them for choosing fame. Creativity and intelligence need to be rewarded and seen as goals rather than what being successful with either attribute can bring.

Fame is conformity.

[MaryJane]

Reality show fame, maybe. But there are famous authors, actors, etc., and even a few doctors and scientists that deserve some of the accolades they get.

[BlackNMild2k1]

almost none of them will ever be as famous as The Situation or Snooki.

[ShyGuy]

Speaking of how contrived reality shows are, That Gold Rush show (I've never seen it) kicked off one of its "stars" and he started a blog about the show and how fake it was.

In one episode, he wrecked a coworkers car with a backhoe or some such thing. He said in his blog, that he was told a week before to hit the car with the machinery and the car was purchased just so it could smashed on the TV show.

[Ian Sane]

Fame is conformity.

I have to agree with this.  Think back to grade school when there would be kids that would do anything to be popular.  Desiring fame is the same thing only expanded to cover a larger range of people.  Instead of being popular among your peers, you're popular among your society.
 
Of course like popularity, you can achieve fame somewhat accidentally without having to compromise who you are.  Fame itself isn't necessarily conformity since many revolutionaries became famous.  But a specific desire to be famous for the sake of being famous where being famous is the reward itself is conformity.  One can desire to be famous for the exposure it provides to their message or works but in that case it's merely a tool.

[Stogi]

If I had one wish, I would wish for World Peace AND to let everyone know I was the who responsible for it.

[Morari]

If I had one wish, it'd be to have the power of shapeshifting...

[NWR_insanolord]

I'd just wish for 100 trillion dollars, and then I could simply buy anything else I wanted.

[King of Twitch]

Wrong. Then your money would be worthless due to inflation.

You should wish for better math skills.

[NWR_insanolord]

I would still have several times as much money as the rest of the world combined.

[Stogi]

Meh, you guys are forgetting that if everyone knew you were responsible for world peace, you wouldn't need money anymore. In fact, people would offer to pay you just to wear their brand of clothes, drive their brand of car, and so on. You would be a God amongst men.

[ThePerm]

Respect is better than Fame

[ShyGuy]

Speaking of fame, With so many of these third rate reality shows popping up, has anyone here ever known a reality tv star or had contact with one of these shows?

One of my neighbors growing up had a daughter who competed on the Pirate themed survivor rip-off a few years back. She later killed herself.

[BlackNMild2k1]

I knew a girl that was on the Real World. She was a slut on the show, a slut before the show, and a super snobby slut after the show. She was more a friend of a friend, so I don't remember her name or what season it was.

[MaryJane]

One of the hottest chicks in my 3200 student high school and who dated a friend of mine for two years was on Room Raiders** like in '03 or '04, her name was Jessica something or another, and I remember the dude pulling out one of her thongs... Some other people were on also on some other things. With that many people, and that many reality shows, and so many based or stopping in NYC, I've heard about a lot of people in passing being on this show or that show, (some chick even made it to the second stage of American Idol, but I didn't know her, she was a freshman when I was a senior) but their fame is so fleeting (and so speciously earned) that I don't really bother to remember.

Jon Seda (who played in Selena, a Jet-Li movie I can't remember right now, and that latest HBO special about the Japanese side of WWII) also went to my high school (Clifton High School) and his brother is my brother's best friend. I met Jon once right after that Jet Li movie launched, and he was cool and down to Earth. (yeah, I just named dropped...)

**Dating "reality" shows:
Room raiders is one of the worst offenders of the term "reality" but it was very entertaining. Cheaters, while not a dating show, is also a funny time waster. A lot of these dating reality shows were spawned from the dying game show dating shows like The Newlyweds, which I loved when I was a kid, and still watch from time to time.

[MaryJane]

http://omg.yahoo.com/news/snooki-gets-32k-to-talk-gtl-on-rutgers-campus/59639?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Rutgers is paying Snooki $32,000 to speak on one of their campuses, but Nobel Prize winner, Pulitzer Prize winner, and novelist Toni Morrison, who is delivering the commencement address in May, is "only" receiving $30,000. Now, it is only a $2,000 difference, and the money comes from two different division within Rutgers, but it says something about our society, especially this friggin state that I live in, that a (even if purposefully) stupid reality star is valued more than an accredited author.

[Morari]

Well, at least your state hasn't elected any reality television stars to office yet.

And to think, he is "struggling" to get by on his meager $174,000 salary!