I Am Famous, Therefore I Am

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Recommended: Effects of reality TV on society

“Far from empowering the viewer – much less the contestant – what these [reality] shows ultimately accomplish is the act of dehumanizing society so that the lowest common denominator is held up as the greatest possible accomplishment” (Sexton).

While Timothy Sexton's scathing comments about reality television may be a bit extreme, they are based on commonly held beliefs that reality television is abominable and will be (or is already becoming) the downfall of our society as a whole. Reality television may not be the most intellectual form of entertainment available, but I believe that the shift in societal norms from idol-worship to self-promotion has created an environment in which reality television's takeover is the only natural conclusion.

Before we can understand why reality television has become the phenomenon that it now is, we have to consider the nature of celebrity. In the early days of movies, the only times that you saw famous people outside of their respective crafts were when they were attending awards shows or carefully crafted parties. Search the Internet for pictures of 50's bombshell Jayne Mansfield or Western demigod John Wayne, and all you see are movie stills and pictures from glamorous photo-shoots. Try looking for a more recent celebrity like Ryan Reynolds, however, and (in addition to a startling number of shirtless photographs) you can see him on various red carpets, walking down the street, cuddling dogs, or just sitting on a curb talking on his cell phone. We have developed an obsession for seeing celebrities go about their daily lives, walking their dogs or shopping for groceries just like the rest of us. It is comforting to us to know that as stunning as Jake Gyllenhaal may look at movie premiere...

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Works Cited

Alston, Joshua. "America's New Icons.".Newsweek. 2 Aug. 2010: 51-57. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 July 2011.

Armstrong, Jennifer. "Reality TV Loving It Hating It Living It.". Entertainment Weekly. 12 June 2009: 26-28. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 July 2011.

Eichelberger, Erika. "A Brief History of Celebrity.". The New York Inquirer. 1 Dec. 2007. Web. 02 July 2011.

Frisby, Cynthia M. “Getting Real with Reality TV". USA Today. FindArticles.com. Web. 02 Jul, 2011.

"Is Reality TV Making You Stupid?". Scholastic Scope. 11 Oct. 2010: 14-15. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 July 2011.

Poniewozik, James. "What's Right with Reality TV?". Time Magazine. 22 Mar. 2010: 92- 97. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 July 2011.

Sexton, Timothy. "How Reality TV Shows Have Dehumanized Society.". Associated Content. Yahoo, 4 July 2007. Web. 02 July 2011.

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