Reality television shows have been a craze in America over the last few years. Shows like Survivor, Big Brother, The Bachelor, Fear Factor have been flooding the channels. Survivor is not only flooding the channels, but also stands out in its context and its ability to survive the ratings. Survivor is a reality game show, where sixteen contestants are dropped on an island or a desolate location and have to learn to survive in nature and the elimination votes of their fellow castaways. A show generally consists of one award challenge where the two different teams compete for an award and an immunity challenge where they see which team has to go to tribal council to vote a member off. The challenge these contestants must endure is "how to work together like a team while still figuring out a way to screw each other." What is it about Survivor that drew so many different viewers and what does this say about Americans? Survivor attracts a wide range of viewers because of its ethnic diversity and different sexualities. In fact, Survivor, in every season has had almost every different ethnic background represented on the island. The first season of Survivor had a black contestant who had many Americans pulling for him. The first season also had a gay man win the title of Ultimate Survivor. However, Survivor is not the only show that varies their contestant's sexuality and ethnicity. Numerous reality shows have different races and sexualities represented through their contestants. America is very diverse with its culture. Donna Petrozzello says that "The cast, like in the first three series, have been plucked from all portions of society." Fan clubs develop when there is a unique person on the show. People who are viewing the shows wa... ... middle of paper ... ...tock Market. This could lead to less competitive feelings with people. Which could be reflected in the TV shows that Americans watch. If you're not as competitive in the work place your competitive edge would certainly be lost when lying on your couch at night watching TV. The Survivor craze lasted for quite some time, longer than some people expected. We tuned into the show not because it was the only show that dealt with personal relationships, not because it had a wide range of ethnic diversity. Sure these things attracted some viewers but what really kept us glued to the couch was the uniqueness of Survivor and the competitive nature that was present on the show and in every day life of Americans. Americans like to watch stuff on TV that is parallel to their lives. We are always searching for something new and the uniqueness of Survivor isn't fresh any more.
The Crusades were a series attacks against the Muslim people in Jerusalem in an effort to take back the Holy Land. The causes of the Crusades are highly debated, but religious devotion is the obvious cause for Pope Urban the Second to call upon the Crusades. The religious reasons that lead to the creation of the Crusades is that the Christians wanted to take back Jerusalem, add another reason. The economical and political reasons that could oppose the religious reasons are that the Crusades were caused because people wanted to gain more riches and possessions and that Pope Urban wanted to protect the Byzantine empire from the Seljuk Turks. Although the economical and political reasons were the causes of the Crusades, the religious reasons
In the article “TV’s Callous Neglect of Working- Class America” written by Noel Murray explains the modern day TV shows un-relatable plots to Americans today. Murray describes how shows in the ‘50s through the ‘90s were relatable to Americans and how they lived their lives. The TV shows then were able to get such great reviews because the jobs the actors had in the shows were average money making jobs. The characters are meticulously when it came to how they used the money they earned. However, as the years have passed, the shows that are on today are not as relatable to Americans. The shows express the fantasy, perfect life that everyone strives to have, but in reality, it is not possible for every family. The programs on today do not convey the difficulties that average Americans face each day, causing the shows to become more and more relatable to average TV viewers.
Reality shows sent a much-needed lifeline to the television networks industry. These shows have found a new way to bring much needed viewers, and even more important they brought in much needed money. The money came rolling into CBS after premiering Survivor, which brought in a profit of around $30,000,000 to the network. Even though Survivor is the must costly reality show, costing close to one million dollars to produce and hour of programming. In comparison to other shows, which cost far more like CBS’s series “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” which cost over 1.6 million to produce per hour. With the amount of money coming in such large sums to networks have had to close monitor how much is being spent. Clearly’ the reality shows have brought in much needed assets to the flattering television networks.
The Crusades were the first tactical mission by Western Christianity in order to recapture the Muslim conquered Holy Lands. Several people have been accredited with the launch of the crusades including Peter the Hermit however it is now understood that this responsibility rested primarily with Pope Urban II . The main goal of the Crusades was the results of an appeal from Alexius II, who had pleaded for Western Volunteers help with the prevention of any further invasions. The Pope’s actions are viewed as him answering the pleas of help of another in need, fulfilling his Christian right. However, from reading the documents it is apparent that Pope Urban had ulterior motives for encouraging engagement in the war against the Turks. The documents and supporting arguments now highlight that the Pope not only sought to recruit soldiers to help but also to challenge those who had harmed the Christians community and annihilate the Muslims. He put forth the idea that failure to recapture this lands would anger God and that by participating, God would redeem them of their previous sins.in a time of deep devoutness, it is clear this would have been a huge enticement for men to engage in the battle. Whether his motives were clear or not to his people, Pope Urban’s speeches claiming that “Deus vult!” (God wills it) encouraged many Christians to participate and take the cross.
The Crusades were one of the most prominent events in Western European history; they were not discrete and unimportant pilgrimages, but a continuous stream of marching Western armies (Crusaders) into the Muslim world, terminating in the creation and eventually the fall of the Islamic Kingdoms. The Crusades were a Holy War of Roman Christianity against Islam, but was it really a “holy war” or was it Western Europe fighting for more land and power? Through Pope Urban II and the Roman Catholic Church’s actions, their proposed motivations seem unclear, and even unchristian. Prior to the Crusades, Urban encouraged that Western Europe fight for their religion but throughout the crusades the real motivations shone though; the Crusaders were power hungry, land coveting people who fought with non Christian ideals and Morales.
What explains the shocking popularity of the Donald Trump's reality series The Apprentice? There are a number of possible reasons. It certainly could be our endless curiosity about the lives of the rich and famous. It may also be explained by our current interest in staring into the fishbowl drama watching real life struggles, humiliations and victories. Perhaps it's the chance to witness, from a safe distance, the scary and possibly all-to-familiar horror of being fired from a desirable position. These are reasonable answers however, there seems to be much more to it than this. The wildly successful show, The Apprentice, has hit on something big. It responds to an ongoing and unresolved fascination with the mysterious, complex and universally meaningful phenomena called LEADERSHIP.
The crusades is a time when radical religion took that what is good and turned it to evil. The crusaders were attacks by Christians against the Muslims to reclaim the holy lands. These attacks were motivated by a speech given by Pope Urban. Pope Urban took his power as the Pope and misused it to encourage the Christians to attack the Muslims. He told the Christians that the Muslims were bad people and made-up a lot of false things they had done. Pope Urban also took a positive part of the Christian religion in going to heaven and turned used it make the Christians do evil things. Pope Urban told the Christians they would be given eternal life if they killed Muslims. Pope Urban used the positive Christian idea of believe in a central figure and used it for his own gain. He claimed that God wanted the Christians to attack and they would be rewarded if they did. This shows that Pope Urban’s
Most media mainly focus their attention on violence, drug use, and crime. They only show what they feel will give them the most ratings by the end of the episode. Producers and directors do not really care about what they are making the African American community look like they only care about the money. It seems as if every reality show has to have a crazy black person, a black woman with an attitude or a thug like male role. Shaunie O’Neal, producer of hit reality show Basketball Wives, as well as an African American herself, continuously says the drama is too much and she wants a successful show, but by having people who do not really have much going for themselves or having people drama seekers on her show, what she says means nothing. She can fire whoever she would like to make her show how she would like it, but she keeps the cast the same for the ratings and the money. Shows that even African Americans do not care about how they are shown on television.
Racial and ethnic diversity on television is not something that I have ever really noticed as a problem, but sitting down, and paying very close attention to the people, their roles in the show, I was able to see that there was a lack of diversity on TV. I chose a random TV channel, one that I probably would not watch, and studied the characters in the show and in the commercials for over two hours, I realized that I had never paid that much attention to the people in the show. I noticed after I was done that the largest group of people in the show and on the commercials, were white people, although there was some diversity, maybe one or two people of a different nationality, gender, or race, that overall the lack of diversity was minimal compared
To begin with, in order to explore the meanings of these reality shows, a description of them is necessary. In the case of The Bachelor, the eligible young man is a handsome, well dressed and mannered person. Most importantly, he tends to be filthy rich (think in millions). But for all of these excellent qualities, the bachelor is unsuccessful in love and his search for an ideal woman to marry. So then enter twenty-five young, beautiful, perfectly shaped women into the picture. Everyone lives in a splendidly furni...
There once was a time where dinosaurs roamed the earth. Some dinosaurs were stronger than others, making them the superior creatures. The Tyrannosaurus Rex is not that different from a corporate empire; both T-Rexes and monopolies ruled the land with little to no competition. They devoured the weak, crushed the opposition, and made sure they were king, but then, all of a sudden, they were extinct. The giants that once were predators became prey, whether it be a natural disaster or the Antitrust laws they no longer had control over the whole. The Antitrust laws have had a positive impact on American society through restricting monopolies; ensuring that no single business can control a market then using that power to exploit customers, protecting the public from price fixing, and producing new higher quality and innovative products through competition.
Powerful individuals and social institutions have a great deal of influence over what is seen on television. Those with the most money can purchase the most media exposure, dominate the advertising field, and maximize their competitive advantage. Politics are often perfect examples of how money, power, and respect can cause an unbiased in an election. As another example, reality TV illustrates how prestige and wealth often form the basis for the most intense competitions within a society. Nearly all reality television shows use some sort of conflict over resources to keep their ratings going through the roof. It looks as though people easily associate to the manufactured struggles because of the conflicts that exist daily in their own
For most people, survival is just a matter of putting food on the table, making sure that the house payment is in on time, and remembering to put on that big winter coat. Prisoners in the holocaust did not have to worry about such things. Their food, cloths, and shelter were all provided for them. Unfortunately, there was never enough food, never sufficient shelter, and the cloths were never good enough. The methods of survival portrayed in the novels Maus by Art Spieglmen and Night by Elie Wiesel are distinctly different, but undeniably similar.
We see that even celebrities are like this, so it becomes socially acceptable to be selfish or sociopathic. This is because “[reality shows] tell us that existence is to be centered on the practices and desires of the self rather than the common good” (Hedges, 32). The goal of a reality show is to acquire the sought after fame and wealth. Regardless of the method used to get to the end goal, people will do whatever it takes to reach it. This is why reality shows immensely influence the social relations we make in life. Seeing people on television doing these unnecessary and malevolent actions, it urges us to do the same; as if doing so, will help us reach our own end goal. And this is precisely what happens in the reality show “Survivor,” as Tina, Mad Dog Maralyn’s best friend, casts her vote to eliminate her, despite their friendship. It didn’t matter how strong their friendship was, when it came to winning, Tina paid no heed to Mad Dog. She states after her vote, that “it [had] nothing to do with [Mad Dog]. This vote has everything to do with a promise I made. I love you" (Hedges, 32). This sort of backstabbing betrayal is only further intensified by the magnitude of competition. Tina clearly could not prioritize her friendship with Mad Dog in a setting in which winning meant everything. She was blinded by the temptations of greed and the desire to be a celebrity. Another way to put it, is that “human beings [have] become a commodity in [the] celebrity culture… They are objects, like consumer products” (Hedges, 29). As a society, individualism has been cruelly thrown out for the pristine image celebrities are presented to us by the media. No longer do we value the unique individuals, we all want to become celebrities; manufactured to the point where we do not have an identity of our own. Celebrity images are essentially reflections of
Being the one of the most talked about genre in history, it is seen by millions of viewers. It has more ratings than any other kind of show (Breyer 16). From its start, there have been many reality television shows. Shows like The Real World, Survivor, Big Brother, and Jersey Shore. All of these give off a negative portrayal of reality.