Argument Against Reality Television

What pleasure do you get from watching a group of people humiliate

themselves in the name of television? Media both in the UK and around

the world seem to have "discovered" that so-called "reality" shows are

very profitable, resulting in a growing string of such shows in recent

years. Although not all are successful, many do achieve significant

popularity and cultural prominence. That does not mean, however, that

they are good for society or that they should be aired. Can you

honestly say, that after absorbing the reality rubbish, you have

learned something?

Educational, stimulating, witty, are all adjectives you would not

associate with reality television. Reality T.V is a case of vegetating

in front of the screen and glazing gormlessly at a group of

half-hearted celebrities as they involve themselves in… a deep

philosophical conversation. Not only does Reality Television reflect

appallingly on our media culture, but it corrupts the mind of

youngsters, giving them twisted views on society. What person are you

becoming if you are sitting there daydreaming about who is going to be

"evicted" from Big Brother? Well, you're the one the needs a snap back

to reality…

One of the attractions of reality television is the supposed "reality"

of it - unscripted and unplanned situations and reactions. One of the

ethical problems of reality television is the fact that it isn't

nearly as "real" as it pretends to be. At least in dramatic shows one

can expect the audience to understand that what they see on the screen

doesn't necessarily reflect the reality of the actors' lives; the

same, however, cannot be said for heavily edited and con...

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...tem from the increasing separation we experience from

others around us. The more distant we are from each other as

individuals, the more readily we can objectify each other and fail to

experience sympathy and empathy when others around us suffer. The fact

that we are witnessing events not in front of us but rather on

television, where everything is has an unreal and fictional air about

it, probably aids in this process as well.

I'm not saying that you should never watch reality TV programming, but

the motivations behind being a viewer are ethically suspect. Instead

of passively accepting whatever media companies try to feed you, it

would be better to take some time to reflect on why such programming

is made and why you feel attracted to it. Perhaps you will find that

your motivations themselves are not so attractive.