After my roommate and I got a TV earlier this semester, I realized how dearly I had missed television. Regardless of whether you feel like watching Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network because you’re ready to take a nap, or if American Horror Story is your thing, cable proves itself to be a lifesaver time and time again.
I am sure there are a thousand different ways you could psychoanalyze my obsession with Dexter and Homeland; and although that may reveal some insightful results, what I am much more interested in is reality TV.
People who are obsessed with reality TV are like those people you see pushing their perfectly groomed dog with pink bows in it’s hair in a stroller— you pity them and pray that you never become one of them. But I’m here to tell you that I’ve become a reality TV junkie against my will.
I’m still convinced that big brother is watching and he brainwashed me into loving this disgustingly wonderful genre of television. It all started when I would come back to the room and my roommate would be doing homework with “Keeping up with the Kardashians” playing in the background. I didn’t mind. I could just tune it out, right? WRONG. It really is like a train wreck; you couldn’t tear your eyes away if your precious life depended on it. It sucks you right in.
At first, watching the Kardashians had very little effect on me. Every time I would watch it, the most brilliant words of Tina Fey would pop into my head: “The person closest to actually achieving this look is Kim Kardashian, who, as we know, was made by Russian scientists to sabotage our athletes.” But then, the dysfunctional family started to grow on me, and through the fear that I was beginning to associate reality TV with positive feelings, I asked myself, so why do we love reality TV?
My first answer was envy, that ever-present green monster of jealousy. I thought of how all of these shows feature people who are extremely wealthy, privileged or famous, and I thought maybe us common folk secretly want the fab life that these people live. And then I thought of Honey Boo Boo, and realized I was oh so very wrong.
Then I thought, maybe we just like to look at these people and their lives to see what their reality is like compared to our own. Now, I understand that “reality” is a very loose term her; however, I do think that even in the most staged shows (The Real Housewives of Orange County, anyone?) there exists an element of truth. Even the parts that aren’t “reality”, per se, function as a way for us to reflect on our own lives. Maybe we like to look at dysfunction in these people’s lives as a way to see that our awkward family reunions aren’t so bad after all. Maybe we are obsessed with reality TV in an attempt to feel better about our own personal situations— but I do feel that this amazingly terrible genre functions as a way to reflect on our own perspectives and how we deal with life. So, watch on, Collegiettes, because regardless of reality TV’s function in your life, it’s certainly fun to watch!
Sources:
Bossypants by Tina Fey
Photo Sources:
http://www.mtv.com/shows/jersey_shore/season_2/series.jhtml
http://www.musedmagonline.com/2012/09/rupaul-duet-with-honey-boo-boo-child/