All the Rage of Reality TV

Oh my gawd, Kim Kardashian just broke up with her husband after 72 DAYS!  Wow, is Snooki really pregnant?
 
The latest craze in television is “reality TV,” shows where people do the same things we do, or are capable of doing – albeit a little more exaggerated.  Current shows, which have gained popularity include “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” “Jersey Shore,” “Basketball Wives,” “Khloe and Lamar,” and more. 
What makes these shows so incredibly attractive?  I, myself, had fallen victim to these shows as my secret, guilty pleasure.  Watching beautiful people make utter fools of themselves, with their dramas over minute things, such as “She said this about you…” or the latest drama between couples just seemed so amusing.  However, months later, it hit me, what were the actual plot lines of these shows?  For instance, the newest episode of “Khloe and Lamar” focused on the conflict between two of the sisters over a text.  Was I really spending an hour of my time watching a show about a text?  That’s when I re-evaluated my fascination with “reality television.”
A few years back, TV shows were all about the witty dialogues, the plain Janes and average Joes who carried a certain charm on-screen.  Creating shows used to be an art form, which required tremendous effort, now directors and producers can laze around videotaping families, no scripts, no acting, just “raw” life.  But there are several problems with this notion: 1) how “raw” and real are these shows and 2) what makes these families’ lives so much more interesting than ours?   Take for example, Jersey Shore, whose weekly plotline is: a. cast goes out to drink b. hits up their usual clubs c.  finds people who are “D.T.F.” and d. periodically “work” at a t-shirt shop.  Literally the same stuff, just a different day. 
            Now, the enticing part about Jersey Shore may be the sheer ridiculous personalities and actions of the cast themselves, but the plotline is repetitive.  By endorsing shows like this, we are not only lowering our standards, but we are shutting out producers who’ve actually spent time writing scripts, hiring skilled actors, and diligently filming other shows.  Remember “the Gilmore Girls” and “Friends,” where humor and wit were cleverly scripted, where we somehow could relate to the characters, and wished to secretly be them?  Now TV shows are created with a SNAP!, a simple copy and paste, where directors just film hundreds of hours of footage and then edit the tapes to make families’ lives look dramatic.
            What we need to do is not put so much emphasis on shows that honestly, require little to no effort, and are probably not even real, in the sense that the drama is created through camera manipulation and secret scripting.  Sure the shows can be enjoyable to watch at times, but at some point, if we approve and encourage such shows, they will multiply until eventually television will become one giant reality show collection.  Personally, I don’t want to turn on the TV to watch someone do laundry, or go shopping.  I can do that myself.  What scares me is the decline from tasteful television to trashy shows focusing on not only booze, partying, and drama, but also mundane things like family outings to the mall, fights over who took who’s dress, and such. 
            I propose that people take a step back and reflect on the quality of such shows, and don’t allow themselves to be so hypnotized by this fad in TV.  If you love shopping, GO SHOP, if you love partying, GO PARTY (though be safe and responsible about it), if you love watching people find relationships, GO CREATE ONE.  The point is, rather than focusing on reality TV, we should be out living our lives, which can be so much more interesting, and has more worth than fictional shows.  As we enter springtime, appreciate the weather, your friends, your significant others, and go out and enjoy YOUR LIFE.  In truth, it’s most likely more unique and entertaining in comparison to these “reality” shows that are creeping up on our television screens!