The essay for today was about the MTV show "The Real World" and how it unfairly portrays the black male. The authors point out that, through use of selective editing, MTV shows each black male as emotionally unstable and unpredictable, sexually aggressive, inherently angry, and generally just scary people to be around.
Now, I'm the type of person who takes everything in with a grain of salt, so as I was reading through this, I laughed at the idea that someone would take a show on MTV so seriously. So seriously in fact, that they would be motivated enough to write an essay expressing the misdeeds of the show. I mean, it's MTV for crying out loud! Like any TV station, it's geared to make money, and the easiest way to do this is show something funny, violent, provocative, or generally entertaining.
I would like to think that the 99% of footage that doesn't make television is calm, boring, or dull. People are more likely to watch if you just show the "good stuff" (I use this term loosely). To prove this point, I will cite the episode from LA where the girls accuse David of sexual harassment (p. 224). The author mentions that this is the most replayed (and popular) episode from that season. (what does that say about the viewer population?) I speculate that this is not because of its ability to stereotype, but because of its entertainment value.
I suppose my main point is that we as a society should not take these types of reality shows too seriously. I look at a show like this and view its primary purpose as one of profit, and not so much for its cultural impact.
Questions:
1. Why are reality TV shows so popular?
2. Do the actors on reality shows portray themselves as in everyday life, or does being in front of a camera alter their behavior?
3. Would you want to be on a reality show?
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