I don't watch "reality" shows or MTV, so I have never seen The Real World. One of the main reasons that I don't watch these things is a topic of the essay. The concept itself is a good one, however the execution of it lost me. I just can't stand that the"reality" that is shown is just whatever the producers want it to be. I like how the creator/producer describes it as "undirected." I don't care about other people's lives, much less their fake ones. I guess no one would want watch a bunch of people sitting around watching TV.
Reading this essay strengthens my resistance towards this genre by giving specific examples of how people are portrayed however the producers want. People are inherently complicated people that have same characteristics that were described in the essay but at different degrees of severity. Everyone has moments when they are unreasonable or maybe take something a little too far. What happens on The Real World is that those moments are captured, no matter how rare they are, and that is all we see. In this manner, any random person could probably be made to fit into any role needed for the show.
Questions:
Have you ever watched The Real World, if so, how did the show make you feel towards the African American characters?
How much do you think people will endure for the possibility of being on TV?
You say you won't watch reality tv because of its perpetuation of stereotypes. Are stereotypes inherently evil, or just the ones that disempower minority groups?
ReplyDeleteI think that stereotypes are just detrimental to cultures regardless of whether they are positive or not. I don't think its right to have a preconceived notion of how a person is just based on where they come from.
ReplyDeleteI think that stereotypes are just detrimental to cultures regardless of whether they are positive or not. I don't think its right to have a preconceived notion of how a person is just based on where they come from.
ReplyDelete