Is reality TV for real?
Virtually all network and mainstream cable channels have a variation of “reality” programming. Some shows focus on a competitive genre, such as dancing or cooking, while others are more exploitive. The latter is a guilty pleasure that places people in uncomfortable situations in order to record and/or provoke their reactions. Either way, the audience seems interested in seeing how “regular” people handle themselves.
I remember live television from the early seventies. There were some great programs like “The Carol Burnett Show” or “Sonny and Cher.” These were scripted shows that often included an unintended flub by an actor. The mistakes were hilarious and entertaining, as if we were laughing with a friend.
Along the way, 24-hour news programs became the norm. The realities of crime, war and legal battles were brought into our living rooms. With the introduction of the Internet, our local realities began to blur with those around the world.
Now we have more intentional shows like “Survivor,” “Big Brother” and “Jon and Kate Plus Eight.” Millions of us look forward to seeing how normal people respond when placed in extreme situations, sometimes without food or modern luxuries. The scheming and planning by reality stars is considered entertainment; bad behavior is expected.
While following the runaway balloon story last week, I was struck by the realization that what we’re watching isn’t just entertainment anymore. It’s scary and sometimes hard to explain as a parent. Over the weekend, I had to discuss with my 12 year old the allegation that a child’s safety might have been used as a publicity stunt. It wasn’t too long ago we talked about how hard Jon and Kate’s divorce must be on their eight children.
There’s a fine line between exposing our children to real life and shielding them from things that are not age appropriate. Has reality TV gone too far or are we simply exposing our children to real life?
Learn more about Denise
I thought it would be a disaster but several months ago I dropped cable because it was becoming too intense to monitor what was on every moment we were watching. The final straw was when I niavly sat down to watch the remake of “night rider” with my 8 year old when it premiered and was horrified by the first 15 minutes. I thought it would be like the old show- WRONG. Even the cartoon network channels were not appropriate many times. Since no cable, we stream netflix through our xbox live system and watch shows and movies from sites like hulu and amazon. My son says he now loves this, as I have been able to introduce him to shows like original Land of the Lost, the Carol Burnette show, Hulk, spiderman, Wonder woman, Mighty Isis, (all circa 1970s-80s when tv was a little safer to watch) and a host of others. We don’t waste as much time in front of the tv now either, as we have to decide to watch something instead of it just being on for hours like with cable. You may have to work harder at it, but its nice to know we still have a choice as consumers.