Just about everyone has complained about the stupidity of reality TV, but in our own reality, the majority of people watch it. Why do so many people end up watching these shows that can ruin the lives of the starring families and have numerous negative influences on us all?
It’s not that easy to explain. Some suggest that viewers are allowed to escape the daily struggles in their own lives by watching someone else’s pain and struggles, while others say it’s purely for entertainment. But why?
An American Family, a 12-hour documentary series aired in 1973, was considered to be the first reality TV show. This show depicted the lives of the Loud family who dealt with typical, everyday issues. Highlights of the show included marital problems (which eventually led to divorce) and the lifestyle of the oldest son, Lance Loud, who was the first openly gay person on TV. Throughout the series, the Loud family went through the changing values of the American families.
Four decades later, today’s reality TV shows consist of competitions, The Learning Channel (TLC) originals, dating shows and seemingly pointless programs. The majority of them are scripted, which means the reality is not so real after all. As the viewer, did you ever wonder why the stupid and silly American Idol acts get onto the show when the show is meant for serious purposes? It’s not because they got there due to talent—it’s all for ratings.
Most reality TV gives the audience the impression that life is either always perfect or that you can get whatever you want by yelling, being violent or acting trashy, which isn’t okay.
Shows that are frequently aired for all of us to sit and watch are more times than not, ridiculous. Imagine a show about a group of rich girls who are famous for no reason, and all they do is complain about their lives. Does that sound interesting to you? It’s impossible to understand why anyone would waste any of their time watching a show like this, but many do. If you haven’t guessed yet, this is a description of “Keeping up with the Kardashians”. What are these girls famous for? Because of their father being a well-known attorney? Although it isn’t the absolute worst show on TV, it’s definitely up there in the top ten.
As if TV couldn’t get any trashier, “Jersey Shore” came along, which is one of the lowest of all reality TV shows. People make a conscious choice to watch a show about a bunch of adults living in a summer house, drinking excessively, partying and getting arrested. How is that quality TV? Watching that show might have resulted in the loss of brain cells because of how unintelligent the entire plotline was, and how poorly the characters acted.
Jersey Shore was aired on MTV, which used to solely be a music-based channel. MTV used to play popular music and shows relating to the music. Now it has been infiltrated with orange Oompa-loompa looking people who make poor choices in their daily lives. Even though Jersey Shore has ended, MTV still airs shows like “Teen Mom” and “Real World.”
Teen Mom was decent at first; it almost entirely depicted all of the different struggles pregnant teens face. However, after every season, it was noticeable that the girls always had their nails and hair done, and there was more of a focus on their extravagant social lives. A struggling teenage mother wouldn’t be able to spend that much money on that plus have a child unless they had a good job. Their lives were made up to be more glamorous than what the average pregnant teen goes through.
If you change the channel a few times, you stumble upon TLC. If you have ever seen “Gypsy Sisters,” it’s far from tender love and care. All they do is fight, scream and yell. The characters on the show don’t even realize how immature acting like that is.
Everyone remembers “Jon and Kate Plus Eight.” This show featured a family of eight children: a set of twins and a set of sextuplets. The plot of this show was to relate all of the difficulties of having eight children to the general population. In the end, the entire world was shocked when Jon and Kate filed for a divorce, and the Dougar Family ended up having more children, anyway.
Many shows feature parents who fight and end up having marital problems. Even the “Cake Boss,” Buddy Valastro, and his wife had problems at the start of the series. Does the reality TV that we know and love actually shatter the lives of the families involved in their production?
If the show is scripted, which for the most part we can assume it is, then the producers probably highlight imaginary fights and drama. These shows that are supposed to represent reality will allow viewers to feel like it’s okay to be in similar situations. Then, those fake fights could even turn into real fights because many actors and actresses start picking up qualities of characters that they play, especially if it’s on a daily basis.
All people see on TV is dysfunctional relationships and chaos. Reality TV gives the impression that sometimes life is always full of drama, which it doesn’t have to be.
Overall, reality TV negatively affects our society as a whole. Though it can be entertaining, it sends the wrong message. So next time you sit down to watch your favorite reality TV show, start making a list of how different the reality you see on TV is compared with your life.