Why do people watch reality TV shows? The question has lingered in my mind for several weeks now, yet each time I just can't get put finger on the true answer.
For years, humans' thirst for entertainment has made us strive for something even better than the last. We always want a show that will make us even more captivated than the previous one. And the producers will go to extremes to make the audience satisfied.
What is the point of reality shows though? At the end of the day, we're just invading other people's private life. We watch them fight and make-up and then fight once again. We share their laughs and joys and pain, yet, all of this through a TV. We know them, but they don't know us.
It's basically an invasion of privacy, but we don't seem to care, and neither do the reality stars. They most likely do it for the money, and the attention, and sometimes that just really sickens me. I'm not saying that they are bad people, but I just find it pathetic that they earn their money by partying and arguing all day.
Everybody knows Jersey Shore and their larger than life cast. Or maybe smaller than life, if we count Snooki. I once watched a clip of their show on Youtube, and I was just shocked at why people even watched this load of crud. Vulgar language, ignorant people and hard-on partying are what the viewers seem to anticipate to watch every week. Have our minds been brainwashed into thinking that this kind of behavior is acceptable? That people fighting in bars and getting drunk is actually entertaining?
Maybe we just watch these shows because we envy these people's lifestyles, and therefore by watching them we can "escape" into their rich, fabulous life for a while. Or maybe we watch their fights and meltdowns to make ourselves feel better, to convince ourselves that at least our life is less dramatic than theirs.
For years, humans' thirst for entertainment has made us strive for something even better than the last. We always want a show that will make us even more captivated than the previous one. And the producers will go to extremes to make the audience satisfied.
What is the point of reality shows though? At the end of the day, we're just invading other people's private life. We watch them fight and make-up and then fight once again. We share their laughs and joys and pain, yet, all of this through a TV. We know them, but they don't know us.
It's basically an invasion of privacy, but we don't seem to care, and neither do the reality stars. They most likely do it for the money, and the attention, and sometimes that just really sickens me. I'm not saying that they are bad people, but I just find it pathetic that they earn their money by partying and arguing all day.
Everybody knows Jersey Shore and their larger than life cast. Or maybe smaller than life, if we count Snooki. I once watched a clip of their show on Youtube, and I was just shocked at why people even watched this load of crud. Vulgar language, ignorant people and hard-on partying are what the viewers seem to anticipate to watch every week. Have our minds been brainwashed into thinking that this kind of behavior is acceptable? That people fighting in bars and getting drunk is actually entertaining?
Maybe we just watch these shows because we envy these people's lifestyles, and therefore by watching them we can "escape" into their rich, fabulous life for a while. Or maybe we watch their fights and meltdowns to make ourselves feel better, to convince ourselves that at least our life is less dramatic than theirs.
Whatever the reason, I don't think we will ever stop watching reality TV shows, unless we actually realize how stupid they are. That's the funny thing about humans. Look at me, I'm complaining about how we shouldn't brainwash ourselves by watching reality shows, yet I still like to watch Big Brother, a show where a bunch of people live in a house together and compete to win half a million dollars. Kind of sad, now to think about it, turning on the TV to watch strangers eat, sleep and fight.
Anyways, the point is, will we ever stop watching reality TV shows? Will we ever finally acknowledge that reality TV is a waste of time and a waste of life? I guess, only time can tell, and I do hope that time will be soon.
Anyways, the point is, will we ever stop watching reality TV shows? Will we ever finally acknowledge that reality TV is a waste of time and a waste of life? I guess, only time can tell, and I do hope that time will be soon.
Lots of entertainment shows are not entertaining at all, at least for my age. Human being is accelerating to an unknown field where only agitation is being found to be entertaining.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Modern Knight!
Delete-Grace :)
Excellent post Grace! I feel that it's important to let loose and enjoy small things in life--but taking reality TV too seriously is never healthy. Great points!
ReplyDeleteThank very much Christellar! I'm glad you enjoyed my post!
Delete-Grace :)
I never really thought about that before I read this! I love this post, your writing is great:)
ReplyDelete♥Annie
Thanks Annie! I hadn't thought about this subject either before, but one day it just popped into my head!
Delete-Grace :)
Excellent article Miss Grace! I recently wrote one myself on this subject.
ReplyDeletehttp://garysinsanity.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-idiot-box-reality-tv.html
I don't understand how this is entertainment at all. I feel reality shows have brainwashed our society in a way, as they also give us stereotypes of people. For me personally, I feel like I'm being attacked by the TV when it comes to the redneck exploitation of these reality shows. Being a young man that has lived his entire life in the south, it just blows my mind that they always show people down here as being obnoxious and short witted (Honey Boo Boo) instead of showing the world that we really are not that dumb down here.
Cheers for this post
Grace this post is amazing and written to perfection. You've inspired me to base my GCSE English speaking exam on this topic!
ReplyDeleteWow, thank you so much Naomi! Glad you were inspired by my post. I wish you the best of success on your exam!
Delete-Grace :)