Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Brain-Draining Reality TV Shows

By Mildred Robertson
Okay, last night as I was sitting in the living room working on the computer, my daughter and her friend were watching “Love and Hip Hop-Atlanta.” My attention turned from my freelance work to the dramedy unfolding on the screen. I would be lying to say this was the first time I watched it. But disgusted with the Paris’, Kims’, Evelyns’, Kendras’, Snookis’ of the world, and the list could go on; I vowed to watch only legitimate entertainment that had some redeeming social value and did not include girl fights, alcohol abuse and indiscriminate sex.
But, alas, Stevie J decided to invite Joselyn to his couples counseling session with Mimi.
Really?
I have to tell you, it was like watching a train wreck where there were no survivors. For those of you who don’t know, Joselyn is the “jump off” who got pregnant with Stevie J’s child, and had an abortion at his prompting. She also is an artist with whom he works, and with whom he plans to continue to work, even though he says he wants to save his relationship with his long-time partner and mother of his child, Mimi.
Really??? 
You just can’t make this stuff up.
But here’s my point. Television producers have discovered a cash cow in this reality TV formula that doesn’t cost much to make, but brings in the big bucks. In the meantime, Americans have these ever-present images of bad boys and girls living outrageous lives, making horrible decisions and profiting from them. Unfortunately, too many of the young people who watch this stuff think its normal.
The louder, more obnoxious, more radical you are, the more TV time you get. Let’s take, for instance, "Basketball Wives".  The women on that show got confrontational, and the ratings spiked. The stars, and I use that term lightly, found that the more they fought, cussed and were sexually explicit, the more the camera focused upon them. They began to act so ugly that last season, while ratings were pretty good, public sentiment turned against them and they were on TV bemoaning the fact that the Reality TV show only portrayed their worst traits, overlooking the positive side of their personalities. You can’t have it both ways.
While the reality stars can’t have it both ways, neither can we, the watching public. My daughter would be furious at me for suggesting that we should work to eliminate or limit this kind of programming. “Mom, its just entertainment,” she would say. But should we be entertained by some of humanities most base inclinations? Should we revel in grown women leaping across a table to pummel one another, or young people indiscriminately mating with one another? Should we reward TV producers who create this drivel and give star status to those who act out these scenes?
My answer is “no.” It is my belief that this obsession with trash TV is pulling at our moral fiber and somehow, we have to stop it.
Now, before you First Amendment folks get all riled up, I don’t believe in censorship – at least not government censorship. We need to censor ourselves. We need to demand more of ourselves. Turn the blasted thing off. If not off, at least to another channel.
As long was we consume it, the television industry will shovel it to us. We deserve better programming. We should demand better programming.
The journey to that destination starts with your remote control – turn it off, tune it out. They will hear you, and they will respond.

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