reality-noun:the world or the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them. (wiki)
What really is reality on television? Nothing. Not even the news. Taking a few different general tops I discovered nothing really is reality. The news is swayed meaning it is the opinion or the news casters version of the story. All reality television is made up, all the women are housewives or work very little, the men work, they have a few kids, it is just an exaggerated version of what could possible be a real family. Even sports are not usually accurate. Rumor has it in boxing they usually have a decided winner before the match. It is usually a well paid loss. It is almost like reality does not exist in our society anymore.
Using a specific example I would like to focus in on one of my favorite cheesy shows, the jersey shore. If you do not know what the show is about it is about the exaggeration of a group of Italian New Jersey residents parting hard in seaside. When the show first started they are all anywhere from 18-26 years old living together during the summer in a party house. They had a job at a t shirt place on the board walk and almost never showed up. The entire show was about GTL-gym tanning laundry of and of course partying. While there was never any drugs featured on the show it was a well known fact that most of them were drug users or addicts. The show featured lots of crazy drama usually involving alcohol or that being the cause of the drama.
In the one episode Snooki got arrested for being so drunk in public she could barely stand, then attempted to fight a grown man when he told her to go home and sleep it off. While this actually did occur it was completely over exaggerated and Snooki must have felt extremely embarrassed. This is not reality because she was forced fed alcohol that night before she left the house. Snooki was not even of age to be drinking at the clubs.
Another episode featured the shows "favorite couple" Jwow and Ronni in a physical fight. Ronni was so messed up he tried to push her, she ended up spending a few weeks home because 'he scared her so bad she did not want to be around him'.We later found out she was paid to go home and "milk it". While yes they did get into a physical fight while they were drunk but both people were unharmed. The couple was fine within a few days. This is not reality because they made her go home even when they were fine as a couple.
I 100% agree with you that the "Jersey Shore," which is considered a reality television show, is not reality at all. Many of the lines and actions of these actors and actresses are scripted. This show is very unrealistic, and personally, annoys me. I also agree with you that the news is swayed and that the majority of all television shows are made up; however, I would not say that sports are not accurate. Yes, when it comes to boxing, there is usually a predetermined winner and the loser is already paid off, but many other sports are certainly realistic. When watching a professional soccer or baseball game, or a swim meet in the Olympics, these events are real. Taking the Olympic trials for example, there will always be the favorited swimmers, but how they perform is certainly a realistic aspect; their times are documented from a touch pad. It can not get more real than that.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it is well-known that many reality shows are scripted. But along with this, it's also well-known that editing crews often put scenes into episodes out of order to further exaggerate certain story lines. It is hard to accept what happens on these reality TV shows because viewers cannot be certain of what is real, and what is edited. Unfortunately, sometimes scenes are so scripted and edited that while the viewer physically sees something happen, it still cannot be taken as the truth.
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