American Idol Humiliation Tough to Stomach

Americans have had an obsession with reality shows since the very beginning (which some argue would be Candid Camera circa 1948, but in the modern sense would be more along the lines of The Real World, which first aired in 1992).

Reality shows feed a voyeuristic craving which seems to reside, on some level at least, in most human beings. We just love peeking into other people's lives and watching them air their dirty laundry (consider the popularity of shows such as Jerry Springer). Some reality shows have been less irritating than others - the first few seasons of Survivor were pretty interesting, and lacked the extreme and absurd talk-show-quality drama that came later on.

However, the debut of American Idol in 2002 brought with it not only a voraciously devoted following - now holding the title of the most popular show on television - but also took sensationalism to a new level. Rather than exposing the day to day drama of young, attractive people all trapped in a house together or competing in a jungle setting to see who can eat the most bugs, American Idol capitalizes on the public's fascination with seeing who can make the biggest fool out of their self.

In the beginning, it was possible to say that perhaps most of those who auditioned for American Idol were genuinely convinced they had talent and wanted to try their luck in the bigtime even if it meant having to do it in front of an enormous television audience. In recent seasons, however, when I would catch the occasional episode I found myself wondering if some of the less...shall we say...gifted singers were perhaps doing it as a joke. In any event, the humiliation that some contestants experience at the hands (or, rather, mouths) of American Idol judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson only seems to escalate as the years go on. Simon, in particular, is at times so brutal as to make even the harshest of critics squirm.

As the seasons have progressed, the media attention focused on American Idol has grown to gargantuan proportions. We hear the latest American Idol gossip on morning radio shows, television news reports, see headlines screaming from magazine covers, stroll through toy aisles laden with American Idol merchandise, and of course there is no shortage of American Idol message forums and even Yahoo email groups.

With the widespread American Idol buzz, I have to wonder...have we really lost the ability to find anything better to do with our time than this? There's nothing wrong with having a favorite TV show. We all need downtime and something mindless to focus on, in order to relax and decompress from a busy day. But there is something very disturbing about that outlet taking the form of a show which - let's face it - makes its money by way of sensationalizing public humiliation.

Now, I can almost hear all the American Idol devotees saying hey, I'm just following so-and-so to see if she/he wins! Through the course of the season, it's natural to adopt a favored singer and want to follow their progress. If we're honest, though, we all begin watching for the shock factor. How bad will this person be? What nasty, mean thing will Simon come up with? What embarrassing, nonsensical babble will Paula spew tonight?

There is something about watching American Idol that makes me uncomfortable. I've reached the point of maturity in my life where it doesn't give me joy to see other people being put down and criticized in a mean-spirited, high-schoolish fashion. It could admittedly be said that they are asking for it, they know what they are getting into when they choose to go to an American Idol audition. For some, however, perhaps they feel this is the only chance they may ever get to break into the music business and the risk is worth it to them.

What bothers me most, regardless of the fact that American Idol participants know they face potential humiliation, is the scale on which Americans are obsessed by the show. Watching someone be told they are a horrible singer is not my idea of fun - it makes me tense up and cringe, it causes me to become irritable and angry. It makes me wonder what we've come to as a human race if this is what "floats our boat", so to speak. The concept of American Idol could be brought to fruition in a way that is respectful of the contestants during the audition process. But, then, kindness on reality shows doesn't draw as many advertising dollars, does it?

In the end, I have not been able to jump on the American Idol bandwagon. I'd rather watch a cooking show, or the History Channel. Heck, I'd rather sit and watch paint dry than see people being verbally torn down and made to feel like idiots by an egotistical big-mouth who seems to take pleasure in what he does. Call me a naïve idealist, but I am highly disappointed in the fact that we, as a country, reward shows like American Idol with our undivided attention. American Idol is no "idol" of mine.