Reality TV Gone Mad

It's hard to turn on television nowadays without seeing reality shows on every network ad nauseam. Reality TV shows have left few topics unexplored, ranging from finding a spouse, trying to land a job, competing to win that million dollar prize, etc. Allegedly, these shows are unscripted and unrehearsed social experiments which are designed to bring out interesting aspects of interpersonal and human behavior that maximize appeal to general viewers. However, what is considered "appealing" often turns to be the uglier side of human nature. Contestants sabotage each other, engage in mind games, encourage disloyalties, and employ almost an endless variety of unsavory tactics, all in the name of competition without regards for any self-respecting attributes or decency.

Reality TV was first known to me in 1998 from the movie "The Truman Show" starring Jim Carrey. Unbeknownst to the protagonist, his fateful events in life are carefully chronicled by media surveillance. He lives a normal existence until one day he discovers that his entire life has been an illusion for the entertainment of the public. This movie started a trend which continues today and is symbolic of how the media has shaped events and censored what viewers see. The media, whether it is the newspaper or radio or television, have such power to alter and even brainwash how we interpret events and manipulate how we think often blurring the line between fiction and facts.

Reality TV is anything but real. In order to generate high TV ratings, TV executives have carefully designed these shows to insidiously and subliminally appeal to certain base human instincts. If nothing else, these shows can be quite amusing on an otherwise uneventful weeknight. Nonetheless, it is still disturbing that we find entertainment in the highlights of abuse and humiliation of others. If there is any redeeming value about these reality TV shows, let's hope that people see it as more than just entertainment. After all, it is supposed to be "reality", and by stressing the unpleasant aspects of human nature, hopefully people can reflect on their own behavior and make the world a slightly better place when it comes to dealing with our fellow human beings.