Reality TV has clearly exploded all over the air ways! I actually don't believe that VH1 has any regular programming that is NOT reality TV based. Do they?? Anyways, I recently made the decision to reassess what I subject my precious eyes to. The same way we have to watch the company we keep and be mindful of what we say out of our mouth, rings true for what we allow into our home and head via what we see. For some time now I found myself becoming more uncomfortable with some of what I was consciously watching and scaled back tremendously on what I spent my time watching, but after the ridiculousness better known as Kim Kardashian and her 15 minute marriage for the sake of having a 2 hour TV wedding special and the cover of People magazine, I was done! It's bad enough that she's rich and famous for doing absolutely nothing but I was beyond disgusted with the amount of money paid to have this wedding and the amount of money generated by broadcasting the nonsense. Meanwhile, our country is in an economic crisis, our little boys are being sexually molested by football coaches and catholic school priests, and our young military is being picked off one by one fighting a war that I'm still not sure of who, what or why. In short, there are real issues going on in the world so for any human being to be that ridiculously vain when they already have more money and attention than they could ever be worthy of really irked me. I promptly deleted the entire Kardashian clan from my DVR, twitter account (yea I have a twitter and I don't know what the heck to do with it), people to watch list, etc. I'm not supporting trash like that or exposing myself to that type of influence. And with the single swipe of an entire family, I started reevaluating my entire TV roster.
Continue reading for the rest of my rant....
The truth is, TV is for entertainment purposes whether scripted or allegedly not scripted. So suspense, drama, violence, and fantasy goes without saying. But I do feel like things some times go too far and we need to practice making better decisions about what is really "entertaining" and acceptable. Is it really entertaining to watch grown black women snatch each other's hair out on national TV? Or to make a mockery of the concept of marriage for the sake of dressing up like "Cinderella?" I don't really think so. I remember when LaLa's TV show first aired and I thought it was the most boring and unnecessary thing going but yet I had the Real Housewives, basketballhoeswives and Kardashians on my tv line up. A bunch of excess and mess while LaLa's show (the one I was foolishly ignoring) focuses on her raising her family, relocating to a new city, expanding her career and her relationships with her friends and family. Things of substance. And on top of that, we already know La La is not famous for nothing. She has been in the spotlight long before meeting Carmelo and has established herself as a respectable young woman, as far as I know, but in a moment of ignorance I choose pure trash over substantive entertainment. That is a perfect example of how what you watch, hear and say can have an impression on what you do and are attractive to? I know some of you may think this rant is a bit over the top but for me it's more than just about reality TV but more so about choices, power and protecting your personal value. I'm not saying I'm done with reality all together because I'm not. I'm just saying I will be a little more conscious about what I support and expose myself to and why. With that, I will continue to watch Bethenny getting married, having a baby, skinny girling it up; Kimora Lee Simmons parenting, blending families, and creating an empire; unknown talents battling it out for $5 million and a recording contract and Judge Judy screaming at people and similar reality. I may even have the occasional dose of mess here and there (I still enjoy Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Atlanta) but Kardashians take NY or Miami or even Hell is off the list and so is the never married or no longer married basketball women from LA who have symptoms of schizophrenia characterized by delusions; and the grown women fighting and pulling each others' hair out for unknown reasons are also gone with the wind. I got better things to do and even watch with my time, including a plethora of scripted quality TV like Reed Between the Lines (if you're not watching this I really kinda feel myself getting annoyed all over again).
With allll that said, what are your thoughts on reality TV? What have you decided to add and subtract from your TV lineup and why?
Hey dere!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you've said but at the same time I feel a bit more extreme about the messages we are receiving from television, whether it 'reality' tv or not. People behaving poorly in general. It's pretty pathetic. I love shows like Reed Between the Lines and Are We There Yet though. Those are shows I don't have to shield my kids from and force them out of the room while on. They deal with real issues and values. The real issues that most other shows portray are issues that aren't worth considering. Who cares about that song his crackhead momma wrote about you? What difference does it make that she calls herself rich. Laugh it off and keep it moving. That's what I'd do in real life. Probably not snatch a weave out and catch a charge!
Shannnnnn!!!!! My fav honeey... so happy to have ya here!!! OMG! :-)
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely, positively right... at the end of the day, it boils down to the quality and substance of the messages that are put out there and what we are willing to accept as viewers, regardless of if it is reality (allegedly) or scripted TV. I think the distinction, however, is at least with scripted TV you can excuse some nonsense by simply saying "thank God this is not real" or explaining to your kid that it's simply a show for entertainment but with reality TV (allegedly) there is that additional element of disgust when you realize this grown woman stomping out another grown woman is not portraying some psychotic over the top made up character in Knots Landing but is actually doing this in for real life for all the world to see and try to digest. We just gotta do better!
#REED BETWEEN THE LINES!!! #ARE WE THERE YET!!!
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ReplyDeleteI hear you and I agree in part but I have to say that I LOVE REALITY TV! I don't think we can throw it all in one big pile and call it nonsense and even if we did, I would still love watching the MESS! There is not a single reality show that I have not watched at least once so I consider myself somewhat of an expert on the area. It has gotten to the point that I cannot even watch one episode of a reality show because I will become hooked. Most of them are not about cat fights, money or being famous for nothing but these are the ones that get the highest ratings and who is to blame for that? I don't get to watch a lot of tv during the week so I will spend whole weekends vegging out to the Kardashians (LOVE Kris Jenner), Mob Wives, Basketball Wives, Housewives of Orange County, NYC, ATL, Beverly Hills, New Jersey etc. and I have felt completely content because the foolishness is balanced across all racial and economic demographics. I have witnessed "ladies" on Rodeo Drive arguing about who was doing crystal meth in the bathroom and then watched "ladies" from Compton pulling off earrings and louboutins to get ready for a fight! I am thrilled by it all. At our center we are all the same and I guess that's what I enjoy. At the same time, I off set these moments by spending an equal amount of time watching CCN, Suze Orman and Bill Maher. Shows like " Too Fat for 15" or "Intervention" have provided me with valuable insight into worlds I had not experienced and were happy to watch with my kid. Other shows such as "Man, Woman, Wild" and "Deadliest Catch" have taught me alot of lessons on survival.
ReplyDeleteI think we are charged with the responsibility of being informed and critical viewers and of encouraging our children to do the same. I love the Kardashians, Snookie, Nene, Chrissy and any other common person who can find a way to milk the media for their 15 minutes of fame. Why? Because that is what a capitalist society is all about and corporations have been making billions off of the entertainment industry for centuries. I love to see the common man step into the picture and claim his piece of the pie even if it is for behaving in a ridiculous manner. Throughout history, even before TV, ignorance has always been used as one way to entertain the masses (gladiators, minstrels,geishas, etc.) and I do not think it will ever change. People like myself will always enjoy it for what its worth and are able to separate reality from reality TV. Only a few can really take this stuff seriously. Its all designed to get ratings and that is the lesson we should pass onto our children with the hope that they will take it as a lesson to value who you are over the money you make.
Just my two cents.
Jen!! Welcome to Milk and Honeeyz! I totally agree that the key is being able to differentiate reality from reality tv and have balance in what you do, view, and listen to. And I'm definitely all for the underdog and everyday person having a come up, to a certain extent! I don't intend on giving all of it up but I'm definitely going to be more conscious of what I'm willing to support and promote.
ReplyDelete....and your comment was worth much more than two cents (how dare you undervalue your input!! LOL). You made some really good points and gave me much more perspective on what I was thinking and feeling about TV. Thank ya and keep sharing!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree that Reality TV has gotten out of control--it is like a wreck you can't turn away from! I started watching reality TV to escape my daily "reality", but that was when I was naive enough to believe that it wasn't scripted and scenarios weren't preconceptualized. Now I am watching reality shows that deal with creative artistry, ie Top Chef, The Voice, and searching for more scripted TV series. At this point I don't want to put money in the pockets of anymore "average Joes" with no moral fiber that put their lives on TV for entertainment
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