“It’s not getting any smarter out there. You have to come to terms with stupidity and make it work for you.” – Frank Zappa
It really doesn’t say much for the overall intelligence of the human race, or its TV viewing habits, when reality shows get high ratings. I believe one reason so many of them are on the airwaves, is that they are so cheap to produce. It has me wondering, how low will those involved in television stoop to, in order to make the big bucks.
I would think advertisers would want their products associated with a show with more substance than what reality shows have to offer. But, I guess the bottom line here is the amount of viewers that reality shows bring in. Plus, having products displayed in the background during the shows, essentially makes them hour long infomercials.
Reality shows remind me a lot of the pro wrestling circuit. Both are heavily scripted, and real ability is essential. But, the wrestlers are better actors and athletes. I think that for the most part, viewers wait for the next reality show contestant to get booted off the show, so they can feel superior to someone. It could be that conversations on reality shows are spliced together, so, what is being lost in the translation?
The worst reality shows, are the ones where people attempt to hook up with others to become a couple. I think one of these shows was called The Bachelor, or Bachelorette. I hate seeing people so desperate to get into a relationship, that they are willing to do it in front of an audience.
It looks as if Reality TV produces a fictional reality world where people become cartoon characters. I’m beginning to think there is some behind-the-scenes agenda being pushed by social engineers.
Imagine if Reality TV plots get more twisted. I can see TV shows becoming dumber as time goes by. I think executives continue to push the envelope to see how much shock value they can put on the screen. If viewers don’t get more critical of the shows they watch, things could really go over the top.
Ron Murdock
