How fiction programming trumps reality TV
In the past couple of days I've had conversations with students and friends about my dislike of reality TV.
Basically it goes like this:
The only feelings and reactions that I ever have to reality TV are "wow, I'm glad that I'm not that person"/ "my life is pretty damn good." That IS a good takeaway. However, it isn't worth the agida of realizing that THIS is what my students think is cool and real and funny and that THIS is how outsiders will perceive us as ____(Americans, Long Islanders, New Yorkers, Teachers, etc.).
Why would I spend my time cringing about reality when we have fiction programs like #GOT and #Revenge and the opportunity to get caught up in a life that isn't the norm anywhere? We can get invested in these made-up people and their problems and thank God that we don't have/won't have such issues. We get to delight in their ups and sympathize rather than empathize with their downs. In the past month I've shared gratification in the victories and fulfilled revenge against two villains that I've come to loathe through writing instead of circumstances or relationships that could very well be my own (#GOT and #Revenge). Each alone was way more glorious than any episode, series, spin-off of reality TV simply because it couldn't happen to most people; most people will never have such interesting lives and tormenting problems with such a certain purpose and such brutes to hate and target.
I wish that reality TV would just fade away and let entertainment be that, a way to escape and be feted by outlandish storytelling.
Basically it goes like this:
The only feelings and reactions that I ever have to reality TV are "wow, I'm glad that I'm not that person"/ "my life is pretty damn good." That IS a good takeaway. However, it isn't worth the agida of realizing that THIS is what my students think is cool and real and funny and that THIS is how outsiders will perceive us as ____(Americans, Long Islanders, New Yorkers, Teachers, etc.).
Why would I spend my time cringing about reality when we have fiction programs like #GOT and #Revenge and the opportunity to get caught up in a life that isn't the norm anywhere? We can get invested in these made-up people and their problems and thank God that we don't have/won't have such issues. We get to delight in their ups and sympathize rather than empathize with their downs. In the past month I've shared gratification in the victories and fulfilled revenge against two villains that I've come to loathe through writing instead of circumstances or relationships that could very well be my own (#GOT and #Revenge). Each alone was way more glorious than any episode, series, spin-off of reality TV simply because it couldn't happen to most people; most people will never have such interesting lives and tormenting problems with such a certain purpose and such brutes to hate and target.
I wish that reality TV would just fade away and let entertainment be that, a way to escape and be feted by outlandish storytelling.
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