Reality TV; the end of civilization as we know it or the end of civilization as we know it this season.
Ever since CBS struck ratings gold with its hit show survivor in 2000, the copycats have sought to recreate its mass appeal. The most recent attempt at reality success is the Fox Network's hit show "Joe Millionaire". Fox's recipe for success - love, hope, French cuisine, and a big fat lie. Make no mistake, people are watching, 18.6 million viewers tuned in to the shows January 16 debut and by the February 17 finale that number doubled to just over 36 million.#.
The key to reality TV's success appears to be appealing to the lowest common denominator. Face it, North Americans enjoy laughing at the shifty antics of the Reality TV's player of the week. Here in lies the problem; not that people are laughing instead of thinking, but that don't understand what they are laughing about and why they've stopped thinking.
In this light, we can view Reality TV. shows as having many of same effects as of proletarian literature, and reinforcing many of the works of Carole Pateman, and Emma Goldman. In analyzing Reality T.V's most recent hit "Joe Millionaire", many of these themes become apparent. Further, many reality TV shows also premise themselves as being democratic in nature, the show Survivor for example, relies heavily on the voting process. Does voting alone however provide a democratic nature or are the votes merely just a strategy for contestants to win.
It is not this authors contention that reality TV has the same overtly political.
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messages as the proletarian literature of the 1920's and 1930's, however each ultimately reinforces certain ideals. By mindlessly succumbing to mass culture society dangerously forgoes the right to think for oneself.
Proletarian literature emerged in the first half of the twentieth century in attempt to prepare the masses for socialism.
The average school-age child in the United States spends about five hours each day watching T.V. ... Pre-School Children: Start early to develop good T.V. habits. ... Pre-school children have difficulty separating reality from fantasy. ... Discuss favorite T.V. characters. ... T.V. shows often stereotype many groups---women, ethnic groups, old people, families. ...
These reality based shows are now the driving force of T.V. entertainment. ... It was only in the 90's that the term "reality based T.V."" was taken to another level. ... But all the Networks are careful not to base all their programs around reality T.V. ... A choice between watching a scripted show or, what we have now come to understand - reality T.V. ... (Darwinism in Reality Based T.V. shows). ...
In the article, "Television, Processed Foods Couldn't Be More Proud of the Child They Raised", t.v. programs and junk-food companies are portrayed as the parents of an obese child named Brian. ... Situational irony is also used in this article to further criticize t.v. and food companies but by altering reality and describing a situation that is opposite of what most people would expect. ... This situational may ignores what people need and want for their children and shows the reality of what t.v. and food form children into. ... This example of hyperbole exaggerates the role that t.v...
On television you can see anything like the news, reality shows, drama, sports, or anything else imaginable. ... In 1940 Peter Goldmark began working on the 343 lines of resolution T.V., at the same time the FCC released the standard for black and white T.V. ... A big event in T.V. history was on July 20, 1969. ... Around 600 million people were watching T.V. for this event. ... The T.V. didn't change so much, but yet more additions were made. ...
People would become desensitized and they would loose their sense of reality. ... Just because the words are beeped out on t.v. does not mean that kids are not going to hear it from their parents when they are having a fight or from strangers walking down the street. ... An example of this was during the last super bowl when the t.v. station cut the broadcast because Janet Jackson's breast was exposed. Everyone else there got to enjoy the show, why didn't the t.v. audience get to? ... The truth is we need censorship in order to maintain our way of life and to protect ourselves...
After surviving a life threatening storm his boat crashes into a new reality, the wall of a superficial world in which he was raised. ... Louis who leads somewhat of a boring life finds himself in front of a T.V. crew that is asking him, if he could be on T.V. live, for twenty-four hours a day. ... I think that what people want to see on T.V. was best represented in EdTV. ... Like Louis, Ed found himself in front of a T.V. crew asking him to have his life broadcast live on cable T.V. twenty-four hours a day. ... EdTV also taught me that it is weird what does sell in T.V. shows. ...
As she did not realise her situation as an immigrant, Maria dreamt about the possibility of being part of an American T.V. show. ... Nevertheless, Maria would be brought back to reality whenever her son remarked her that poor people were not allowed in those T.V. shows. ... For this reason she would never be invited to a T.V. show. ... When she returned home after the award giving ceremony Maria saw herself on T.V. ... After turning off the T.V. memories form her English classes came to her mind. ...
Specifically, we look at Reality T.V. and advertisements, as two of the main media influences that promises to bring political, social and economic changes. ... In light of the recent trend in reality T.V. programming, it is interesting to look at the discourse of television in Australia with an eye towards how the fluid relationship between reality and deceptive characterized television in general, and Big Brother in particular. ... Clearly, the idea that Reality T.V' runs across national borders to hypnotize audiences en masse is too simplistic. ... Television plays a major role in co...
