“Different strokes for different folks” is a good philosophy, but some things in this life are just too much to bear.
The intellectually erosive force of which I speak, is reality television.
Again, I do believe we all deserve to spend our time however we wish – I simply believe there has been no worse invention by homo sapiens, since unsliced bread.
Fears of a future of “idiocracy” are compounded by the idea that many choose to follow Kim Kardashian’s tweets about her compass-themed toddler, instead of reading a masterwork in which an actual compass is used to traverse the globe.
Major side eye 👀 pic.twitter.com/djA2NQP6V8
— Kim Kardashian (@KimKardashian) September 20, 2016
I would bet most viewers of the Big Brother TV series (in either one of its infinitely stupefying variations), don’t even know where the name comes from.
With a show like Big Brother, viewers elect rather to see how other people live together, than do that with their own family – or read about what Orwell was really trying to say.
Though even looking further astray, there are some very troubling issues with “reality TV”.
Just look at: WWE, Come Dine with Me, Property Brothers, MasterChef, Judge Judy, Storage Wars and Hardcore Pawn.
In WWE it is very clear no real fighting takes place; most of the show is based around the supposed rivalries and “behind-the-scenes” disputes between over-glamourised actor-wrestlers.
The video below showcases a few instances in WWE where it’s hard to see how someone would get hurt:
Come Dine with Me is made more entertaining only through the vibrantly punny narrator and the inclusion of exaggerated characters (real or fake).
Taking a look at the History Channel, I weep at the fact that no real history is ever shown on it anymore (though recently a turn for the better was made).
Now we get little bits of historical fact thrown into the mix, with an overload of pawn shop owners who are supposedly tougher than steel and storage warriors where the drama is clearly fabricated off-camera.
Of all the not-so-real TV shows, cooking shows are those that closest tread near real life.
Though even in MasterChef, our vision is skewed.
Does real life have those annoying sharp sounds supposedly indicating doom, or the suspenseful music and panning cinematography?
The only reality programmes I would watch, are those where that which is exhibited, is unlikely to ever be experienced by myself – and in that case it should be presented as simply and minimally as possible.
Bear Grylls is one of the few reality shows where you actually learn something, in addition to the fact that he doesn’t baby around with weird sound effects, to make us worry more than need be.
But despite their high fiction-to-truth ratio, many shows at least provide some form of knowledge enrichment.
This is entirely absent in shows following the everyday business of celebrities.
What possible use or entertainment can there be in seeing how someone whom you’ve never met, cries because their “takeaways” husband cheated on them with their sister?
Whereas public officials have to be held accountable as they are paid by the people and represent them, that doesn’t apply to other famous people I believe.
Their talent and achievements should be the only things we admire, keeping in mind they are human and make mistakes; but as we don’t love them on a personal level, it shouldn’t bother us.
* Please note that this is an opinion piece and that the views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of the Benoni City Times or Caxton Newspapers.
Read other blogs from the City Times team:
Logan Green: BLOG: Come braai with me – LG’s top three spots to have a braai in Benoni
Kevin van der List: A year in the life of your editor
Sheina Razack: Pageants: Hobby, not priority
Matshepo Maseko: The pain of being forsaken
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