When Reality Hits Our TV's

“Have you heard Kim Kardashian is pregnant?” “It can’t be, isn’t she still technically still married to Kris Humphries” I overheard two girls on the bus say. My TV screen keeps flashing the latest news about these nameless, beautiful people. My knowledge of these “Celebrities” is very limited due to the fact, that our household only has a limited range of TV channels. Reality shows, yes they are my guilty pleasure. No I’m not a fan of “Keeping up with the Kardashian’s.” I really don’t care for any of the “Real housewife’s of Atlanta or any other cities for that matter. The shows I do enjoy are “Master Chief”, “Kitchen nightmare’s “and “Hell’s kitchen”. My brother and I often stay up late, waiting up for our favorite shows. We both share a similar taste in TV shows; we both enjoy shows that deal with cooking. What bothers me about reality shows are the obviously scripted shows, catfights, name calling and the fake marriages. They are willing to do anything to earn high TV ratings. The producers sit around all day thinking of way to gain more viewers. It’s seem that any one can’t become an overnight celebrity as long they are willing to strip naked or act like a crazy person. I think that some reality shows are harmful to society especially for young girls. Young girls, look up these women that live lavish lifestyles and have bodies that are unreachable to the average girl. Those images have the power to promote the wrong portrayal of what women should look and act like. Sadly these women are not often praised for the character but put on a pedestal for shallow, superficial reasons.

On the other hand we have reality shows that take average people and subjective them to a series of tests to determine who is capable of leading a multimillion restaurant. I figure if I’m able to relate to what I see on TV; I’m more likely to sit and spend to two hours of my precious time. As full-time college student, having free time to watch TV was turn into a rare commodity. Long gone are the days I would sit up in bed watching marathons and Spanish soap operas. My must say that I do enjoy watching sitcoms. I truly appreciate the work of creative story tellers and the way great actors and actresses make these pieces of paper come alive for the whole world to enjoy. I personality find it more stimulating watching this type of programming rather than find out if “Nicole got her nosed done by plastic surgeon south of the border.” I would much rather watch the comical acts of Steve Carell on “The Office”. Since the year 2000 several reality shows have popped out into the small screen. Some the have questionable moral ethics while other are viewed as inspiration to thousands across our nation. Other programs help to shed light onto issues that are often misunderstood by the general population. Reality TV is sword of two edges; it can be a force for good or it can create a shift in the point of view for the average American. It up for viewer to decide, he or she should whether to flip the channel or simple turn off the TV.