The peak of our generation’s contribution to the world can only be summed up in two words: reality television. We have provided the world with the best form of entertainment since the Great Depression.
It started with the Real World. A group of unemployed people from different , with cameras and the legal ability to consume alcohol. Could it get any better?
Real World was a great idea, but someone took that idea and whored it out on the street corner for ten bucks a pop. Now, Tiffany “New York” Pollard has reached a quasi-celeb level of stardom by putting her long search for love on display for all.
Brett Michaels has secured his fame for generations to come by trying to pick which retired stripper to “marry.” Even worse is the idea that people are making a living jumping from reality show to spin-off reality show for the rest of their lives. They aren’t famous for any other reason than they are willing to make fools of themselves for a little cash.
Thank God for that! I don’t know what I would do with my Saturdays if I couldn’t watch a marathon of The Island, Rock of Love, or I Love Money. My idea of a good time is to watch people get drunk and cry on TV all day, then go out to a party and see it live. It makes me feel better about myself.
That’s why we watch those shows anyway. They show us that no matter how sad and pathetic our lives are, at least there isn’t a camera to catch it all. At least there isn’t a camera to catch me sobbing after I trashed the house in a drunken, steroid induced rage.
These jokers kill me; that is why I continue to watch such shows. It is why I have not missed a season of the Real World. I have been addicted to these freak shows since they began. I can remember watching the first season with my older sister, not knowing what I was watching, but loving every minute of it. I did not understand at the time, but it would make me a people watching junkie. I became entranced by human behavior (or the lack of it).
But these shows have changed. It isn’t just drama people have to see; now there has to be a game to it. There has to be a winner. It’s almost like they mixed reality TV with Nickelodeon’s Family Double Dare. People cover themselves in embarrassment just to impress someone and win a date. This is not just any date, it’s with a celebrity! Just to brag to some buddies that you got a kiss from Tila Tequila and she said she loved you? Guess what? You haven’t touched down on the moon with that one!
I hope this trend never ends. In fact, I know how to make them better. Tie a sharp knife to the left hand of every contestant. Then we will really see some back stabbing!