Reality TV & Gossip TV

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Miss_Tia

ahh you mentioned Honey Boo Boo. I am so angry over that show. That poor child will spend the rest of her life tarnished because of that show, all for American Amusement...

While suicide is not usually done on the spur of the moment, there are times of great trauma that can stimulate suicidal behavior out of nowhere. The Stock Market crash brought about a few suicides. In my hometown, when the steel mills told workers that that shift was their last one, and they werent to return because they were closing the mills, men walked home and suicide soared. But was this the case with the nurse? Or was she experiencing other problems, long term depression, and this was the straw that broke the camel's back?

Regardless of which it was, the issue is not why she did this, but why THEY did this. And why does it allow to continue?

I get so tired when I hear that pat answer "because thats what the public wants". I dont think so. I think we are lead to believe this is true. I think we are lead to want to know crap about good people. I think we are lead to want to know the dirt about our neighbors. I think we are lead to want to know others arent just our equals, but our less than fortunates. I think marketing makes us believe its what we want...and we simply buy into because we are sheep. Lemmings. We follow crowds. Because, because of television, we now sit in front of a box that tells us what products we want via commercials. Suffice it to say, it also tells us now, what values we want. Its not US saying this is what we want. Its THEM telling us its what we want...

when they stop pushing it, we will stop wanting it....

I have to disagree. It doesn't make sense to me that just because the media tells us that we want it that someone would want it.

I have no interest in watching any reality series, any celebrity stuff, etc. None. I think that the only reality show that I have ever really watched was the first and second season of Survivor. Oh, and I did watch half a season of American Idol, once more than several years ago.

I had to google "honey boo boo".

[tantalizingfemme]

I believe with any reality show with children, blame the parent(s), not the audience.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

I have to disagree. It doesn't make sense to me that just because the media tells us that we want it that someone would want it.

I have no interest in watching any reality series, any celebrity stuff, etc. None. I think that the only reality show that I have ever really watched was the first and second season of Survivor. Oh, and I did watch half a season of American Idol, once more than several years ago.

I had to google "honey boo boo".

That's because you are a very, very special person.

I believe that 'blame' for the 'reality' TV niche should be divided amongst the crowd. Folks for tuning in, companies and creators for making the crap, the media for hyping it up, the folks that participate in it.....Housewives of Wherever come to mind....and the cycle begins anew. At every turn, there is weight to bear and nothing will change until the demand changes. So, it does start with the viewers. Viewers hold the power but appear to be the weakest part of the cycle. Interesting how that works...

[homoe]

I saw a clip of this and just shook my head

[princessbelle]

This is what i think....

I think that any moment i will have a lightbulb moment and say "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh i get it and agree!!!"

Cause right now i just dont.

Isn't it human nature to be curious? Isn't it our lifestyles now to be entertained? I'm not talking about sick-o stuff like stupid torture crap, but like well, the show, sister wives for example. It's a reality TV show that i like and look forward to. Does that make me a bad person? These people sign up for this and get paid big time for this and it's just...entertainment. I don't believe everything i see or hear, i'm not that gullible. I know a lot of it is acting as well.

But, here's the thing...

I feel i should be ashamed because i like reality TV shows. I'm not obsessed but i like them. Sue me.

We don't watch much TV at all. Bully watches political things, of course. We read a lot for entertainment, play on the puter and talk about things. I watch just a few things....Survivor, Sister wives, American Idol, The Walking Dead, Big Brother which are all seasonal and not on at the same times and that's about it. The daily hum drum sitcoms bore me to tears and i dislike all of the violence with the detective shows and stuff. Oh and i watch an occasional movie maybe once or twice a month.

How does that make me, and people like me bad? It feels like maybe some of you think that would make me not suitable for society or not decent person. How? Honest question, not being snippity. Really trying to understand.

What is the difference in watching Survivor or reading what everyone is doing on facebook, or even here for that matter. I realize here and on facebook we have "friends" but some of the stuff we all have read we don't know these people. Isn't it all just entertainment, enlightenment with different cultures and people, education at times, understanding of how other people live and what they are about?

I really think i'm missing something.

[tantalizingfemme]

Originally Posted by princessbelle

Isn't it human nature to be curious? Isn't it our lifestyles now to be entertained? I'm not talking about sick-o stuff like stupid torture crap, but like well, the show, sister wives for example. It's a reality TV show that i like and look forward to. Does that make me a bad person? These people sign up for this and get paid big time for this and it's just...entertainment. I don't believe everything i see or hear, i'm not that gullible. I know a lot of it is acting as well.

But, here's the thing...

I feel i should be ashamed because i like reality TV shows. I'm not obsessed but i like them. Sue me.

We don't watch much TV at all. Bully watches political things, of course. We read a lot for entertainment, play on the puter and talk about things. I watch just a few things....Survivor, Sister wives, American Idol, The Walking Dead, Big Brother which are all seasonal and not on at the same times and that's about it. The daily hum drum sitcoms bore me to tears and i dislike all of the violence with the detective shows and stuff. Oh and i watch an occasional movie maybe once or twice a month.

How does that make me, and people like me bad? It feels like maybe some of you think that would make me not suitable for society or not decent person. How? Honest question, not being snippity. Really trying to understand.

What is the difference in watching Survivor or reading what everyone is doing on facebook, or even here for that matter. I realize here and on facebook we have "friends" but some of the stuff we all have read we don't know these people. Isn't it all just entertainment, enlightenment with different cultures and people, education at times, understanding of how other people live and what they are about?

I really think i'm missing something.

I watch reality shows. I had a huge fascination with Real Housewives of New Jersey. Not a thinking person's show, but fascinating to me. And entertaining.

I don't think there is anything wrong with it.... any talk show that has guest stars is kind of a reality show in my mind because people go on public television to display their lives. Does anyone think Ricky, Oprah or Dr Phil watchers are bad? No.

And Facebook and Twitter and MySpace are pretty much the same thing....people putting their lives out in public for all friends/ and the public to see, every single day, all day long. To me there is no difference between social media and reality shows.

I won't feel guilty or ashamed because I watch reality tv and no one else should either because there is nothing wrong with it. Hey, I'm a nosy person, I love to know about other peoples lives and if I get that with reality tv, then so be it.


And darn it, I will never be ashamed of my love for Judge Judy.

[Bleu]

Originally Posted by tantalizingfemme

And darn it, I will never be ashamed of my love for Judge Judy.

Me either, LOVE JUDGE JUDY! She should run for president!

OK, so I know for a fact that I am not a bad person... I watch a few things here and there. Project Runway, FaceOff, America's Funniest Home Videos, and dare I say it? Reruns of The Girls Next Door. Those are the more reality type shows I watch. (Well, the first two are really more competition shows.)

But, What I find myself doing is comparing myself to these people and what would I do differently - or the same for that matter. Would I have used the silk chenille or gone with an impish feline-like monster theme? I digress...where The Girls Next Door show is concerned ...I just like nice asses.

It's all about the people I am watching and a thing called social anthropology.

Am I curious what my neighbor does? Hell yeah. I want to see if they do things like I do or do they have a better way of washing windows or a better way to set up the furniture in an L shaped room or if they have a better way of being romantic? Yeah, I wanna know. But I have my line.

I watched Toddlers and Tiaras a couple times...but I just ...can't ...watch it. It's not the little girls that get to me so much as the snarky moms. But I do HATE the hyper sexualization of those little girls Ugh! It's gross. Yes, they look like little dolls and I am sure for some of them it is kept in check, but in THIS society in THIS world where it is already so hard for girls, and in turn women, to have healthy self images, WHY I wonder, WHY ON EARTH would any woman put her daughter through something that might further skew her self worth and self image?

I HATED the Real L Word... I thought... damn, ya'll I've been a lesbian for almost- OMG, uh, ok- a really long time- and I have NEVER seen women like this and the catty, crazy crap they dish out onto one another.

As far as HRH The Queen of England prank and the suicide that followed...well those people should be ashamed of themselves for doing it, but I doubt they ever thought it would end like it did. (I am not excusing their behavior, but simply stating that I seriously doubt either DJ woke up that morning with a plan to prank someone in hopes it would end in a tragic death.) But, maybe their previously base choices that center around preying on unsuspecting others, for sheer entertainment, will change due to it. (One can only hope.)

In the end, no matter what the world throws at us, we each have the ability to make choices about it. Whether we watch reality shows or not, or how we let the things that the media bombards us with change us. We have a choice on how we let it all effect us. It's up to each of us as individuals to take the information or not and let it seep into our psyche and change us...for better or for worse.

*whew* I need chocolate.


~Bleu

P.S. I love Sister Wives, but I think it is because I have poly tendencies. I find them to be so complex and beautiful and deep. Wow.

[Gemme]

Belle, I'm missing the 'you're a bad person if you like this stuff' part of the conversation.

For me, if a reality show is damaging and/or useless (granted, these are relative things), I have no need for it. For example, Honey Boo Boo and Toddlers and Tiaras. I feel for the kids. I think they are being taught some pretty damaging lessons. I find The Housewives of... and the Kardashian shows useless. They teach me nothing and irritate me that people are being paid so much money for nothing. They are famous for being famous. That's it.

Now, reality shows driven by talent (or lack thereof) are more my vein. AI, The Voice, AGT and X Factor. Does that mean they are more 'credible' or 'acceptable' than another reality show? No. That's just my cuppa.

We all have our poison. Television is a distraction. It takes us away from our lives; allowing us to escape it for a while. Is this necessarily harmful? No. A little break is a good thing. Spending 8 hours a day watching TV and following FB (thanks for bringing that up...that counts too, for me) is damaging. That's far too much escapism, imo. Everything in moderation, right? Except our society doesn't know where to stop. Everyone and everything pushes harder and harder to find the newest, best, most unusual....whatever....

For me, it's less about the specific shows and more about what it says about our society. Reality TV encourages judging others and taking yourself out of your real, day to day, life. I don't think that's a good thing.

[Luv]

I watch TLC alot..Sister Wives,The Little Couple,Little People Big World..also the History Channel and Animal Planet oh and true tv's Baitcar..I wont watch the beauty pagent kids or Honey BooBoo or the Kardashians

[princessbelle]

Ok well, maybe i'm being too defensive. I guess the reason is i like reality TV shows. I don't like them all. But i like them. Just because i don't watch one doesn't make someone else that does any less of a human, imo.

Just as i stated before, whether you watch the Kardashians, or old Carol Burnett reruns or don't turn your TV on and get entertainment from online, i just don't see the difference AT ALL.

Not saying any of it is great. Heck we could all be out helping build a new community center with the time wasted for "entertainment" but i agree with Gemme, that everything should be in moderation.

Feels glad i don't have to figure out why i should feel guilty. Cause i tried and i just don't. lol.

I think honestly i get my fur raised when i start hearing "omg we are such bad people and it's all society's fault because we do such and such. How dare us all." That really gets me going. We've come so far as humans, realizing we have screwed up a lot with the environment, ect, but at least on the subject of media and communication links we have the ability to watch or turn it off. Either way is fine. I think we are doing pretty darn well as a society and the best is yet to come.

Of course i am a hopeless optimist, i will give you that.

[Gemme]

You are definitely an optimist, Belle, and I love that about you. I disagree with some points, but overall, you and I are pretty much on the same page. A little bit of whatever your preference is is fine, be it about singers or wives or ditch diggers or dogwalkers. I don't think that there should be any shaming attached to entertainment, as long as it is not hurtful to someone else.

[nycfem]

There's a lot of good and bad and complex outcomes that arise from reality t.v. imo. And I think it also depends on what we label reality t.v.

Some good:

Shows like "Intervention, "Obsessed," and "Addiction," sometimes touch me in how they have the potential to turn a life around for the good. It's sad that it takes a show to get someone the help they need, whether it be drug addiction or OCD, but to change one person and their family's life in such a profoundly positive way is a good thing no matter what IMO.

Sometimes reality shows bring different identities out of the closet so there can be a sense of relating especially for young people. In the MTV true life series they've covered kids who are gay, Deaf, stutter, have seizures, and a whole host of differences in a positive way.

Some bad:

It's been hard for Cindy and me raising Jacob and him seeing this plethora of MTV reality shows that center on filthy rich kids. It makes him demanding and expecting of things we can't provide. That may sound simplistic but it's how I experience it.

I know there was a mentally ill (maybe Bipolar?) young woman on AI who committed suicide after being put down after her singing.

There was a straight guy who went on the Jenny Jones show because he was told someone had a crush on him and wanted to reveal it on air. It ended up being a man who had a crush on him. The straight guy happened to be someone with a psychiatric history felt humiliated and killed himself. Then Jenny Jones was sued.

Some more complicated:

I read the memoir of the Beverly Hills housewife who said that she chose to be on the Real Housewives series because she was in the midst of a marriage with kids where she was victim of extreme domestic violence, and she figured she'd be safer with the t.v. crew around and everything public. Then during the series it did come out, along with all the shady things her husband was into (scams, etc.), and he ended up committing suicide. When someone's dirty laundry is public for the whole world to see I do think that's a big trigger for suicide.

[princessbelle]

Originally Posted by nycfembbw

There's a lot of good and bad and complex outcomes that arise from reality t.v. imo. And I think it also depends on what we label reality t.v.

Some good:

Shows like "Intervention, "Obsessed," and "Addiction," sometimes touch me in how they have the potential to turn a life around for the good. It's sad that it takes a show to get someone the help they need, whether it be drug addiction or OCD, but to change one person and their family's life in such a profoundly positive way is a good thing no matter what IMO.

Sometimes reality shows bring different identities out of the closet so there can be a sense of relating especially for young people. In the MTV true life series they've covered kids who are gay, Deaf, stutter, have seizures, and a whole host of differences in a positive way.

Some bad:

It's been hard for Cindy and me raising Jacob and him seeing this plethora of MTV reality shows that center on filthy rich kids. It makes him demanding and expecting of things we can't provide. That may sound simplistic but it's how I experience it.

I know there was a mentally ill (maybe Bipolar?) young woman on AI who committed suicide after being put down after her singing.

There was a straight guy who went on the Jenny Jones show because he was told someone had a crush on him and wanted to reveal it on air. It ended up being a man who had a crush on him. The straight guy happened to be someone with a psychiatric history felt humiliated and killed himself. Then Jenny Jones was sued.

Some more complicated:

I read the memoir of the Beverly Hills housewife who said that she chose to be on the Real Housewives series because she was in the midst of a marriage with kids where she was victim of extreme domestic violence, and she figured she'd be safer with the t.v. crew around and everything public. Then during the series it did come out, along with all the shady things her husband was into (scams, etc.), and he ended up committing suicide. When someone's dirty laundry is public for the whole world to see I do think that's a big trigger for suicide.

OMG i remember that about the Jenny Jones show!!! Had forgot about that. Yes there are times that Reality TV isn't great. But, such is life. Every aspect of our lives has good things and bad things. You take the bad with the good, isn't that the saying?

People do need to be responsible and they do need to be careful when they are dealing with real lives. Just as in our everyday lives and sadly some of that is also for entertainment, but just for themselves and not for the world to see.

I will continue to be selective, no i don't watch Honey Boo-Boo, saw it once that was enough, but if someone likes it...good for them.

I also agree with tantalizingfemme who alluded to the lack of intelligence in that show and other shows about kids, should actually be directed to the parent that allowed it. Not on the people who watch it, necessarily and i totally agree. People will watch anything. Have you seen some of the youtube video's out there?

Selection and moderation....good rules for all parts of life.

I'm glad i'm not alone as someone that loves reality TV.

Anyway, good dialog and now i'm off to watch Sister Wives soon!!!!