Too Much Reality

Has anyone out there ever read the Nielsen TV ratings? For some odd reason, I noticed them today in the USA Today newspaper and after reading them it reaffirmed something for me. I have long believed that the overall value of network television today is worthless. Why, you ask? Because all everybody is interested in is reality television. Of the top six rated programs last week five were reality shows. (Two episodes of American Idol at 1-2; two episodes of Dancing With the Stars at 3-4 and Survivor at #6. Only “Two and Half Men” at #5 made the list as a fictional show. I guess I’ve always known these were the ratings but I never really paid much attention to them. It’s just one of those things that when you actually see it in print makes you go “wow!” You know, for me reality shows are the biggest waste of time. Who in their right mind wants to watch the “real-life” exploits of people on television in order to be entertained? (Oh, wait- I guess America does. After all the proof is in the ratings) All I have to do is walk out my door or stick my head out the window to see reality everyday. I don’t really need to see it in my down time. It’s pure overload.  What does it say about America when everybody is so busy wondering who will be crowned the next American Idol instead of getting a life? Reality TV is the big joke perpetrated on America by the television industry. The networks love that people eat this stuff up. It allows them to make money hand over fist. It’s cheap to produce and takes no imagination or skilled writing. (OK, there is some writing, after all cheesy drama has to hold some interest) I just don’t get the fascination. It’s simply mindless TV. I am a product of TV in the 70’s and 80’s. Shows like “All in the Family,” “Hill Street Blues,” and Mary Tyler Moore.” “One Day at a Time,” The Jeffersons,” “Starsky and Hutch,” and “Family Ties.” These were shows that gave us life’s situations but put them in the hands of fictional characters so we all knew where the boundaries between reality and fiction were. Nowadays that line is blurred and it speaks to why we are so screwed up as a society.   Everyone thinks they can be the next big thing and that’s all that matters.  Anyone that likes this crap needs to watch the 1976 movie “Network.” It will really open your eyes.  (Or will it?)  The film is a satire on the direction TV was heading in the future after 1976. Well, guess what? The joke really is on us. Many of the things satirized in the film are actually on TV right now or have been in the past. The main character, Howard Beale, was right to be “mad as hell and not able to take it anymore. ” All everybody wants now is to get rich quick and be the next star. Nothing else matters, and TV says it’s easy to do. I’m all for getting rich but not at the expense of ignoring everything else in life. I think American Idol is the worst thing to ever happen to America because for every season winner they have, thousands walk away disappointed and wondering “why not me?” All it does is give people unrealistic expectations and takes their focus away from the reality of their situations. Real self improvement is sacrificed for a pipe dream that is not likely to happen. There are more subtle ways to make a lot of money and get famous. Auditioning for and religiously watching American Idol isn’t one of them. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize that and until they do we will continue to see the same garbage on network TV until it doesn’t sell anymore. From the look of things that could be a very long time. I think I’ll continue to stay off that band wagon.  The only reality TV I’ll be viewing are documentaries and news shows like 60 Minutes. That’s all the reality I need.  Check out the Nielsens sometime.  It will answer a lot of your questions, I guarantee it.