Filth for tv

I had a little time to kill last week, so I picked up the remote and started flipping through channels. After wading through hours of “Jersey Shore” reruns and running into an abomination called “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” I’ve made my decision: Reality TV is destroying television. 

I’m not going to say that everything on television now is complete and utter filth. I like my “Breaking Bad” just as much as the next guy, and I know a plethora of scripted TV shows that are worth their time on air.

But the filth that is reality TV has just gone too far.

To start, reality TV is in this weird twilight zone in terms of realness. Sure, Snooki doesn’t have lines that some writer is forcing her to say, but producers have been known to nudge people in certain directions to add more drama. Just look at “The Hills.”

And that’s nothing compared to the contracts that most reality TV stars have to sign before they even set foot in front of cameras.

They must agree to things such as not being able to change their physical appearances and must give the producers the right to portray them however they want.
Producers aren’t looking for reality. They’re just looking for something they can package and sell as reality.

I could forgive all of that. Selling something as reality when it’s not is dumb, but it’s not the main reason why I can’t stand reality TV.

The worst thing reality TV brings to the table is the constant, empty drama.

No one watches these shows because they love the relationships and want characters to succeed. Why would anyone want to watch a show where everyone got along and played nice?

People watch reality TV for the fights. They want to watch Mike and Ronnie fight it out on “Jersey Shore” over some stupid argument, and they want to point and laugh as Snooki is arrested. Producers make sure to showcase as much human suffering as they can.

The problem starts when you realize these are real people. The concussion Mike received was real, and Snooki really did have to go to jail.

These aren’t characters on a screen, they’re real people who suffer real consequences. Treating them like puppets here for our amusement is cruel and wrong, no matter how annoying or useless they are to society.

­— kevsjack@indiana.edu