“Reality” vs. Escapism

I recently received one of those emails where you have to list 4 things in various categories and I noted that the perosn who sent it to me listed Burn Notice as a current show, when in fact, it's on break until January.  She responded by saying that considering it still a current show was her display of optimism and this eventually led into a rant on reality tv.  I tried not to get carried away, but hey, it's a hot button for me.  I detest reality tv on prinicple.  So here is my response to her:

 

In the time of shows being cancelled before the first season is even finished, I understand you considering a show on break (that still has commercials for new episodes) as still being current.  And don't even get me started on reality tv!!!  Ok, here we go:  First of all, who's freakin reality is it??  I don't know any real people that have lives like that.  And if it is "reality" then why are there writers credited for the show?  And how can there be cameras in the car of some guy asking out one of the main characters for the first time, if it's a surprise????  Yes, that actually happened on The Hills (my friend forced me to watch several episodes under the misguided delusion that I would choose to watch it on my own afterward). 

 

Secondly, has everyone completely forgotten that "reality tv" was created when all of the writers went on strike and no one with an ounce of creativity or common sense was left to come up with something new that had any substance to it??  It was created as a filler for a time period when no one with talent was left to create anything. . . and it's still going.  There are now people that are famous just for being greedy enough to eat cow balls or live in a hut.  There was a happy marriage that was publicly torn apart by cameras and the wife has the audacity that be thankful for the opportunity, because the opportunity that it gave her was to be stinkin rich and very famous.  And still, the American public is enthralled with this crap!  I just don't get it.

 

And people make fun of me because I watch the recreated 90210 about a bunch of spoiled, and extremely stupid, vapid teenagers or a show about a teenage girl who's friend is a witch, she's in love with the good vampire brother (as opposed to the evil vampire brother) and her own brother just had his memory erased so that he doesn't remember his druggie girlfriend turning into a vamp and being staked right in front of him.  I also watch a crime drama where the main character has no social skills and her partner sees Stewie Griffin on a sperm bank tv b/c he has a brain tumor. 

 

And why do I watch such things?  Because there is absolutely no basis in reality whatsoever.  At no point will I ever be watching one of these shows and think, "yeah, I can relate to that" or "hey, that just happened to me last week."  Because the things I watch never happen to real people, but they're not trying to claim that they are real people either!!!!  I can watch these shows, knowing that none of it is even trying to be real, and yet I'm interested enough to get invested in their lives (mainly b/c they're so outlandish and fake) and can take that time to completely forget about anything wrong in my own life. 

 

Books, movies and tv.  These are the avenues of escapism and if I have to see people talking to their children like they're the gum on the underneath of their shoe, and know that this person actually just said that to their child and not a pint size actress that knows it's fake, I think I just might puke.  So go, watch mindless happy endings and be happy, because that is what tv should be all about.  If we can't get happily ever after in own lives, at least we can watch it happen to other people!!!