Reality TV Is the Real Boo-Boo!
Way back when Andy Warhol said in the future everyone would have their 15 minutes of fame, I doubt he envisioned anything like Swamp People, Toddlers in Tiaras or Storage Wars. Unfortunately for us, we now have idols, talents, voices, cheaters, survivors, dancers, housewives, racers, apprentices, models, chefs, and wife swappers – just to name a few – all clamoring for our attention AND our time! Mr. Warhol failed to mention that when everyone got famous in order to keep up, it was going to require mind numbing hours in couch potato land.
How, you may ask yourself, did you manage to avoid an addiction to drugs or alcohol only to discover you really need another dose of reality TV? If you are one of the lucky few who have somehow managed to avoid reality TV, I’d not only like to shake your hand, I’d like to know your secret!
I am embarrassed to say that I actually took a liking to Bethenny Frankel while succumbing to the allure of The Real Housewives of New York a couple of years ago. What was I thinking? Nothing! That’s what. At first I watched because the lives that were being portrayed were so unlike mine I was fascinated. It was sort of like reading People Magazine, only with sound and moving pictures. I quit subscribing to that magazine several years ago because I absolutely felt I was paying more attention to other people’s lives than my own.
But with reality TV I realized I was not only paying more attention to other people’s lives than my own, I knew more about them than I did myself. Case in point, Ms. Frankel. I think if I met her in real life and not reality TV, we would probably end up punching each other since she has taken the A Type Personality to such heights the air would be thin.
On the few occasions in my real life when I’ve encountered someone similar, I’ve usually ended up unfriending them – and this was WAY before Facebook. The one and only time I ever became physical with another human being (other than when giving and receiving nuggies from my brothers), the woman in question was very Bethenny-like. I ended up smooshing a chicken salad sandwich in her face. Unfortunately, I surprised myself so much by my actions (I’m a lover, not a fighter!) that I made the mistake of laughing, at which point she poured her soft drink over my head. I think this is where the saying “sticky situation” started!
Anyway, I find it absolutely astounding that I would run for the hills when people like Bethenny invade my actual space, but dive for the remote when I see that she’s on TV. I can’t get enough of her. What is up with that? I’ve analyzed it a bit and I’m convinced that because I am such a pacifist (make that scaredy-cat), I sort of live vicariously through people who go out there and grab what they want. I’d like to grab what I want, but unfortunately, it usually belongs to someone else. So in my case, it would be called stealing.
At just about the point where I thought I might be coming to my senses I had the misfortune of seeing an ad for Here Comes Honey BooBoo. Sure, I scoffed and shook my head, thinking, has the world gone mad? But I’m ashamed to say, I also made a mental note of exactly when this new series was going to air. It was somewhat akin to ambulance chasing or watching a train wreck. I just couldn’t help myself.
And here’s the really sad part. I watched nearly every episode. Yes, I wasted precious time I’ve been given sitting in front of my TV mesmerized by yet another set of folks I would probably run from if I met them in real life. I watched them bob for pigs' feet and dive into mud. I watched them play with their belly fat. I even watched them pass gas on camera. When did this become entertainment? Better question: Why am I watching?
As an audience, our world view is being tainted. Since I’ve never lived in Manhattan or rural Georgia, all I know of these places (and their inhabitants) is the “reality” I’ve observed while watching these sorts of programs. At least the Romans’ perversion for watching gladiators fight was done in real time and in person. If my grasp of history is accurate, I think this behavior is also considered one of the telltale signs of what contributed to the demise of the Roman Empire. Now there’s some reality for you!
I’ve resolved to turn off the TV and actually do something real, like go for a walk, the next time I’m tempted to get caught up in a reality show, because I’m starting to think this may be a boo boo way too big for any Band-Aid®!
