"Un"reality Television

With all this time off for the holidays, I've been watching more television than usual and I've seen many previews of the various "reality shows".  I know these are not a new genre in television, but the longer these types of shows continue to be popular, the less I understand why.  There is no such thing as "reality" in a reality show. The minute you turn on a camera around a group of people, they cease to be themselves.  If you don't believe that - think about your childhood home movies with you and your siblings showing off - competing for air-time.

The theme of most of these so-called reality shows is how beastly people can be to each other.  The fighting, back-stabbing, scheming, hissy fits, name-calling, hysterics, and high drama is so over the top that I refuse to believe that this is the reality in which most people exist.


I've lived in several cities in West Virginia, lived in Florida for awhile, traveled all over the United States and made two trips to Europe - and in all my life, I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen real-life scenes of conflict like that.  I hope that the average person in this world wants to live peacefully with others.  I guess the evening news with scenes of war and conflict could prove me wrong when it comes to the larger political and social issues, but in our personal lives, surely we are not so horrible to those around us.

Have we fallen so far that we think that people can find a mate through a game show competition, that single teenage mothers are now celebrities, that winning at any price is acceptable, that clawing and scratching our way to the top is a true picture of success? I guess it's a bit like stopping to look at a car wreck.  It's horrible, but we are fascinated by the ugliness.

I'm not sure what attracts the American public to this type of programming, but I'd rather concentrate on the good in people - not the ugly side of human nature.  I think I'll take my cue from this scripture:

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Philippians 4:7-9

I don't consider myself a "goody-two-shoes" and I'm not isolating myself from all American culture and media, but shows like these don't make me feel better about myself or other people.  When we are trying to live our own best lives, doesn't it make sense to concentrate on things that lead us to that end and not on things that are negative? Let's make sure our own reality is treating those around us in our families, our jobs, and our neighborhoods with love and respect and leaving a positive mark on the world we touch every day.