Reality Bites... by Jayme Evans

by Jayme Evans

Reality Bites...

September 04, 2007 01:53 PM EST

One of the most insidious diseases to ever inflict this nation is the phenomenon of "reality television".

This abomination began innocently enough with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and Survivor, but it has now morphed into a race to the bottom; each network, particularly CBS and Fox trying to outdo the other in terms of demeaning their contestants for money.

Although I predicted reality TV's long-term effects years ago, it has taken roughly 5 years for anyone to take notice. Most people are just beginning to realize the harm this junk causes.

Reality TV is anything but what its name implies. It is social engineering intertwined with voyeurism to achieve predetermined outcomes, plain and simple. There's nothing real about it. Complete opposites are chosen on almost every show, with as much friction as possible caused by the different racial, sexual, or social identities clashing over money. The contestants end up usually being either socially dominant brutes or emotional basket cases. Throw in a few demeaning tasks or perhaps some nasty food, and there you have it: Complete and utter dysfunction on full public display nationwide, and marketed to the masses as entertainment.

First, there was Tribal Council. Then Temptation Island brought a sort of soft swinging into play. Fear Factor brought the spectacle of eating animal brains, testicles, or whatever else they could fathom to gross you out. Fox added to the dysfunction with degenerate slut Paris Hilton and her drunk driving, pill-popping sidekick Nicole Ritchie living with less-affluent Americans on the Simple Life. Now, anything is fair game: Unhappy marriages on Wife Swap... A house full of voyeuristic losers on Big Brother... Morbidly obese people on The Biggest Loser...

There seems to be no end to how far people will stoop, either to be on television or to claim a million dollar prize. Each show is simply nothing more than the previous one regurgitated with a new wrinkle. The same faces are appearing over and over, creating professional reality contestants. There are even Simon Cowell wannabes sprouting up to tongue-lash players. Many mental health professionals have recently begun to question whether this is healthy. I say: Where the hell have you been?

Reality television at its most basic level is quite simply nothing more than a popularized, legal form of prostitution, albeit without sex. People are stripped of their dignity on television and end up performing all manner of demeaning and vile tasks. They are forced to choose between morality and money. For a small percentage of the contestants, some bit acting parts, commercials, or guest appearances are a likely outcome. The rest go home and try to get on with their lives. Many return home and have difficulty with relationships, having spilled intimate personal details or flirted with other contestants on television.

Networks shamelessly promote their shows, using many of these tawdry details as bait to attract audiences. The morning shows -already legendary for lacking anything of substance- even host the most recent loser of the various reality competitions.

Think about it: Since the reality phenomenon began, even losers of a competition are being turned into instant stars, although they tend to fade rather quickly. Often times, the pressure felt by these contestants can be so overwhelming it consumes them. Many contestants are aspiring actors or are unhappy with their jobs. Others are unemployed or sporadically so, and the lure of a big financial payoff or even a commercial endorsement adds to the pressure. Take the case of Cheryl Kosewicz. She was a deputy DA in the Las Vegas area. She was also a contestant on CBS' flop of a series The Pirate Master. She ended up allegedly committing suicide a short time after boyfriend also took his own life. CBS may not bear any direct responsibility for her death, but shortly before she died, she wrote of the strain that the show placed on her relationship and complained of poor ratings.

And now, these pressures are being brought to bear against children. The new CBS show Kid Nation set to air on September 19th was deliberately staged in New Mexico due to the lax laws governing children's hours of employment, as well as their compensation. There is ongoing discussion as to whether labor laws were violated.

Where exactly we'll end up if this continues is anyone's guess. I turned off this garbage long ago, and the only way to reverse this war on morality is to simply refuse to watch it. The whole genre has not a single positive or redeeming quality about it. It has already claimed, destroyed, or reduced the value of numerous human lives.