Reality or Revolting?

I'm not sure how many of you are fans of Reality Television, those shows whose basic premise that the situations they deal with could be found in everyday life. It seems to me though that the reality is that the events that are portrayed are completely contrived and orchestrated . How many of you dream of going to some island with nothing but the clothes on your back and spend the next five and one half weeks fighting for survival? Perhaps you would consider jumping a car off the roof of a building and then feasting on cream of maggot soup as the perfect weekend getaway. If neither of these is your cup of tea you can always choose a spouse by finding a group of possible mates, put them through various trials and after eliminating one each week until you agree to marry the “winner.” What better way to launch a life of wedded bliss? The fact of the matter is no one would do any of these things unless someone was waving the possibility of a huge payoff in their faces. Thus, the reality of reality television is not the various stunts or endurance trials, but the reality how much of a fool people are willing to prove they are for a big enough pay day, and the networks see an opportunity for their own sizeable paycheck.

As disgusting as this demonstrated greed seems, sleaze TV, officially known as The Fox Broadcasting Network, is about to launch a show that will lower television standards at the quantum level. Their new show, called “Who’s My Daddy” will feature a young woman trying to determine which of the eight possibilities presented to her is her biological father. It is difficult to know just what to say about this., it is just wrong on so many levels. The first thing that hits me is how and why would a woman subject herself to constant scrutiny while going through the emotional turmoil of finding her father and beginning the process of learning just what kind of person he is? Since I have never met this woman I cannot even guess as to what her reasons are and will leave this issue to individual contemplation.

It is however, much easier to formulate a theory as to why Fox is pursuing the commercialization of what is one of the most emotionally traumatic events a person can go through, they want even more money than they already have. The fact that they have gone to the trouble and expense of making this “show” proclaims clearly their disdain of human decency, and their pursuit by any means of the almighty dollar. I fully expect that during the broadcast of this show it will be claimed many, many times how “pleased” they are to be able to help these two long separated family members be united at long last. Right after this statement will probably be an offer to sell the Brooklyn Bridge to the highest bidder. OK, they probably won’t offer to sell the Brooklyn Bridge, but any statement of altruistic motives will be as truthful as any such offer would be. The Fox Network has only one motive here and that is making as much money as they possibly can, no matter how tasteless and disgusting the methods they have to use.

Even if the woman facing the task of figuring out who her father is was allowed to do no more than interview each gentleman at length and without interference from the show or its staff, this would still be one of the lowest forms of “entertainment” to be forced on the American public. We know however, in an effort to make it more “challenging” or “entertaining” the shows staff will give her false information, taunt her with hints, and in a wide variety of ways mislead her as to which of the eight possibilities is her biological father. This will be done for no other reason than draw out the process and hook viewers into coming back next week as they too try and determine which man is the “unknown father.” This will have one more effect though, it will clearly demonstrate how heartless the Fox network executives are. Her hopes will be built up each week as she thinks (hopes) she knows who her father is, only to be dashed at the end of each show. This is not entertainment, it is however, a systematic, methodical emotional and psychological method of torture geared to make as much money as possible and tease the imaginations of a few twisted and simple minded viewers.