If I had to draw a reality line in the sand , I would place it squarely at the doorstep of MTV in 1992. The Real World experiment gave birth to what has become “reality TV”. They deserve a pat on the back for breaking ground, no doubt about it , they paved the way for declining morals, GPA’s, and ethics.
I remember when MTV aired nothing but music videos and Mark Burnett produced an obscure program called Eco Challenge. I doubt even the most visionary MTV executive imagined the implications of letting Pandora out of her box. They paved the way for young people to grow up with misguided expectations, unrealistic goals, bat shit logic regarding consequences or responsibility, and reverence for the cult of celebrity. MTV made it possible for anyone to become a celebrity – they launched the age of “surreal” reality.
“Reality” tested the waters with vacant rich kids like Paris Hilton attempting to live a normal life. It gave birth to the Kardashion dynasty, “real” housewives, and Bachelorettes. Soon we were laughing at “Joe Average” as producers duped him into believing audiences weren’t mocking his stupidity. Washed up rockers Flavour Flav and Brett Michaels found “love”, geeks were put on display in Beauty and the Geek. Real life apparently involves the privileged becoming richer, while laughing at schmucks. Soon Snookie and Pauly D were driving Escalades because we couldn’t turn away from their bar fights and drunken stupidity. Yeah – this was reality.
Reality took barely a decade to poison our lives with Honey Boo Boo, Moonshiner’s shenanigans and Amish Mafia. Disgraced televangelist Ted Haggard even had his “reality” displayed , trying to put his “ministry” back in the bank from a barn at his sprawling property. Reality it seems has no boundaries; nothing is off limits – as long as we marginalize, mock, emulate or mess up our priorities. Kudos MTV – you are responsible for turning society into marshmallows – when was the last time you even aired a music video?
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notestoponder 
Actually you can go back even further in television to find the roots of reality TV, but for now let’s jhust say it had it’s genisis with “Queen for a Day.”>KB
I completely agree but picked on MTV because it happened to coincide with the explosion of social media. Plus – they are responsible for Snookie – something I deem unforgivable 🙂
I’m so with you on this one. We can’t watch TV any more because it has gotten so bad. I guess in the long run, that’s good for us! It’s really embarrassing…are other countries like this as well?
Another reason the networks pushed reality TV is that it cost far less to produce. All they needed was the public to buy it…and they did. Sad.
Other countries have reality poison clouding their minds. As you said – it’s cheap and audiences gobble it up.
The flip side to this is at the same time HBO produced the Sopranos, Deadwood, and The Wire – exceptional cutting edge programming.:)
Love the Sopranos, will have to check out the other two. We just wrapped up Dexter and Breaking Bad, though I don’t condone either activity…the series are awesome. Another excellent one is Homeland…just starting it’s 3rd season. The only one that is not cable was Breaking Bad. There is a new non cable show The Americans, cold war Russian spies in America, that’s pretty good too.
Of the 3 I mentioned Deadwood is by far my favourite. Check it out if you get a chance.:)
Not just MTV but the entire “entertainment” industry that used that bully pulpit of the TV screen to raise, from infancy through puberty, the past three generations with no discipline, self respect or accountability.
I worry about so called “news” networks as well.Far too many people take the “Editorial opinions” of the Glen Becks and Bill O’Reilly’s as gospel truth.
I tried watching MTV over the weekend. I had to switch after 10 minutes it was so unbearable.
“I want my, I want my, I want my MTV…” the MTVof the 80s, when they actually played music 🙂