This thought provoking article has given me the idea for a new 'Reality TV' concept. Round up everyone who fancies their chances as a contestant on Big Brother. Dispatch each one to gather video material that documents situations like the lives of Iraqi government officials; Palestinian parents; or the situation in Zimbabwe; or the issue of Child Labour... send others to connect the dots between the things we buy and the economic, political, social and health problems of the world. The contest lasts err... well, until there's only one contestant that hasn't changed their identity and disappeared, or been kidnapped, killed, imprisoned or declared clinically insane. Okay yes, 20% or so of the contestant pool may need to be barred from participating on the grounds that they are already showing signs of the latter. Whatever...
It will indeed be a beautiful day when the followers of this particular genre of television - which has clearly misappropriated the term 'Reality TV’ - are somehow released from the grip of the numbing stupor that it induces. Okay, credit where it’s due. Hats off to the producers... because that condition is probably about as close to perfect as one can get without the aid of pharmaceuticals… nirvana if you're marketing consumer products, because somewhere around 80% of television audiences are probably watching this stuff, with perhaps 20% of them taking it all a bit too seriously. That is creating a substantial distraction from what is actually real and most deserving of our time and attention.
It is said that modern consumers are cash rich and time poor. If that is the case then where do all of these people find the time to watch all of this stuff? This kind of rubbish is competing for time that often needs to be spent doing things like reading labels, asking questions and complaining; buying fresh vegetables and preparing healthy meals, recycling, going to the library and reading books; talking to our kids and neighbours and generally investing ourselves in the challenge of daily life that is probably best described as ‘doing the right thing’.
Everyone loves to be entertained, but when these ‘unreal’ escapes are allowed to be labelled and therefore interpreted as ‘reality’ the burden of expectation and responsibility - for directing and achieving our collective potential and dealing with the real issues confronting humanity today - are effectively transferred to ‘others’. As the so-called ‘reality’ of Big Brother, 24 and many others including the Da Vinci Code continues to radiate vulnerable minds, so the best efforts of the ‘others’ will become increasingly characterised as tinkering in the margins. Anyone who takes any of this stuff too seriously is not only their own worst enemy, but probably yours too.
