Reality; Life or TV?

I know the reality show contradiction has been discussed to death ("There's nothing of 'reality' in those shows," "It's merely fun- a guilty pleasure," etc.), so I don't know why I'm continuing to drone on about the topic, but I can't help being fascinated by the phenomena and I'm still perplexed over why they're so damn popular- even after all the anthropological theories and hypotheses, such as: people release their pent-up anger and frustrations vicariously through watching people double deal, manipulate and back-stab each other- much like Roman citizens enjoyed watching the lions maul Christians or people feel better about themselves after seeing how low, petty and underhanded the contestants are to their peers; still I shake my head in disbelief. No doubt there are many who would shake their heads at me and wonder and pity at my need to continue to delve into the topic so deeply; why I need to dive into the shallow end of the pool.

I think it may be that I, too am a victim of these horrible, contrived and manipulative performances. I want to find out why people become so obsessed with these shows and then maybe I could figure out how to extricate myself. Yes, I admit I watch "Project Runway" and used to watch "Top Chef" and "American Idol." WHY? When I know that the best designer, chef or singer never wins and that the producers have a vote so they can keep the most annoying idiot on in order to keep fans complaining and firing off angry e-mails and that the 'confessions' are all filmed before hand and the voting is rigged, and maybe, just maybe, that's why I'm still consumed with trying to figure out this dependency so I can stop being pulled in and stop being so angry at myself for succumbing to such transparent and juvenile tactics and the same lines, dramas and judging over and over and over again. If I hear "I'm not here to make friends," "I'm better than all you bitches," or "None of them want it as bad as me (sic)," one more time, I'm going to shoot them. There are TV channels who only broadcast a variety of these kinds of shows and I get marketing surveys in my e-mail asking if don't I think Bravo's or Showtime's or Oxygen's or whoever's reality programming is daring and innovative, not to mention unique and cutting edge and all I can think is: "Are you kidding me?"

I did manage to quit watching American Idol, partly because I'm too old to be partaking in such kiddy porn and partly because I truly love music. I got tired of the same teeny, fresh-scrubbed American faces, the bubbly, pop singing Kellys and Kellies and Carries and all the other nice, clean youths who always managed to beat out the fat, the old, and the plain with the knockout powerhouse voices like Tamyra Grey, Christina Christian, Kimberly Locke, Julie London and La Kisha Jones (all women of colour by the way). The same with Top Chef. I guess I liked them and Project Runway because at least they were creating something and I like seeing how creativity is manifested. But because I thought American Idol was not really about bel canto for its own sake and I couldn't tell who made the best tasting dish on Top Chef, I could more easily break the habit. Project Runway is about fashion and it's also creative, but fashion is not a deep medium for me- it doesn't really have any personal or global implications, so the crass commercialism, the misplaced ambition and the nasty sniping and conniving does not offend me as it did on other shows- fashion is all about the bitch. But still, I have better things to do with my time than watching or even agonising over why I watch. As the old saying goes "Piss or get off the pot." I think I'll get off, now.

Racism in America

Regarding the racial incident involving Henry Louis Gates in the US:

I saw many nasty comments like 'Ohio Granny' on Slate.com saying: "Professor Gates claims ‘they wouldn’t treat me like this if I were white’. See? How does he know that? It is the classic assumption that goes through their heads all the time.” How does he know? He's a smart man; he can figure it out, but he most likely knows from experience; it's a pretty familiar scenario. My story is a little different. One night, I came home somewhat wasted, after partying to all hours and left my backpack in the cab. My keys were in there and I couldn't get in the house, so I jimmied the lock. Someone no doubt saw me and called the cops, who arrived pretty quickly. You can't get them to come when someone's lying on the street or getting beaten up, but property is always a serious issue in the US. They snuck up behind me and told me to stop what I was doing. I think they doubted my belligerent, slurred words, but they at least checked out my story with the neighbours; I don't know why they went to that much trouble for me; I was rude and loud and aggressive- could it be that I'm white?