The past 3 days my reality has been force fed the unfortunate train wreck that is reality TV in Atlanta. I have a few general thoughts when dealing with my own love-hate relationships with shows like Real Housewives of Atlanta, Tardy for the Wedding, and the newest and ultimately ridiculous Love & Hip Hop Atlanta.
· Do NOT Date rappers or athletes
· Sex tapes are not viable career options
· Use condoms (always)
· Wear a bra (in public) people can throw drinks at anytime
· It ain’t trickin if you got it
· You can wear gym clothes but never actually go to the gym
· Talent is over-rated
· Anybody can be a star
These shows also invoke several legitimate thoughts including:
Authenticity – I like to think of reality TV like wrestling. It’s fake but still entertaining to a specific audience. Scripted or not, multiple takes or not, if it is on TV and not a documentary I am going with fake! A person behaving badly makes for great ratings but where is the authenticity. Where do you draw the line at reality and fiction? The people are real but their behaviors are over-dramatized and sensationalized. The settings are real but the scenarios are staged. It can be hard for people to decipher the fact from fiction, especially when there is no base line for comparison. I want to see real “reality TV”. Show these women waking up in the morning with no make-up on. Show these women in a non-agitated state. Show these women in professional settings so I can see how their behaviors and appearances translate across multiple variables and societal labels. Guess what you can label individuality, it is called individuality. For all you people who are anti-authority or conformity…that is still a label so get over yourselves! Whatever your label be your authentic self. Authentic- not false or copied; genuine; real …YOU (YES Even if that you is a trendy, label whore that desires to be a carbon copy of a celebutant)!
Perception –another thing that comes to mind for me is perception. Some people (likely raised by wolves or MTV teen moms) perceive the images and “realities” they are exposed to on TV and in magazines to be truth. Yes I know there is some truth in art and entertainment. Yes I know for some of these kids and adults this is common behavior but does it have to be and does that make it truth? The brain is a highly developed organ and visual perception can be ambiguous but doesn’t have to equate to perception. I also think of perception at the societal level and how African Americans (and a multitude of other ethnicities) are represented on television. I have been told by many people black, white and others that I am not a typical black woman. What the hell does that even mean? So I don’t eat fried food (I have a stomach condition), I don’t roll my neck unless it’s to stretch before a work out, I don’t have kids and I’m almost 30, I have 2 college degrees, I have excellent credit, have never been on welfare, I vote, and I have a legitimate job that doesn’t require me to slide down a pole or dress like a prostitute. Yay for me but shame on you for having that perception of what I should be as a black woman. Guess what, I represent a growing faction of woman. Yes some people enable and fulfill stereo-types but reality TV is feeding into the belief that people like me are the exception and the ladies of Love & Hip Hop are the rule.
Modeling – so when I say modeling I don’t mean Victoria Secret. I mean repeating learned behaviors. Young men and women are trying to be what they see. Reality stars are the people who serve as a behavioral or moral example to them in today’s world. Role models if you will and whether they should be or not this is the reality in our society. Parents and teachers (the good ones) do what they can but are fighting an uphill battle. What do you want to be when you grow up? Me I want to be a gymnast, astronaut, dinosaur-geneticist (I was a smart kid with an over-active imagination). Obviously that dinosaur thing didn’t pan out but I tried to be all the other things because my parents were working class folks that instilled in me the importance of education and doing better than they generations before. I also grew up watching the Cosby Show and a Different World and non-Sponge Bob Saturday morning cartoons. I wanted to emulate what I saw which is why my parents limited my viewing of television. The most risqué thing I remember watching was soap operas which gave me a skewed perspective of Caucasians. If I went off what I learned from TV white people steal babies, sleep with their friends husbands, never work anywhere but hospitals, and are mobsters that never die and have kids that age 10 years in a day.
My point is kids today have a lot more dangerous imagery and a lot less active parenting. What are they learning from TV other than black people are a hot damn mess? They are learning that fake everything on your body is the norm; STDs are no big deal and don’t happen even if you are sleeping with multiple people; having babies in your teenage years is cool; college is not a priority when you can date a rapper or an athlete; child support is a source of income; and every problem can be solved with drink throwing, hair pulling, and lying.
Ultimately since we are playing the blame game, I blame everyone! I fault TV executives for not providing contrasting stimuli and audiences for not demanding positive imagery. Lead by example oh wait we are…these are adults behaving badly.
Mass Media Influence –the current climate of society is always looking for blame. Does TV influence the moral behavior of people is a common question. Television is malignant but I as an adult I know it is fictional. So what is the impact on “reality” TV which is still fiction but marketed as real life? I think the answer to that is in each individual household. How you let television impact you is a personal choice. But again on a global level there are some foreseen impacts. Mass media shapes culture. It determines trends in fashion, technology, education, socialization, even cultural practices (including baby naming). We have seen the influence of major events that have received mass media coverage or the impact on generations for over saturation of perceptions (sex, drugs, music). I have experienced it in my adult life in ways I didn’t expect. Example: African American men I have dated tend to want me to be certain type of black woman the kind they have seen perpetuated on TV but without the negative connotations. I have been told I am not sexy enough (really put on heels to grocery shop?), or that my body type isn’t ideal (sorry no ghetto booty here), or that I don’t care about keeping a “black” man because I don’t believe in having my nails done (especially in neon colors) or conforming to ridiculous images of black woman (weave isn’t for everyone). Men (and women) are starting to believe that is what you have to be, to be black. We need to focus more on being ourselves, accepting our own realities, improving disparities and the moral fiber of society. And less about labeling and what someone is wearing, who they are sleeping with, and how much money they have. The unfortunate reality is that because that is entertaining to audiences and it is a profitable business it will continue to remain important. So that fancy talking box in your living room will continue to show programs like Real Housewives of every major city known to man. I am not saying don’t watch, I just think you should consider turning to discovery health every now and then or reading a book.
We are all influenced by something, I just hope that something isn’t Love and Hip Hop or reality TV. I personally like to be influenced by sleazy politicians and the cartoon characters from Jem and the Holograms. Some days I am Jerrica Benton, other days I am Pizzazz (don’t judge me)!
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